Amazing stuff! Possibly huge potential!
"... Inspired partly by that film, MIT researchers have developed a glassy, amber-like polymer that can be used for long-term storage of DNA, whether entire human genomes or digital files such as photos. ...
The researchers showed that they could use this polymer to store DNA sequences encoding the theme music from Jurassic Park, as well as an entire human genome. They also demonstrated that the DNA can be easily removed from the polymer without damaging it. ...
DNA offers a way to store this digital information at very high density: In theory, a coffee mug full of DNA could store all of the world’s data. DNA is also very stable and relatively easy to synthesize and sequence. ..."
DNA, a very stable molecule, is well-suited for storing massive amounts of information, including digital data. Digital storage systems encode text, photos, and other kind of information as a series of 0s and 1s. This same information can be encoded in DNA using the four nucleotides that make up the genetic code: A, T, G, and C. For example, G and C could be used to represent 0 while A and T represent 1.
From the abstract:
"The rapid decline in DNA sequencing costs has fueled the demand for nucleic acid collection to unravel genomic information, develop treatments for genetic diseases, and track emerging biological threats.
Current approaches to maintaining these nucleic acid collections hinge on continuous electricity for maintaining low-temperature and intricate cold-chain logistics.
Inspired by the millennia-long preservation of fossilized biological specimens in calcified minerals or glassy amber, we present Thermoset-REinforced Xeropreservation (T-REX): a method for storing DNA in deconstructable glassy polymer networks. Key to T-REX is the development of polyplexes for nucleic acid encapsulation, streamlining the transfer of DNA from aqueous to organic phases, replete with initiators, monomers, cross-linkers, and thionolactone-based cleavable comonomers required to form the polymer networks. This process successfully encapsulates DNA that spans different length scales, from tens of bases to gigabases, in a matter of hours compared to days with traditional silica-based encapsulation. Further, T-REX permits the extraction of DNA using comparatively benign reagents, unlike the hazardous hydrofluoric acid required for recovery from silica. T-REX provides a path toward low-cost, time-efficient, and long-term nucleic acid preservation for synthetic biology, genomics, and digital information storage, potentially overcoming traditional low-temperature storage challenges."
Current approaches to maintaining these nucleic acid collections hinge on continuous electricity for maintaining low-temperature and intricate cold-chain logistics.
Inspired by the millennia-long preservation of fossilized biological specimens in calcified minerals or glassy amber, we present Thermoset-REinforced Xeropreservation (T-REX): a method for storing DNA in deconstructable glassy polymer networks. Key to T-REX is the development of polyplexes for nucleic acid encapsulation, streamlining the transfer of DNA from aqueous to organic phases, replete with initiators, monomers, cross-linkers, and thionolactone-based cleavable comonomers required to form the polymer networks. This process successfully encapsulates DNA that spans different length scales, from tens of bases to gigabases, in a matter of hours compared to days with traditional silica-based encapsulation. Further, T-REX permits the extraction of DNA using comparatively benign reagents, unlike the hazardous hydrofluoric acid required for recovery from silica. T-REX provides a path toward low-cost, time-efficient, and long-term nucleic acid preservation for synthetic biology, genomics, and digital information storage, potentially overcoming traditional low-temperature storage challenges."
Graphical abstract
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