influence of the biophysical environment and cell-cell interactions on epithelial cell electrotaxis

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20213913

Cell migration plays a pivotal role during tissue growth and development, wound repair, and progression of metastatic disease. Mechanical, chemical, and electrical cues all provide stimuli to direct cell migration. Electric fields as stimuli for directed cell migration, known as electrotaxis, have attracted attention in recent years due to their ability to override migratory cues from other types of stimuli. The use of electrotaxis has promising application in wound repair, where it is being utilized to treat chronic non-healing wounds such as ulcers. In this study, we sought to investigate the interactions between electric fields and intercellular connections on the electrotaxis of epithelial cells.