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Updated: Nov 19, 2025

Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy - A Tool for Determining the Diffusive States of Cytosolic Molecules
Published on: September 5, 2019
Principles and Applications of Single Particle Tracking in Cell Research
Zhao Wang1, Xuejing Wang2, Ying Zhang3
1State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China.
Abstract:
It is a tough challenge for many decades to decipher the complex relationships between cell behaviors and cellular physical properties. Single particle tracking (SPT) with high spatial and temporal resolution has been applied extensively in cell research to understand physicochemical properties of cells and their bio-functions by tracking endogenous or exogenous probes. This review describes the fundamental principles of SPT as well as its applications in intracellular mechanics, membrane dynamics, organelles distribution, and processes of internalization and transport. Finally, challenges and future directions of SPT are also discussed.

