DNA Storage: A New Frontier in Data Archiving

Researchers from Peking University have developed a groundbreaking DNA data storage method called "epi-bits", leveraging enzymatic methylation to encode data on DNA templates. This innovation enables high-density, scalable, and cost-effective storage, overcoming the limitations of traditional DNA synthesis methods.

Overview of DNA Data Storage Innovation

• New Method: “Epi-bits” technology uses enzymatic methylation to encode data as epigenetic modifications on DNA templates.
• Significance: Revolutionizes data storage by offering high-density, scalable, cost-effective solutions using DNA.

Key Advantages

1. Storage Density:
   • 1 gram of DNA can store 215,000 terabytes (10 million hours of HD video). -(Imburgia & Nivala, 2024)
2. Efficiency:
   • Overcomes limitations of traditional DNA synthesis methods, which are slow and costly.
   • Enables parallel, programmable DNA assembly for faster and more efficient data writing.
3. Accessibility:
   • Volunteers demonstrated usability, encoding 5,000 bits of data using epi-bit kits with an error rate of just 1.42%.

Methodology

• Data Encoding:
  • Selective methylation on cytosine bases in pre-synthesized DNA fragments (“DNA bricks”).
  • DNA bricks bind to unique locations on a reusable DNA strand, guiding enzymes to methylate specific positions (binary encoding: 1 = methylated, 0 = unmethylated).
• Data Reading:
  • Epi-bits are read using nanopore sequencing technology.
• Applications:
  • Stored 275,000 information bits, including HD images of a white tiger and a giant panda.

Startup in News

• BioCompute, a startup leveraging DNA-based data storage to tackle emissions from data centers, has won India’s largest non-equity climate entrepreneurship grant worth ₹31 lakh. The award was presented during the SusCrunch 2024 event, organized by the Sustainability Mafia (SusMafia).
  • The “Big Pie” grant, a joint initiative by the Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society and SusMafia, aims to position BioCompute as a key player in the global fight against climate change, according to a statement from the organizers.

Reference: SciTech Daily, ET