Imaging Cells Within 3D Cell-Derived Matrix

Much of what is known about the mechanisms regulating cell adhesion and migration come from in vitro studies of cells plated on 2-dimensional (2D) extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The importance of studying these processes in cells within 3-dimensional (3D) environments is becoming increasingly recognised, as a number of studies have now demonstrated that adhesion formation and migration are markedly different in cells within 3D environments (Cukierman et al. Science 1708–1712, 2001). It is also known that the composition and pliability or density of the ECM are important in regulating cell adhesion and migration (Cukierman et al. Science 1708–1712, 2001). Cell-derived matrices (CDM) are naturally deposited fibrillar ECM from fibroblasts that can be used to study the adhesions and migration of cells in a more physiologically relevant environment.