Application of Synthetic Biology in Data Storage

One of the main problems of our times, currently being dubbed the information age, is the storage of data generated worldwide, which is predicted to reach 40 zigabytes (ZB) by the year 2020. With a perspective of using smaller mediums rather than bigger data storage centers, the key to solving this issue can be found through the use of the DNA molecule. Billions of years of evolution have optimized DNA for transmission and storage of data in a way that is both efficient and reliable. Theoretically, all 40 ZB of man-made data can be stored in just 90 grams of DNA.

Initial attempts to use DNA as an archival medium, dating back to the 1960s, could go only so far because of the difficulties faced when attempting to synthesize long stretches of DNA. However, with the current technological advancements in DNA synthesis and sequencing, synthetic biologists are fast making progress in storing large datasets in DNA. Although current limitations, such as lack of efficient random access read and rewritability features, is keeping this novel solution at the experimental level, the multitude of advantages the DNA-based storage offers is foreseen to reshape the future of communication and data storage in the near future.

• How is data stored in DNA?

  The workflow of storing data in DNA is comprised of:

  1. Converting classical sources of information like images or videos into specialized, compressed codes that can be represented by four alphabet letters,
  2. Code words are synthesized as DNA molecules and stored,
  3. If necessary, written and stored data can be re-written using DNA editing methods,
  4. To read the stored data, Sanger sequencing or high-throughput sequencing to access short or large portions of archived data, respectively.
• What is the advantage of applying synthetic biology strategies for data storage?

  Application of synthetic biology strategies to store data in DNA offers:

  • A storage capacity 1,000,000 folds higher than current platforms,
  • Reproducibility through fast and cost-effective PCR,
  • Stability and resistance to change,
  • Passive and cost-efficient maintenance,
  • A hack-proof solution due to lack of remote access,
  • Long lifespan across thousands of years,
  • Relief from technological obsolescence.
• What are the latest developments in storing data in DNA?
  • Development of a coding algorithm that explicitly reduces sequencing large-scale random access store DNA with low redundancy compared to existing methods that focus on sequencing and decoding the entire amount of stored information, with no random access, which becomes impractical as the amount of DNA increases.
  • Encoding a 52,000-word book in thousands of snippets of DNA.
  • Saving a DNA copy of the novel A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.