SemiSynBio-II: DNA Mutational Overwriting Storage (DMOS)

This project aims to create a sustainable and scalable DNA-based digital data storage system, in which the information bits will be written, stored and read in the form of mutational changes in DNA. The team at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering serves underrepresented cohorts of students. Their mission is to train students, boost the local economy, and engage the community of the central North Carolina Piedmont Triad region through the educational and outreach programs that foster economic impacts of the SemiSynBio. The planned activities include a new synthetic biology curriculum, undergraduate research experiences, annual synthetic biology symposium, and yearly science day.

Current data storage materials and techniques are approaching their fundamental limits, while the demand for memory increases exponentially. By the middle of this century, the world may experience catastrophic shortages of digital memory. DNA is a promising alternative to digital data storage materials when durability, information density, and operation energy becomes critical. However, current DNA-based digital storage technologies lack the sustainability and scalability of a viable alternative to silicon-based memory materials. In particular, most DNA memory systems depend on de novo DNA synthesis processes that generate large amounts of hazardous waste. Inspired by the knowledge about handling, processing, and overwriting the genetic information by the biological systems, this research represents a novel approach for DNA-based memory. Similar to writing data into blank tapes, the DNA Mutational Overwriting Storage (DMOS) will overwrite the sequence content (state) of the template DNA domains (bits) to write the data. The DMOS does not require de novo DNA synthesis. Therefore, it provides an environmentally sustainable solution for DNA-based data storage. DMOS functions at the intersection of computers, synthetic biology, and semiconductors.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.