In a recent article published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, researchers have introduced a groundbreaking method for data storage based on DNA, potentially enhancing both the speed and cost-effectiveness of data writing processes.
During the demonstration of this technology, the researchers successfully stored an image of a Chinese rubbings (containing 16,833 bits) alongside a photograph of a panda (comprising 252,504 bits) within DNA, with high fidelity for both printing and retrieval. The authors of the paper believe that this innovation could provide a scalable solution to meet the growing demand for sustainable, high-density data storage technologies.
The study highlights the limitations of traditional silicon-based storage systems, which struggle to keep up with ever-increasing data storage needs. This has driven the search for alternative solutions, with DNA emerging as a promising medium due to its extraordinary storage density and durability. However, conventional DNA data storage methods rely on the laborious and costly process of synthesizing DNA sequences from scratch, which is also prone to errors.
In this research, a collaborative effort involving scientists from Peking University and Arizona State University has led to an innovative approach inspired by naturally occurring methylation (a form of epigenetic modification of DNA). The team proposed a method that encodes data through selective methylation of bases in a universal DNA template, eliminating the need for synthesis. Dubbed “epigenetic bits,” this technique allows information to be stored in a manner akin to traditional bits, with each bit representing one of two binary values (0 or 1) corresponding to whether the base is methylated.
The authors reported a writing output of 350 bits per reaction in their study, significantly surpassing the output of around 1 bit per reaction typical of systems that rely on de novo DNA synthesis.
In a related “News & Views” article published alongside their paper, peer experts noted that this novel method could be utilized for storing images and text. Furthermore, researchers indicated that 60 volunteers, without specialized laboratory experience, successfully encoded textual data using this technique, further demonstrating its reliability and practicality.
