Motility

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Motility is a biological term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and independently. It can apply to either single-celled or multicellular organisms.

In cellular biology or biomedical engineering, motility often refers to directed cell movement down gradients established in biopolymers. Examples are:

• movement along a chemical gradient (see chemotaxis)
• movement along a rigidity gradient (see durotaxis)
• movement along a gradient of cell adhesion sites (see haptotaxis)