A DNA-Based Memory with in Vitro Learning and Associative Recall

A DNA-based memory was implemented with in vitro learning and associative recall. The learning protocol stores the sequences to which it is exposed, and memories are recalled by sequence content through DNA-to-DNA template annealing reactions. Experiments demonstrated that biological DNA could be learned, that sequences similar to the training DNA were recalled correctly, and that unlike sequences were differentiated. Theoretical estimates indicate that the memory has a pattern separation capability that is very large, and that it can learn long DNA sequences. The learning and recall protocols are massively parallel, as well as simple, inexpensive, and quick. The memory has several potential applications in detection and classification of biological sequences, as well as a massive storage capacity for non-biological data. © Springer-Verlag 2004