Announced in September 2026, the enzyme-based system produces 64 distinct sequences simultaneously, offering a cleaner, solvent-free alternative to traditional laboratory manufacturing.
Transforming Silicon Chips Into DNA Factories
Instead of relying on conventional laboratory methods that require complex chemical setups, the new system uses targeted electrical currents and water to drive synthesis.
According to the studies, the silicon-based device is capable of generating 64 distinct DNA sequences all at once. This capacity marks a notable shift from older enzymatic methods, which the primary sources note did not create more than 12 sequences at one time.
Moving Away From Phosphoramidite Chemistry
The standard production of synthetic DNA has relied on a chemical process developed by Marvin Caruthers in the early 1980s. Known as phosphoramidite chemistry, this approach can produce millions of sequences in parallel, but it comes with heavy operational hurdles.
The problem with the method developed by Marvin Caruthers in the early 1980s is that it is carried out in flammable and dangerous anhydrous organic solvents, so the process requires completely dry conditions and specialized ventilation.
Woo Bin Jung, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea
Because of these volatile materials and strict environmental requirements, synthetic DNA production has historically been restricted to large, centralized facilities rather than local workspaces. The Harvard team’s water-based enzymatic approach aims to bypass those logistical bottlenecks entirely.
A Cleaner, Water-Based Synthesis Method
The newly detailed technique relies on precise electrical currents to stimulate DNA assembly reactions at specific locations across the silicon chip. Operating at 41 degrees Celsius inside an aqueous buffer solution, the enzymatic process eliminates the need for flammable organic solvents.
Our method is characterized by the production of DNA on a silicon chip with two features that can be summarized as follows: First, it is almost solvent-free, as the chemical process is in an aqueous medium, and the process does not produce a stream of flammable organic waste, as the enzyme operates at 41 degrees Celsius in an aqueous buffer solution, and the resulting waste is also aqueous. The second feature is that the acid is generated on-site rather than transported to it. In conventional synthesis operations, you have to deliver the acid to the desired location.
Woo Bin Jung, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea
By generating DNA directly on-site and producing only aqueous waste, the technique slashes the environmental footprint associated with large-scale manufacturing operations.
Applications in Remote Diagnostics and Beyond
The ability to manufacture DNA on demand outside of centralized, specialized laboratories opens up new possibilities for medical testing. According to the research, portable DNA-writing devices could soon accelerate the development of diagnostic tests for diseases such as cancer and streamline research efforts in remote areas.
Beyond immediate medical diagnostics, scientists anticipate that the technology will eventually support portable DNA-writing hardware and large-scale data storage initiatives. While data storage using DNA remains a long-term goal that requires massive manufacturing scales, the shift toward aqueous enzymatic synthesis makes high-volume production increasingly viable.
Scaling Up Industrial Production
Traditional phosphoramidite processes remain dominant for high-throughput commercial needs precisely because they generate millions of sequences at once.