The shape of a cell can change in response to many different stimuli. The rounding up of cells from an attached and spread-out state on a substrate, for example, can be observed when cells are dividing or experiencing toxic effects.

Analysis of cell spreading is relevant to screening for inhibitors of cell adherence to a substrate.  Common measures of the cell shape are area, roundness and width to length ratio.

Morphology parameter ‘length’, visualized for each individual cell in a population.