Team:Shanghai City/Human Practices
Summary
Since DNA Storage and Encryption is an emerging technology, we conduct surveys to investigate the general understanding of the public about this issue. We hope that in this way we may construct a good foundation for the desgin of our conceptual products. Meanwhile, we design a series of interviews to get inspirations for the development of our future products. We are fortunate to have opportunities to interview Prof. Liang Zhang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Mr. Xinguang Ni, Managing Director of CMFinancial (a comprehensive financial group), Mr. Xiaofeng Chen, chairman of 01link (a Hong Kong based cloud server provider). Through these activities, we have developed a big picture about the insufficient knowledge on DNA storage and encryption of the public, which implicate that if we research into this topic at this early stage and merchadise it, we may become a first mover.
More importantly, Prof. Zhang encouraged us to proceed with our research topic and gave us some practical suggestions on our experiments. In addition to that, he also offered us some invaluable advice on how to proliferate leading biological knowledge to the public in interesting manners.
Furthermore, Mr. Ni, from the perspective of a successful businessman and leading investor, he proposed innovative approach to enhance current market demand. Additionally, Mr. Chen, from the angle of an experienced IT engineer and executive, he suggested that we may focus on teritary industry if we produce a DNA storage and encryption tool.
All of these key information are essential for us, armed with which we complete a great research and outreach journey.
Purpose
Our iGEM team is dedicated to DNA encryption and storage of information and secret communication. The following four levels describe our topic and compare it with previous technologies.
1. The first encryption level is the combination of DNA encryption and computer technology. How do you translate that information into the sequence of DNA (ATCG)? We adopted the method corresponding to the password table or further strengthened combined with computer science. We also designed a 4W (who, where, when, what) one-step information assembly method similar to golden gate.
2. The second level is the application of steganography. Clelland et al. first used biosteganalysis to hide a meaningful piece of DNA in genomic DNA, then decoded it by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a pair of primers (keys), and then sequenced. We also tested this.
3. The third level is encryption or steganography of the secret key (in this case, the Primer) itself. (1) Encryption: we perform asymmetric secret key encryption similar to computer Encryption on two primers.(2) Steganography: on the basis of CADS method (long primers), add more complex information interference items, including single and double stranded DNA, etc.
4. The fourth level is the preservation of DNA. The DNA is stored on paper, making it harder for a thief to decipher. As far as I know, this is the first time DNA has been used for encryption on paper.
Design
General Understanding of the Public on DNA Information Storage & Encryption
To investigate the general understanding of the public on DNA information storage and encryption.We posed a survey on the internet and interviewed several passby on the street. Nearly 300 people attend our survey and one third of them are teenager, the rest are distributed from 18 to above 45 years old. According to the survey, about 60% participants especially teenager have some knowledge on biology. However about 90% participants are not familiar with the DNA encryption at all. After we illustrated the benefits and drawback of the DNA Encryption, over 73% of the participants expressed the willingness of adopting the DNA Encryption to encrypt some of their information. According the survey results, although people lack sufficient understanding of the DNA Encryption, most of the people are willing to use this technology to encrypt the information.
Prof. Liang Zhang’s Suggestions
To get advice from expertise, on August 19th we visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University. When we arrived, Prof, Zhang had already waited at the door, he smiled at us and invited us to get in his office. We first briefly introduced our project and listed some difficulty we encounter during the experiment. Prof. Zhang praised us pleasantly that our improvement was reasonable. It was feasible and as long as the experiment success, it would be another great gap in DNA Encryption. After Prof. Zhang analyzed our experiment data and test report, he pointed out the reason for the failure and explained the principal behind that to us. Furthermore, Prof. Zhang exhorted us that if we wanted to preserve DNA in crystal, we must made an isolation layer for DNA prevent it from being damaged by hot crystal liquid (140 ℉). Besides that, Prof. Zhang also taught many skills to explain a complex concept to children and ordinary people in a humor and easy-understanding way. At the end, he praised us that our project was meaningful for human development in the future.
Creation of Demand on DNA Information Storage
We contacted the managing director of CMFinancial, Mr. Ni Xinguang and asked for an interview. During the conversation, he told us that to enhance the demand, it would be better for us to advertise the characteristic of commemorative significance. He advised us to enlarge the advantage of small-sized which represented the low storage fee and long-lasting which guarantee the durability of the DNA.
Industry Focus of DNA Information Storage
Wondering about future applicaiton of DNA encryption, we interviewed Mr. Chen Xiaofeng, the chairman of 01link, a Hong Kong Cloud Server Rental Company for advices. He told us that DNA is a wonderful medium for storing information, but it is complicated for modifying the information inside. Therefore, for the companies which need to modify the information frequently, DNA is not a best choice. He advised us to contact the conventional companies whose business are mainly in the tertiary industry and get large amount data and information to store.
Execution
Market Application Design
In accordance with the experts’ suggestions, we planned two suitable application field for our products ---- storing the important information for companies in tertiary industry and applying as a small-sized long-lasting time capsule. By employing our invention, customers could drop DNA on certain memorable item, such as couple’s photo in marriage certificate or the wedding ring. Then we contacted the appropriate companies to launch further collaboration.
Mnemo
The first company we contact is a time capsule museum, Mnemo in Shenzhen, China. Mnemo is the biggest time capsule museum in China, their customers vary from single person to the institution which contains long history. After introducing our project to the director there and showed him around our laboratory by facetime, he agreed to have further communication with us about potential business collaboration. After hearing their demand and acceptable price, we design two products for them. After we stored and encrypted information that customers had sent to us, we attached the DNA on their memorable item or we use an amber or crystal to cover the DNA and made it into a portable decoration. Mnemo was satisfied about our products and decided to meet us in December to discuss the further cooperation.
Tolobio
To supply the DNA need for experiment and future production, we contacted Tolobio to produce the raw material for us. After we illustrated our project and the purpose of attending iGEM, Tolobio agreed to provide the DNA at a price lower than the market average and sponsored us 2500 RMB as experiment expenditure with pleasure.
Naiweilin Maternity Hotel
In China, people have the custom of reserving the foot print and hair of the new born baby as the most memorable record. Aiming to enhance the memory of these precious moment, we contacted Naiweilin Maternity Hotel and introduced our project. Fortunately, Naiweilin Maternity Hotel was designing a new souvenir for new born baby and gravida. We sent the email to the Maternity Hotel and illustrated the ability of storing the memorable information in the DNA from both gravida and infant, which made the souvenir much more commemoratory. They appreciated our project and even sponsored the snacks in our off-line promotion activity. Our collaboration meeting would be held at the end of November.
Anhui Province Organic Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd
After we posed the introduction of the advantage of storing the company’s essential information in the DNA, the CEO of the Anhui Province Organic Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd Mr. Zhu Baoxu found us and inquiry the detail of our project. After the illustration through phone call, Mr. Zhu was interested in our project and accepted our tech as one of the encryption method of their data. Mr. Zhu said to us that he was really pleasant to see us as high school students focusing on such an essential but less known project.
Mone
As our reputation shot up, a volunteer Sci-Tech innovation education organization Mone contacted us. They said that after they showed our episode to the students in their school, the children enjoyed the plot in our episode and were interested in Biology especially in DNA. They expected that we may share our project and taught the students about the knowledge on Biology there in this winter. They said both students and them wished to invite the main characters in our episode to teach in the school as Biology teacher and disseminate the basic knowledge of Biological Engineering.