Cell motility studies using digital holographic microscopy

Studies of cell movement have many applications, such as invasion of malignant cells into healthy tissue and leukocyte migration into inflammatory sites. Cultured adherent cells usually move over their substrate in a crawling motion that varies greatly between cultures due to factors such as cell type, malignancy, mutations, confluence, substrate, or external chemical or mechanical stimuli. Cell movement can be divided into random movement (motility), and directional movement (migration). Different cell types may be characterized by their speed of movement. E.g. human fibroblasts move very slowly (12 – 60 μm/h) compared to neutrophils, which are the fastest moving leukocytes (900 – 1200 μm/h) [1].