A Superior “Thumb” Drive: Optimizing DNA Stability for DNA Data Storage

DNA digital data storage is an emerging technology with the potential to keep up with increasing demands in space, energy, and materials used for information storage. To make DNA storage systems more practical and cost-effective, it is crucial to determine how the physical and chemical properties of DNA affect its performance. Thus far, scientists have experimented with various DNA storage mediums and encoding techniques to maintain DNA stability. In this study, we first review existing strategies for maintaining DNA stability under various environmental constraints, organized according to the application of the storage system (Archival Storage, Working Storage, and Dynamic Storage). Then, we report on our own quantitative evaluation of the tradeoffs between storage density and DNA stability to identify the optimal system configurations for distinct storage scenarios.