Figure 3.

Continuous single-cell observations are required for a comprehensive understanding of dynamic cellular behavior. (A) Individual cell-fate decisions are the reason for the behavior of the complete hematopoietic system in health and disease, and must therefore be quantified. They are influenced by factors like cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM), or membrane-bound signaling molecules in many different niches. (B) Only continuous single-cell observation allows unambiguous conclusions about cell-fate choices in complex cell systems. Discontinuous input/output analyses—even when done at the single-cell level—cannot distinguish between different combinations of cell-fate decisions leading to the same output of a cellular system, and therefore lead to ambiguous conclusions.