Patterns
ReviewBioimage Analysis and Cell Motility
The Bigger Picture
Current research on cellular motility is moving toward richer experimental setups with the aim of reproducing physiologically relevant conditions. In response to the consequent increase in imaging complexity and data throughput, the quantitative analysis of moving cells is shifting from what has been long perceived as a supporting role to that of a leading vehicle of discovery that can not only fill in for human labor without burden but also complement and extend our intuition. In this review, we explain that this role is not new and that, in fact, bioimage analysis (BIA) has already been instrumental to the discovery of many multi-factor and non-linear phenomena in biology. We take advantage of this continued interplay between biology and BIA to organically motivate a wide range of available techniques and conceptual frameworks that researchers can leverage to tackle their questions on cell motility, both now and in the near future. In this way, the manuscript doubles as a broad technical reference.