Making DNA Data Storage a Reality
Our ultimate goal to make it a staple of modern data centres to store archival data in the very long term.
DNA Data Storage Introduction
DNA, the blueprint of life, is not only responsible for encoding genetic information but also holds incredible potential as a data storage medium to store archival data in the long term. Find out more about DNA data storage and the research we do at Imperial below and read our DNA storage FAQ!
Read our DNA Storage FAQDNA Data Storage
DNA Data Storage, the process of storing arbitrary binary data in DNA sequences is actively researched by us and the community. Its properties, primarily durability and compact form factor, make it an ideal storage media for archiving data for decades. Watch the video here to see what makes DNA an ideal storage media and how it all works.
Processing Data in DNA
Once data is stored in DNA, biomolecular processes can be used to process it on an unprecedented scale. More precisely, combinatorial problems (e.g., databases joins, travelling salesperson problems and others) can be solved in DNA very fast thanks to the unprecedented level of parallelism and also very energy efficient comapred to traditional computing. Watch the video here to learn more.
Modelling DNA Storage as a Constrained Channel
Key to storing binary data in synthetic in DNA is the translation between the binary representation of digital data to the quaternary domain of DNA. This translation must adhere to constraints imposed by the synthesis and sequencing processes used to write and read respectively. A technological advance in either process changes the constraints and renders current encoding schemes obsolete. In this line of work we present a recipe for taking constraints and producing an appropriate encoding scheme. Such a mechanism allows moving the encoding in lockstep with the technological advances in the underlying processes. We further show a method to understand trade-offs in constraints for a given overhead of bits needed to meet such constraints
Publications
Selected publications resulting from our research
Meet the Team
Thomas Heinis
Lab Director
Omer S. Sella
Researcher
Roman Sokolovskii
Research Associate
William Hunter
Doctorate Research
Zijian (James) Zhou
Doctorate Research
Samira Brunmayr
MEng Student
Jamie J. Alnasir
Research Associate
Samantha Kwok
M.Sc. Student
Jasmine Quah
M.Sc. Student
Chandler Low
M.Sc. Student
Join us! We have the following student, PhD and PostDoc opportunities available…
Partners & Collaborators
