As efficient as electronic data storage systems are, they pale in comparison to nature’s own method—DNA data storage. A new technique has emerged that writes data to DNA much like a printing press, significantly accelerating the process and simplifying it to the point where it could be accessible to anyone. Traditional methods of DNA data storage involve synthesizing DNA strands one nucleotide at a time, akin to threading beads onto a string, which is exceedingly slow given that a single DNA sequence can contain billions of bases.
The innovative approach employs a set of 700 DNA “bricks,” each consisting of 24 bases, functioning similarly to movable type pieces in a printing press. These bricks can be arranged in a specific order and used to “print” data onto DNA template strands. This method dramatically increases the writing speed, enabling the encoding of 350 bits simultaneously per reaction, rather than writing one bit at a time.
To simplify encoding, data is represented not by the standard GCAT nucleotides but by binary code—ones and zeros. Chemical markers are attached to some DNA bricks to represent ones, while bricks without markers represent zeros. This binary representation streamlines the process and makes DNA data storage more accessible.
The research team demonstrated the effectiveness of this technique by storing images, such as a 16,833-bit ancient Chinese rubbing of a tiger and a 252,500-bit photo of a panda. After refining the process, they achieved 100% data recovery using standard DNA sequencing methods. To showcase its user-friendliness, they conducted an experiment with 60 participants who used a software platform called iDNAdrive to encode text totaling around 5,000 bits. The data was successfully read back with 98.58% accuracy.
The allure of DNA data storage lies in its remarkable density and longevity. It’s estimated that over 10 billion gigabytes of data can be stored in just one cubic centimeter of DNA. Moreover, when stored under optimal conditions, DNA can preserve data for thousands or even millions of years, making it an exceptional medium for archival purposes.
While reading data from DNA is relatively fast, writing has been the primary bottleneck—a challenge this new method aims to overcome. Drawing inspiration from the invention of movable type printing, which revolutionized the mass production of texts, the researchers applied a similar concept at the molecular level. Additionally, they were inspired by how cells use the epigenome—chemical markers that regulate gene expression—to store and process information.
In this DNA printing press, methyl groups serve as the information-carrying markers (the “ink”), the DNA bricks act as the movable type, and the blank DNA template strands are the paper. When a specific sequence is needed, the corresponding bricks are selected and combined with the template. The bricks bind to designated regions on the DNA template, and an enzyme then copies the methyl groups onto the template. Later, a nanopore sequencing device reads the pattern of ones and zeros to reconstruct the stored digital files.
Because the DNA bricks self-assemble on the template strand, multiple bits can be written simultaneously, significantly speeding up the process. By making DNA data storage faster and more accessible, this technique could pave the way for DNA to become a viable and widespread medium for data storage in the future.
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-new-dna-printing-technique-could-revolutionize-how-we-store-data