Microglia are the primary immune cells in the central nervous system and play important roles in maintaining brain homeostasis. Directed microglial migration to the injured/disease sites in the brain, is key to the microglial immunoresponses and has been implicated in pathogenesis of multiple brain diseases. 

To investigate microglial migration, Prof. Duan’s group developed an approach using a small glass pipette to inject chemicals that can modulate microglial migration. Chemoattractants released from the glass pipette form a chemotactic gradient and induce robust microglial migration. Combined with microscopy, the assay can track not only cell movement but also the dynamics of subcellular organelles. It is a simple and inexpensive assay that can be used to analyze cell migration in multiple cell types. This assay has been recently published on Nature Protocols.