Dna breakthrough: Storing data 350 times faster now possible

One gram of DNA can store hundreds of millions of gigabytes of data. However, this technology previously required further refinement, as coding information in DNA is a very tedious process. Each DNA molecule had to be synthesised from scratch after being designed to code a specific piece of information. The discovery by Chinese scientists may change the situation.

Long Qian's team from Peking University accelerated the DNA coding process by mimicking the natural biological process that drives gene expression.

Scientists succeeded in encoding vast amounts of information, including images, at a rate hundreds of times faster than possible. The team transformed long strands of DNA into binary code, a sequence of ones and zeros used in computers for data storage.

They started with prefabricated DNA templates, which were used as a base, upon which shorter DNA strands were added. This process resembled threading beads onto a string. Researchers then used a chemical reaction to add a methyl group (CH₃), a molecule composed of carbon and hydrogen, to some of these "beads."

Methylated "beads" represent the ones in the binary code, while unmethylated ones serve as zeros. In natural conditions, cells use the same methylation process to modify DNA without changing the basic sequence, allowing them to stably store additional layers of regulatory information.

Qian and her collaborators devised a way to perform this process multiple times at once, in parallel, by adding a special "barcode" to each template. This allowed them to simultaneously store 350 units of information, or bits, on a DNA sample – hundreds of times more than the previous standard, which involved storing only one bit at a time.

For testing purposes, scientists stored an image of a panda and a depiction of a tiger from ancient China, then retrieved them using a DNA sequencer aided by an error-correction algorithm. The data recovery results were positively received, with the recovered images reproduced with an accuracy of 97% or more.

The process was simple enough that 60 student volunteers could practise storing text in DNA samples using do-it-yourself kits. These kits contained simple chemical equipment for the methylation reaction and a computer program that translated their words into code. Despite lacking training to work with DNA, the volunteers achieved good results, with error rates in the coding process being less than 2%.

According to Qian, this could lead to the creation of desktop DNA printers or data storage kits for homes or small organisations. Experts believe DNA-based technology could be particularly useful for archival storage, especially as DNA reading methods are likely to become increasingly sophisticated.