In my book, Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide, I propose a new global symbol or logo that I created for stem cells inspired by the cell fate tree models that we have been discussing (image below). In this new symbol, which can also be thought of as a model of sorts in the shape of a tree, I have tried to convey the ability of one stem cell to make a rainbow of differentiated cell types.
Hence, the stem cell (at the bottom in the trunk of the tree) is depicted as a rainbow cell and as we go up the tree and out on branches, cells become less stem-like and more differentiated as reflected by their different colors.
My hope with this symbol is that it resonates with people all around the world, many of whom may not speak English of for whom English is a second language. For this reason I have incorporated the “trunk” concept that is integral to the idea and language of stem cells in other languages, where they call stem cells “trunk cells”. As we have seen from the history of the discovery of stem cells, stem cell research and the importance for stem cells as medicine are truly global issues.
Above is an adaptation of an excerpt from my book. It is posted with the permission of World Scientific Publishing and may not be reproduced without permission.
The rainbow is an elegant metaphor, a continuum of color but still quantized. Like the immensity of possibilities for a stem cell — life itself.