Stem Cell Colonies Grow 2

Stem Cell Colonies Grow 2

Deena Rennerfeldt

MIT Department of Biological Engineering, MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

These symbols are a way to visualize the extent of diversity within stem cell colonies using data collected from time lapse imaging.   Each symbol represents a different colony after four days of growth, and the colored dots within each symbol represent the size and position of individual cells within that colony.  The color of the individual cells represents their generations, with red representing first-generation (old) cells, orange representing second-generation cells, yellow representing third-generation cells, and so forth through violet representing seventh-generation (young) cells.  The number of rings encircling each colony represent the number of cells the colony came from, and the pattern of the rings represents how fast those originating cells grew (solid line = fast-dividing cell, dotted line = moderate-dividing cell, and dashed line = slow-dividing cell).

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