Experimental Investigation of the Motility of Wildtype and Mutant Caenorhabditis elegans using μ-PIV

The study of motility of C. elegans has numerous applications in the field of biomedical research related to the muscular disorder, neuromuscular damage and genetics. The swimming behaviour of mutant C. elegans with defective gene similar to age-related neurodegenerative disorder was investigated by studying the fluid flow using micro-PIV. The effect of ageing and the defective gene on the propulsive power exerted by the mutant along with major kinematic parameters were systematically explored and compared with that of the wildtype nematodes. The behavioural variations identified during their growth have the potential to provide quantitative clues for drug screening.