An effective device to enable consistent scratches for in vitro scratch assays

BACKGROUND: The in-vitro scratch assay is a useful method in wound healing research to assess cell migration. In this assay, a scratch is created in a confluent cell layer by mechanically removing cells through manual scraping with a sharp-edged tool. This step is traditionally done with pipette tips and is unsuitable for high-throughput assays, as the created scratches are highly variable in width and position. Commercially available solutions are often expensive, and require specific cultureware which might not be suitable for all studies. RESULTS: In this study, we have developed a flexible cell scratch device comprising a single wounding tool, a guide and an imaging template for consistent and reproducible scratch assays in 96-well plates. Our results showed that the device produced a more consistent scratch profile compared to the conventional method of using pipette tips. The imaging template also allowed operators to easily locate and image the same region of interest at different time points, which potentially could be used for other assays. CONCLUSIONS: Our flexible yet effective scratch device thus enables robust scratch assays that can be applied to different experimental needs, providing researchers with an easy and reliable tool for their studies.