STTR Phase I: Novel Enzymatic DNA-Synthesis Technology for Scalable and Sustainable Data Storage

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will be to explore a new approach to long-term digital storage that could reduce the cost, space, and energy required to preserve growing volumes of information. Current archival media must be replaced and migrated regularly, creating waste, operating costs, and risk of data loss over time. This project studies whether digital information can be written into deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, using a simpler and more compact process. The work will improve scientific and technological understanding of how light can control biological systems used for molecular writing. If successful, this project could support new products for secure, durable archival storage and strengthen commercial development in an emerging area that combines biotechnology and information technology. Potential beneficiaries include government archives, research collections, health data repositories, and other organizations that must preserve critical information for decades or longer. The proposed project will study whether a light-responsive DNA-building enzyme can enable a simpler form of DNA writing that avoids repeated wash and reset steps. Current DNA writing methods are limited by these repeated steps, which slow synthesis, increase reagent use, and make systems harder to scale. The research objectives are to identify promising enzyme modification sites, establish a method for inserting a light-sensitive amino acid, produce the modified enzyme, and test whether light can reversibly control activity while preserving nucleotide selectivity. The Phase I scope is a proof-of-concept effort focused on short DNA-writing experiments in the approximately 50 to 60 nucleotide range, with longer extensions explored if performance permits. Anticipated technical results include at least one modified enzyme that retains useful activity and shows measurable on and off switching under defined light conditions. 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.