Quantitative evaluation of methods to analyze motion changes in single-particle experiments

G Gorka Muñoz-Gil H Harshith Bachimanchi J Jesús Pineda B Benjamin Midtvedt G Gabriel Fernández-Fernández B Borja Requena Y Yusef Ahsini S Solomon Asghar J Jaeyong Bae F Francisco J. Barrantes S Steen W. B. Bender C Clément Cabriel J J. Alberto Conejero M Marc Escoto X Xiaochen Feng (State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science, School of Chemistry) R Rasched Haidari N Nikos S. Hatzakis Z Zihan Huang I Ignacio Izeddin H Hawoong Jeong Y Yuan Jiang J Jacob Kæstel-Hansen J Judith Miné-Hattab R Ran Ni J Junwoo Park X Xiang Qu L Lucas A. Saavedra H Hao Sha N Nataliya Sokolovska Y Yongbing Zhang G Giorgio Volpe M Maciej Lewenstein R Ralf Metzler (Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam 2 , 14476 Potsdam,) D Diego Krapf (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University) G Giovanni Volpe C Carlo Manzo

Abstract

Abstract The analysis of live-cell single-molecule imaging experiments can reveal valuable information about the heterogeneity of transport processes and interactions between cell components. These characteristics are seen as motion changes in the particle trajectories. Despite the existence of multiple approaches to carry out this type of analysis, no objective assessment of these methods has been performed so far. Here, we report the results of a competition to characterize and rank the performance of these methods when analyzing the dynamic behavior of single molecules. To run this competition, we implemented a software library that simulates realistic data corresponding to widespread diffusion and interaction models, both in the form of trajectories and videos obtained in typical experimental conditions. The competition constitutes the first assessment of these methods, providing insights into the current limitations of the field, fostering the development of new approaches, and guiding researchers to identify optimal tools for analyzing their experiments.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published July 22, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (36)

G

Gorka Muñoz-Gil

H

Harshith Bachimanchi

J

Jesús Pineda

B

Benjamin Midtvedt

G

Gabriel Fernández-Fernández

B

Borja Requena

Y

Yusef Ahsini

S

Solomon Asghar

J

Jaeyong Bae

F

Francisco J. Barrantes

S

Steen W. B. Bender

C

Clément Cabriel

J

J. Alberto Conejero

M

Marc Escoto

X

Xiaochen Feng

State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science, School of Chemistry

R

Rasched Haidari

N

Nikos S. Hatzakis

Z

Zihan Huang

I

Ignacio Izeddin

H

Hawoong Jeong

Y

Yuan Jiang

J

Jacob Kæstel-Hansen

J

Judith Miné-Hattab

R

Ran Ni

J

Junwoo Park

X

Xiang Qu

L

Lucas A. Saavedra

H

Hao Sha

N

Nataliya Sokolovska

Y

Yongbing Zhang

G

Giorgio Volpe

M

Maciej Lewenstein

R

Ralf Metzler

Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam 2 , 14476 Potsdam,

D

Diego Krapf

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University

G

Giovanni Volpe

C

Carlo Manzo