How Canada is at the forefront of unpacking the potential of DNA data storage

Each year, the world produces exponentially more data — from research papers and financial data to internet cat videos — all digitally encoded in ones and zeroes. The problem is where to store it all.

By 2040, experts predict we’ll run out of the semiconductor-grade silicon required for the memory used in phones, computers and the data centre servers that provide cloud-based storage — and trying to purify lower grades of silicon is far too expensive. We need other options. 

That’s why Will Hughes, head of engineering at University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan and Canada Research Chair in DNA Engineering, is turning to DNA. 

He’s not the first to ponder its potential for data storage. However, most researchers have focused on using the sequence of DNA: storing data using the same basic units that encode our genes. In contrast, Hughes is taking advantage of DNA’s structure, leveraging how different sequences of DNA can fold in predictable ways to create two- and three-dimensional shapes.

Pioneering this technology at UBC Okanagan will position Canada as a player at the cutting edge of the DNA data storage field. That will mean having a seat at the table with some of the biggest tech companies in the world, creating spin-off opportunities for Canadian companies as momentum builds. 

Creating a molecular pegboard

Using “DNA origami” has enabled Hughes to build what he calls dNAM: digital nucleic acid memory.

The technology involves two parts. The first is a three-dimensional “pegboard” created from a customized sequence of double-stranded DNA. The second is an array of short single-stranded DNA “pegs,” each one tailor-made to fit inside a different hole in the pegboard. There are two versions of each peg: one with a docking site for light-emitting molecules called fluorophores, and one without.

To encode data, Hughes and his team select different combinations of pegs and then flood the genetic pegboard with fluorophores. The fluorophores attach to the pegs with docking sites, creating a pattern of lights that can be read out using a super-resolution optical microscope.

“It’s a pretty amazing technique,” says Hughes. “It’s really computer science, materials science, physics, chemistry, biology and engineering coming together.” 

Harnessing the power of DNA data storage

The approach offers significant benefits. DNA is stable and robust. It can retain information for thousands to millions of years. And according to back-of-the-envelope calculations, it uses 100 million times less energy than current storage methods. (Data centres currently account for one to two percent of the world’s electricity consumption, and the use of energy-hungry AI is expected to push that figure to three to four percent by the end of the decade.) 

But dNAM’s biggest advantage is density, fitting much more information into a much smaller space than conventional storage methods. Hughes and his colleagues predict it would be possible to store every social media post, email, photo, song, movie and book ever created into something the size of a jewellery box. 

That’s even with redundancy built in to guard against data loss. “Even if we lose a couple of pieces here and there, we are able to recover the message completely,” says research associate Luca Piantanida.

Having an instrument that helps people realize that they can compete with the world at UBC Okanagan is fabulous.
– Will Hughes, University of British Columbia Okanagan

Hughes and Piantanida first developed the technology at Boise State University. When Hughes was invited to head up the school of engineering at UBC Okanagan in 2022, he and Piantanida set up a new research lab from scratch to advance their dNAM technology. One of the centrepieces is a CFI-funded atomic force microscope (AFM). 

Like a needle on a record player, the AFM can scan the bumps and dips of the dNAM from above as it moves across its surface. At the same time, the optical microscope scans from below to detect fluorophores. The two-in-one system allows the researchers to correlate the physical structure of the dNAM with the pattern of light-emitting fluorophores, reducing errors. 

It also provides a powerful tool for refining their dNAM prototype. Currently, Hughes, Piantanida and their team of four students are improving the DNA sequences to encode information more efficiently and effectively, and they’re developing multi-layered DNA pegboards to boost storage capacity even further.

Putting Canada at the forefront of a data storage revolution

Developing such a radically different approach to data storage is a high-risk undertaking. But dNAM has the potential to transform the industry, starting with archival storage.  

To achieve that at a young, up-and-coming campus like UBC Okanagan is no small thing, according to Hughes. “Performing world-class research in a world-class environment is an expectation,” he says. “Doing so in an emerging research environment is equal parts opportunity and responsibility.”

The CFI funding has enabled us to approach the second phase of this technology. Thanks to it we were able to bring our research to Canada and further it here.
– Luca Piantanida, University of British Columbia Okanagan

The research project featured in this story also benefits from funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program.