DNA drives: storing digital information on DNA

DNA is one of the most robust organic materials, making it an attractive, long-lasting data storage molecule.

Originally conceptualized by Mikhail Neiman, the concept of using DNA for storing digital information has existed for nearly five decades. Rightfully, there have been several attempts to achieve a perfect DNA-based storage system. The general idea is to convert binary codes, the digital form of the information, into nucleotide information.  The DNA thus generated is then sequenced to “read” the encoded data.

Sounds simple enough, but the initial challenges were associated with achieving the desired “memory” size. Much like our outdated floppy disks, the first “DNA drives” had limited storage space. In 2012 a group of researchers from USA “wrote” a 5.27 megabit “DNA book”, achieving significant storage strength. However, the technique was error-prone: Although DNA is stable, environmental influences can induce mutations and sequencing can also alter the data. The following year, another group of researchers developed a system with much better storage and an appreciably lower error rate. Shakespeare’s sonnets and Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream‘ speech were amongst the information stored with their improved technique.

And now, a team from ETH Zurich has gone a step further to “fossilize” information. A coding system which minimizes errors and an inorganic material to encase the “DNA drive” are the findings of this latest research. The silica-encapsulated DNA was subjected to temperatures reaching up to 70°C for a week and the researchers were able to successfully recover error-free information. Unlike the previous “covers” for the DNA, the silica and the coding system ensure durability that can preserve information for up to 2000 years. With cheaper sequencing technologies, DNA molecules could soon become a popular medium of digital archiving. 

Cover image: A display at the Miraikan, Japan. Source: Flickr (Miki Yoshihito)

References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_digital_data_storage

2. Church et al., Next-Generation Digital Information Storage in DNA, Science (2012)

3. Goldman et al., Towards practical, high-capacity, low-maintenance information storage in synthesized DNA, Nature (2013)

4. Grass et al., Robust Chemical Preservation of Digital Information on DNA in Silica with Error-Correcting Codes, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2015)

5. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/ez-dfe021215.php

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