European researchers build DNAMIC microfactory to archive digital data in DNA
Researchers from UNIGE, HES-SO, and European partners have tested an autonomous device that encodes files into synthetic DNA strands.
A European research consortium led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), HES-SO, and the Lithuanian company Genomika has developed an autonomous microfactory called DNAMIC to encode digital data into synthetic DNA, according to EurekAlert eurekalert.org
EurekAlerteurekalert.orgOpen source ↗. The system was tested on the HE-Arc campus in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, where researchers archived historical watchmaking records from the Centre jurassien d'archives et de recherches économiques using an archiving tool developed by UNIGE. The collaboration also includes Kaunas University of Technology, the Technical University of Munich, Kilobaser, and Imperial College London.
Encoding into four nucleotides
Digital files are traditionally stored in binary format using 0s and 1s. The DNAMIC system converts this binary code into a quaternary system based on the four nucleotides of DNA: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. This translation takes into account the specific chemical properties of DNA before the microfactory synthesizes the physical nucleic acid strands. The automated encoding and synthesis procedure can take several hours depending on the file.
Long-term preservation without power
After synthesis, the DNA strands are sealed inside small stainless-steel capsules designed to protect the material from environmental factors such as oxygen, light, moisture, and heat. Unlike standard hard drives or data centers, this method of physical storage does not require external energy once the sample is sealed.
The initiative was supported by European funding through the Horizon Europe programme eurekalert.org
EurekAlerteurekalert.orgOpen source ↗. Due to high synthesis costs, developers plan to target high-value archival data before broader commercial applications emerge.
