Bio-inspired approaches to in vivo DNA data storage systems

DNA is an ideal medium for information storage, offering ultra-high density and long-term stability, making it a promising solution to the global data explosion. However, conventional in vitro DNA storage systems remain constrained by their static nature, limiting dynamic data writing, updating, or self-replication. Inspired by genetic memory and stimulus-responsive behaviors of living cells, in vivo DNA storage leverages cells as both storage and processing units, translating cellular information behaviors into engineered storage architectures for adaptive and autonomous data management. This review systematically outlines the development of in vivo DNA storage, focusing on two core strategies: synthetic information-based storage, which achieves long-term data preservation through DNA encoding and cellular self-replication in an inheritance-mimicking manner, and memory-based digital recording, which enables real-time DNA writing and updating in response to artificial stimuli via a memory-mimicking route. We further discuss how functional integration-such as dynamic data updating, encryption, and logical operations-can expand the versatility of in vivo biological data systems toward cell-inspired information storage and computation. Finally, we address current challenges in storage density, editing efficiency, and cellular stability, and propose future directions for next-generation in vivo DNA storage platforms.