DataVXAdvanced SciencePaper
journal article·2026-02Open access

Highly Secure In Vivo DNA Data Storage Driven by Genomic Dynamics

Jiaxin Xu, Yu Wang, Haibo Zhou, Mingen Li, Yang Wang, Lingwei Wang, Hui Mei, Junbiao Dai, Shanze Chen, Xiaoluo Huang

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 12
Publisher pageOpen full text
Source abstract

Abstract

ABSTRACT DNA is a promising medium for next‐generation data storage because of ultrahigh information density and stability. DNA storage within living organisms presents further advantages, such as self‐replication, compactness, and concealment. Early efforts primarily developed predetermined methods for encoding and decoding data using in vivo DNA sequences. However, these methods may pose a security risk while opening a clear channel for potential data access and breaches. To address these challenges, we propose a unified paradigm, integrated computational–biological programming (ICBP), by exploiting the intrinsic digital characteristics within computational and microbial systems. ICBP involves the construction of dynamic code tables from gene regulatory networks or complete genomes across diverse species, expanding the key space by more than 100 orders of magnitude compared with existing methods. The encryption algorithm in ICBP benefits from DNA encoding, computing, and computational operations, leading to superior encryption quality and resistance to brute force and statistical attacks. Furthermore, we demonstrated the practical utility of ICBP via the successful encryption, microbial storage, and decryption of digital files within living systems, achieving 100% data recovery after 100 generations of replication. By combining computational logic with the biological complexities of living systems, the ICBP offers a transformative strategy for secure DNA data storage.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: DNA and Biological Computing · Cellular Automata and Applications · Gene Regulatory Network Analysis

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Post‐Doctoral Scientific Research Station of Basic Medicine Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology) Shenzhen Guangdong China

College of Pharmacy Jinan University Guangzhou Guangdong China

Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen China

Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology Shenzhen China

Shenzhen Branch Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Shenzhen China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province · Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program

References (56)

Show source-provided references
1. A.Wright Worldwide IDC Global DataSphere Forecast 20242028: AI Everywhere But Upsurge in Data Will Take Time International Data Corporation IDC Corporate 140 Kendrick Street Building B Needham MA 024942024.
2. 10.1126/science.122635510.1126/science.1226355 ↗
3. 10.1038/s41586-024-08040-510.1038/s41586-024-08040-5 ↗
4. 10.1038/s41467-021-21587-510.1038/s41467-021-21587-5 ↗
5. 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.12.00810.1016/j.tibtech.2020.12.008 ↗
6. 10.1038/nature1187510.1038/nature11875 ↗
7. 10.1093/nsr/nwae46910.1093/nsr/nwae469 ↗
8. 10.1002/advs.20230592110.1002/advs.202305921 ↗
9. 10.1002/adma.20230749910.1002/adma.202307499 ↗
10. 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.08.00110.1016/j.tibtech.2023.08.001 ↗
11. 10.1093/nsr/nwab02810.1093/nsr/nwab028 ↗
12. 10.1126/sciadv.abo741510.1126/sciadv.abo7415 ↗
13. 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.10122110.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101221 ↗
14. 10.1038/s41587-021-00969-610.1038/s41587-021-00969-6 ↗
15. 10.1038/s41467-019-13517-310.1038/s41467-019-13517-3 ↗
16. 10.1007/s11042-023-17271-z10.1007/s11042-023-17271-z ↗
17. 10.1002/adma.20241868810.1002/adma.202418688 ↗
18. 10.1109/COMST.2024.345130210.1109/COMST.2024.3451302 ↗
19. 10.1038/s41581-024-00849-710.1038/s41581-024-00849-7 ↗
20. 10.1093/nar/gkt107610.1093/nar/gkt1076 ↗
21. 10.1002/imt2.16810.1002/imt2.168 ↗
22. 10.1007/s11071-025-11673-410.1007/s11071-025-11673-4 ↗
23. 10.1109/JIOT.2025.355538010.1109/JIOT.2025.3555380 ↗
24. 10.1016/j.patrec.2009.11.00810.1016/j.patrec.2009.11.008 ↗
25. 10.1364/AO.46.00664110.1364/AO.46.006641 ↗
26. 10.1007/s11071-022-07534-z10.1007/s11071-022-07534-z ↗
27. 10.1007/s11042-017-5585-x10.1007/s11042-017-5585-x ↗
28. 10.1016/j.sigpro.2018.09.02910.1016/j.sigpro.2018.09.029 ↗
29. 10.1016/j.sigpro.2018.02.02810.1016/j.sigpro.2018.02.028 ↗
30. 10.1016/j.optlaseng.2016.08.00910.1016/j.optlaseng.2016.08.009 ↗
31. 10.1016/j.jksus.2022.10183810.1016/j.jksus.2022.101838 ↗
32. 10.1109/JPHOT.2018.282716510.1109/JPHOT.2018.2827165 ↗
33. 10.1016/j.eswa.2023.12149410.1016/j.eswa.2023.121494 ↗
34. 10.1016/j.jisa.2024.10379110.1016/j.jisa.2024.103791 ↗
35. 10.1007/s00371-023-03219-910.1007/s00371-023-03219-9 ↗
36. 10.1016/j.eswa.2024.12585410.1016/j.eswa.2024.125854 ↗
37. 10.1093/nar/gkab23010.1093/nar/gkab230 ↗
38. 10.1002/advs.20241135410.1002/advs.202411354 ↗
39. 10.36548/jiip.2025.1.00110.36548/jiip.2025.1.001 ↗
40. 10.1109/ACCESS.2025.357158610.1109/ACCESS.2025.3571586 ↗
41. 10.1038/nature2301710.1038/nature23017 ↗
42. 10.1002/adma.20241535810.1002/adma.202415358 ↗
43. 10.1002/advs.20220620110.1002/advs.202206201 ↗
44. 10.1038/s43588-022-00231-210.1038/s43588-022-00231-2 ↗
45. 10.1039/D4DD00251B10.1039/D4DD00251B ↗
46. 10.1038/nmeth.314710.1038/nmeth.3147 ↗
47. 10.1126/sciadv.adu395710.1126/sciadv.adu3957 ↗
48. 10.1002/cplu.20220018310.1002/cplu.202200183 ↗
49. 10.1016/j.plrev.2006.10.00210.1016/j.plrev.2006.10.002 ↗
50. 10.3389/fbioe.2022.97140210.3389/fbioe.2022.971402 ↗
51. 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.04210.1016/j.cell.2024.01.042 ↗
52. 10.1038/s41467-021-22849-y10.1038/s41467-021-22849-y ↗
53. 10.1016/0375-9601(76)90101-810.1016/0375-9601(76)90101-8 ↗
54. Notice sur la loi que la population suit dans son accroissement
55. The sine map
56. 10.1016/j.optcom.2011.10.01010.1016/j.optcom.2011.10.010 ↗