Towards Chinese text and DNA shift encoding scheme based on biomass plasmid storage

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Bioinformatics
• Data Storage

Background:

• Electromagnetic storage media face limitations in information density, power consumption, and longevity.
• DNA data storage presents a promising alternative with high density and stability.
• Current DNA storage research primarily focuses on encoding binary data into DNA sequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel encoding method for high-density storage of Chinese characters in DNA.
• To design a DNA shift coding scheme that accommodates biological constraints, including long homopolymers.
• To ensure reliable and cost-effective long-term information storage using DNA.

Main Methods:

• Creation of a new Chinese character code table for enhanced storage density.
• Development of a DNA shift coding scheme with low algorithmic complexity.
• Storage of encoded DNA sequences within a 744bp double-stranded plasmid.

Main Results:

• Achieved exceptionally high information storage density for Chinese characters compared to UTF-8 encoding.
• Successfully encoded DNA strands with long homopolymers using the devised shift coding scheme.
• Demonstrated high reliability and resistance to environmental interference for DNA storage in plasmids.

Conclusions:

• The novel Chinese character code table and DNA shift coding scheme significantly improve DNA data storage efficiency and reliability.
• Plasmids provide a stable and cost-effective platform for long-term DNA information storage.
• This approach offers a viable solution for overcoming the limitations of traditional data storage methods.