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An Introduction to Particle Tracking Techniques with Applications in Biomedical Research

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Microscopy Techniques for Biomedical Education and Healthcare Practice

Part of the book series: Biomedical Visualization ((BV,volume 2))

Abstract

Due to their inherent complexity and diverse range of functions, biological systems—both at the cellular and tissue levels—continue to challenge the prowess of modern science. Despite significant advances toward understanding the core mechanisms driving such systems, unknown domains continue to hold back scientific progress. The advent of microscopy tools, especially epifluorescence and confocal microscopy for live cell imaging, has strengthened biology research. Emerging modalities of super-resolution microscopy are now providing crisp resolution, and the availability of tailor-made dyes for labeling biological samples, have also inspired the current generation of microscopists to investigate biological structures down to the nanoscale. Particle tracking techniques, especially single particle tracking that emerged as a component of a fast-evolving fluorescence microscopy landscape, are now pushing the current limits of technological excellence even further. With high-resolution imagery data acquisition, often conducted in a time-lapse mode, particle tracking tools are providing crucial insights into how the cells function with emphasis on metabolism, cytoskeletal dynamics, cell division, and phagocytosis. The further kinematic analysis delves deeper into the hitherto unknown realms of (nano)particulate transport, with or without receptor mediation, across biological membranes, followed by cellular internalization and intracellular fate, including subcellular compartmentalization. Such novel insights are not only widening the current knowledge base on complex biological systems but also guiding researchers toward developing effective theranostic agents for advanced drug delivery and biomedical imaging, including preparation of nanomedicinal formulations. This chapter revisits the current state-of-the-art particle tracking platforms while drawing inspiration from its wide range of biomedical applications, including therapeutics. In this journey, the chapter will present a balanced critique of the available tracking software packages along with their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, it will present some future perspectives from a vantage of current paradigms, caution the research community on the challenges that lie ahead, and highlight some approaches that need to be integrated into current concepts while progressing ahead.

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Acknowledgments

The author remains grateful to Professor Dimitri Scholz from the Bioimaging Core Facility at the University College Dublin Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research and Dr. Massimiliano Garrè from the Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, for being excellent teachers and mentors in advanced microscopic techniques, including single particle tracking. Many of the pearls of wisdom conveyed in the manuscript were passed on to the author by these two amazing colleagues and scientists over stimulating discussions and enjoyable training sessions.

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  1. School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Sourav Bhattacharjee

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  1. Sourav Bhattacharjee
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Correspondence to Sourav Bhattacharjee .

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  1. Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Leonard Shapiro

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The author would like to thank UCD Research Output Based Research Support Scheme (OBRSS) for funding.

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No novel data was reported in the manuscript. Further information on the reported data may be obtained from the author upon reasonable request.

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Bhattacharjee, S. (2023). An Introduction to Particle Tracking Techniques with Applications in Biomedical Research. In: Shapiro, L. (eds) Microscopy Techniques for Biomedical Education and Healthcare Practice . Biomedical Visualization, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36850-9_6

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