David Trombley McSwiggen

As we become older our body experiences a progressive decline in its ability to heal and regenerate. Bones are particularly affected (Colón et al., 2018), with age-related changes decreasing the number and functionality of osteoprogenitors – the cells that are required for bone development and repair. Aging can also decrease the blood supply to the bones and reduce mitochondrial activity, which is necessary for generating energy in cells (Clark et al., 2017).

eLife assessment This work presents an important technological advance, in the form of a high throughput platform for Single Particle Tracking allowing us to measure millions of cells and thousands of compounds per day. Analysis of the diffusional behaviour of fluorescently-tagged targets permits the identification of, and differentiation between, small molecules that bind directly or affect the target indirectly.