PEARL-DNA Revolutionising sustainable DNA-based data storage

Interoperable end-to-end platform of scalable and sustainable high-throughput technologies for DNA-based digital data storage.

PEARL-DNA successfully concludes with major advances in DNA-based data storage

For three years, PEARL-DNA set out to demonstrate how digital information can be written into DNA, preserved and recovered accurately. Funded under Horizon Europe, six partners from four countries worked to address this growing challenge of preserving digital information on which science and society depend. The project has now delivered laboratory proof of concept and new technologies that could help make long-term data storage more resource-efficient, laying the groundwork for further development and future applications.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Over the course of the project, PEARL-DNA achieved significant results:

Accurate recovery of a small digital file through the complete experimental workflow where developed software protects information against errors introduced during writing and reading, thereby supporting reliable recovery of the original data.
DNA assembly with much smaller quantities of biochemical materials than conventional laboratory reactions thanks to developed equipment and methods that work with extremely small liquid droplets, thereby providing a basis for reducing material use and future processing costs.
A compact storage container designed to protect DNA at room temperature, which could reduce the need for cooling during long-term preservation.

These results support the long-term ambition to preserve valuable digital information while reducing the resources required to keep it. Poten al applica ons include scien fi c archives, public records and other informa on that must be retained for long periods but is accessed infrequently. Further development is needed to increase capacity and wri ng speed, improve automa on and establish costs and environmental benefi ts at scale.