Full Circle: Library Collaboration Leads to Significant DNA Data Storage Milestone

The following post was authored by Vincent Coltellino from the Library of Congress. Vincent leads the Library’s synthetic DNA data storage initiative, which investigates the feasibility of synthetic DNA as a high-density, scalable, and durable medium for storing the Library’s digital collections. During his first year at the Library, he established a contract with the University of Washington designed to critically analyze the processes required to implement DNA data storage technology on the Library’s digital collections. This partnership has yielded critical lessons that have been relayed to the greater DNA data storage community and a novel contribution to America’s Time Capsule in celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In September 2025, the Library of Congress Director of Digital Strategy, Natalie Buda Smith, virtually crossed paths with Temple University Dean of Libraries, Joe Lucia, while discussing the Library’s ongoing synthetic DNA data storage initiative. Their interaction kicked off a unique collaboration involving synthetic DNA data storage and one of Buddhism’s most influential texts.

Sutra2DNA Project at Temple University

Temple University researchers Dr. Marcus Bingenheimer and Dr. Rob Kulathinal completed their Sutra2DNA project in 2022. This project aimed to investigate the feasibility of synthetic DNA as a long-term storage medium for digitized cultural heritage information — in this case, the Diamond Sutra.

“The Diamond Sutra is one of the most influential Buddhist Mahāyāna Sūtras. It is available in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan. The earliest witnesses for the Sanskrit text (Vajracchedikāprajñāpāramitā) are from the 6th-7th century. The first Chinese translation is dated 402 CE, the canonical Tibetan translation is from the 9th century,” Dr. Bingenheimer said.

“The Diamond Sutra is part of the voluminous Prajñāpāramitā (“Perfection of Wisdom” or “Perfection of Insight”) literature that blossomed in India between the first and the 6th century CE. It aims to deconstruct our conceptual use of terms, and challenges readers to expand their view of reality. These texts are not only read for their content, but the text itself is considered sacred, and reading them is considered a meritorious act that is part of religious practice.”

Synthetic DNA data storage leverages the extraordinary data density and immutability of nature’s best storage media to store digital data for durations well beyond that of legacy digital storage media. Scientists have sequenced DNA found in nature after millions of years, allowing them to read and understand genetic information. Libraries and archives can utilize the unique properties of this molecular medium to store cultural heritage documents meant to endure indefinitely.

Sutra2DNA was successful at storing the first Buddhist text in synthetic DNA. Additionally, Sutra2DNA produced 20 miniature stupas, domed Buddhist monuments, to accommodate the DNA storage vessels. These miniature stupas were designed by Thomas Leighton to further represent the historical Buddhist contents while hinting at the molecular aspect of the project with a subtle helical structure. Learn more about the Sutra2DNA project.

Library of Congress Synthetic DNA Data Storage Initiative

Three years after the completion of the Sutra2DNA project, the Library began its own journey to explore the feasibility of synthetic DNA as a storage medium for its digital collections. The Library’s core digital preservation collection exceeds 33 petabytes, consists of 1.25 billion unique items, and is growing at a rate of 7-10% annually. The volume and value of the Library’s constantly expanding data necessitates that the agency continually investigate novel methods for storage and management.

In September 2025, the Library, in partnership with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information System’s Lab (MISL), set off to carefully investigate and apply each step of the synthetic DNA data storage process through selected items from the Library’s collection. This ongoing initiative will ultimately result in the selected data being stored in synthetic DNA and robust reporting on the processes and lessons learned. The data will also be added to the ceremonial time capsule being buried in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 2026, in commemoration of the United States Semiquincentennial.

Sutra2DNA and Library of Congress Collaboration

After his fateful call with Buda Smith, Dean Lucia connected the Library’s synthetic DNA data storage initiative’s lead with Dr. Bingenheimer and Dr. Kulathinal. The Library coordinated the donation of one of their Sutra2DNA stupas to the Library of Congress Asian Reading Room to enrich the current collection by showcasing and documenting the development and application of synthetic DNA as a storage medium. With the help of Library of Congress Chinese Reference Librarian Ian Chapman, the item was successfully cataloged and now resides in the Asian Reading Room. With that, the Library took responsibility for its first digitized item stored in synthetic DNA.

The contents of the Sutra2DNA vessel had never been validated before this time, meaning the DNA was never sequenced, decoded, or reproduced. After meeting at the Library’s annual Designing Storage Architectures (DSA) conference in March 2026, Dr. Bingenheimer and MISL’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Chris Takahashi, devised a plan to ensure the Sutra2DNA contents were verified. Within a few weeks, Dr. Takahashi sequenced the DNA via nanopore sequencing and used the associated codec to reproduce the contents with 100% fidelity.

This remarkable achievement shows that the use of synthetic DNA to store digital data can be recovered by a third party, giving confidence to archival institutions that their data can be retrieved regardless of the originating group that developed the initial synthetic DNA data store.

The Diamond Sutra is meant to stand the test of time and has done so successfully thus far. According to Dr. Bingenheimer, “The Diamond Sutra played an especially important role in East Asian culture, especially in the emergence of the Chan/Zen traditions. In China alone, hundreds of commentaries were written on the Diamond sutra in the last 1500 years. The Diamond Sutra in Chinese holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest dated printed book still in existence. The copy discovered in the Dunhuang caves (now held in the British Library) was printed in 868 CE using woodblock printing — predating Gutenberg’s press by about 600 years.”

The near-indefinite timeline of synthetic DNA data storage provides another means for this culturally significant text to be preserved for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. With the third-party validation from Dr. Takahashi’s group, future generations can rest assured that the contents within the mysterious metal vial can be recovered as advertised.

This effort would not have been possible without the continuous collaboration of the Designing Storage Architectures conference organizers, the efforts of Vinny Coltellino and the Asian Division’s Ian Chapman, and of course Drs. Bingenheimer, Kulathinal, and Takahashi’s willingness to explore this new medium together.