Fabrication of a microfluidic device for studying the combinatorial effect of physical and chemical cues on cell migration

In vivo cell migration is influenced by soluble factors as well as stiffness. Current in vitro strategies mostly account for one of these two factors to study cell migration. To understand the combinatorial effect of stiffness and chemokines on cell behavior, we have developed a microfluidic model to study stiffness-dependent chemotaxis of mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). A detailed description of our methodology will help researchers develop microfluidic models that combine these two factors influencing cell behavior. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Saxena et al. (2018).