DNA Microfactory for Autonomous Archiving

Introduction

We live in a society that produces and requires more and more data every year. It has become apparent that our current data storage strategies are not adequate to meet this increasing demand.

Problem Statement

The quest for robust, high-density, sustainable, and economically viable data storage solutions has highlighted the enormous potential and suitability of DNA data storage. However, to date, none of the solutions have considered a comprehensive vision of anchoring this technology in standardised archival frameworks that will support long-term storage.

Current Limitations

Besides, most DNA data storage applications are limited to specialist laboratories due to complex (and expensive) protocols.

Project Overview

Our project entitled DNAMIC (DNA Microfactory for Autonomous Archiving) proposes an autonomous solution based around a low energy consumption microfactory that will be developed for end-to-end DNA data archiving, including:

1. Encoding
2. Decoding
3. Synthesis
4. Storage
5. Quality control
6. Sequencing

Technical Features

The microfactory is interoperable and future-proof thanks to technology blocks that can be easily modified or replaced. Our solution will be compliant with the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model (ISO 14721).

Disaster Recovery Strategy

To enable the implementation of disaster recovery strategies, critical for long-term storage, we propose a novel dual-level encoding scheme. This approach allows the development of self-contained data that includes easily changeable metadata and unalterable data.