The present invention relates to a microfluidic device for applying pressure to a cell assembly and methods for using said device. Cell motility and cell migration, both important parameters for regenerative biological processes in vivo, is frequently tested using so-called wound healing assays. In addition, such assays are applied in cancer research to test the aggressiveness of cancer cells to form metastases and allow to test for drugs that inhibit metastasis and/or cancer growth. Also, these assays provide an effective method to assess the speed of tissue regeneration as well as quality of wound healing for tissue wounds (e.g. burn wounds), and may provide prognostic information about wound healing outcomes based on patient-derived sample material.