This allowed the modified bacteria to pass on this customized information to the next generation, making this form of biological data storage extremely efficient and powerful. Scientists at Harvard University have edited bacteria using the CRISPR gene editing tool to store data, which can also then be passed down to the next generation. The scientists used a modified version of the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme that is already in use by some bacteria. However, this was a marked improvement on a previous system, based on a different technique was able to store the equivalent of 11 bits. The researchers say the development could be a basis for a system that could monitor molecular events such as a cell changing from a healthy to disease state or to record an external environmental presence such as a chemical or toxin.
Scientists at Harvard University have edited bacteria using the CRISPR gene editing tool to store data, which can also then be passed down to the next generation. The scientists used a modified version of the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme that is already in use by some bacteria. However, this was a marked improvement on a previous system, based on a different technique was able to store the equivalent of 11 bits. The researchers say the development could be a basis for a system that could monitor molecular events such as a cell changing from a healthy to disease state or to record an external environmental presence such as a chemical or toxin.