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SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

One-step data storage in cellular DNA

Nature Chemical Biology volume 17, pages 232–233 (2021)Cite this article

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The cumbersome encoding of digital data to cellular DNA hinders the use of cells as living hard drives. A new approach transfers digital information directly into cellular DNA by converting electrical signals into stable and interpretable changes in the genomes of bacterial populations.

DNA has been used by living systems to reliably store and propagate information longer than any other medium on Earth. It is durable, high density, and easy to copy1,2. These beneficial properties are amplified inside a cell, which actively repairs and copies its genomic DNA. Now, researchers are attempting to exploit the natural benefits of cellular DNA by modifying cells to store information that would otherwise be maintained in a digital form3.

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Fig. 1: DRIVES for direct digital-to-biological data storage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Santi Bhattarai-Kline, Sierra K. Lear & Seth L. Shipman

Authors
  1. Santi Bhattarai-Kline
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  2. Sierra K. Lear
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  3. Seth L. Shipman
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Correspondence to Seth L. Shipman.

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Bhattarai-Kline, S., Lear, S.K. & Shipman, S.L. One-step data storage in cellular DNA. Nat Chem Biol 17, 232–233 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-021-00737-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-021-00737-2

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