Harvard team demonstrates silicon chip capable of writing dozens of DNA sequences simultaneously

Scientists at Harvard have described a silicon chip platform that uses electricity and aqueous enzyme-based chemistry to write multiple DNA sequences simultaneously, according to reporting by ScienceDaily. The approach draws on template-independent enzymatic DNA synthesis rather than the phosphoramidite chemistry that underpins most commercial oligonucleotide manufacturing, which relies on organic solvents and generates chemical waste.

In the chip-based system, electrical signals are used to control the enzymatic writing process locally across an array, enabling parallel synthesis of different sequences at distinct positions on the device. The researchers suggest this architecture could in principle support miniaturised or portable DNA synthesis devices, as well as very high-density DNA data storage applications — though the reporting notes that new chemistry will be needed to scale the technology to longer sequences and higher throughput before those applications become practical.

Enzymatic DNA synthesis has attracted sustained interest as a greener and potentially more scalable alternative to chemical synthesis, and integrating it with semiconductor fabrication offers a route to manufacturable devices. The underlying study has not been directly assessed here from the primary publication, and the ScienceDaily item does not name the journal or provide a direct paper citation. Readers interested in methodological detail are advised to locate the primary publication.