Science, Space and Technology News 2024
Researchers at MIT have introduced a polymer that stores DNA at room temperature, bypassing the need for costly freezing. This development supports sustainable long-term storage and damage-free retrieval of both genetic material and digital data. Credit: SciTechDaily.comembedded in the polymer could be used for long-term storage of genomes or digital data such as photos and music.
The researchers showed that they could use this polymer to store DNA sequences encoding the theme music from Jurassic Park, as well as an entire human genome. They also demonstrated that the DNA can be easily removed from the polymer without damaging it. MIT researchers have devised a way to encapsulate DNA into a thermoset polymer known as cross-linked polystyrene. After the DNA is embedded into the polymer, it can be released again by treating the polymer with cysteamine. Credit: Courtesy of the researchersDNA, a very stable molecule, is well-suited for storing massive amounts of information, including digital data. Digital storage systems encode text, photos, and other kind of information as a series of 0s and 1s.
One downside to that storage system is that it takes several days to embed DNA into the silica particles. Furthermore, removing the DNA from the particles requires hydrofluoricTo come up with alternative storage materials, Banal began working with Johnson and members of his lab. Their idea was to use a type of polymer known as a degradable thermoset, which consists of polymers that form a solid when heated.
To do that, they identified a combination of three monomers that they could turn into polymers that dissolve DNA by helping it interact with styrene. Each of the monomers has different features that cooperate to get the DNA out of water and into the styrene. There, the DNA forms spherical complexes, with charged DNA in the center and hydrophobic groups forming an outer layer that interacts with styrene. When heated, this solution becomes a solid glass-like block, embedded with DNA complexes.
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