Long-term whole blood DNA preservation by cost-efficient cryosilicification
Liang Zhou, Qi Lei, Jimin Guo, Yuanyuan Gao, Jianjun Shi, Hong Yu, Wenxiang Yin, Jiangfan Cao, Botao Xiao, Jacopo Andreo, Romy Ettlinger, C. Jeffrey Brinker, Stefan Wuttke, Wei Zhu
Abstract
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the blueprint of life, and cost-effective methods for its long-term storage could have many potential benefits to society. Here we present the method of in situ cryosilicification of whole blood cells, which allows long-term preservation of DNA. Importantly, our straightforward approach is inexpensive, reliable, and yields cryosilicified samples that fulfill the essential criteria for safe, long-term DNA preservation, namely robustness against external stressors, such as radical oxygen species or ultraviolet radiation, and long-term stability in humid conditions at elevated temperatures. Our approach could enable the room temperature storage of genomic information in book-size format for more than one thousand years (thermally equivalent), costing only 0.5 $/person. Additionally, our demonstration of 3D-printed DNA banking artefacts, could potentially allow 'artificial fossilization'.