A random motility assay based on image correlation spectroscopy.

We demonstrate the random motility (RAMOT) assay based on image correlation spectroscopy for the automated, label-free, high-throughput characterization of random cell migration. The approach is complementary to traditional migration assays, which determine only the collective net motility in a particular direction. The RAMOT assay is less demanding on image quality compared to single-cell tracking, does not require cell identification or trajectory reconstruction, and performs well on live-cell, time-lapse, phase contrast video microscopy of hundreds of cells in parallel. Effective diffusion coefficients derived from the RAMOT analysis are in quantitative agreement with Monte Carlo simulations and allowed for the detection of pharmacological effects on macrophage-like cells migrating on a planar collagen matrix. These results expand the application range of image correlation spectroscopy to multicellular systems and demonstrate a novel, to our knowledge, migration assay with little preparative effort.