Flow cell with selective deposition or activation of nucleotides

#Computer systems have used various different mechanisms to store data, including magnetic storage, optical storage, and solid-state storage. Such forms of data storage may present drawbacks in the form of read-write speed, duration of data retention, power usage, or data density.

#Just as naturally occurring DNA may be read, machine-written DNA may also be read. Pre-existing DNA reading techniques may include an array-based, cyclic sequencing assay (e.g., sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS)), where a dense array of DNA features (e.g., template nucleic acids) are sequenced through iterative cycles of enzymatic manipulation. After each cycle, an image may be captured and subsequently analyzed with other images to determine a sequence of the machine-written DNA features. In another biochemical assay, an unknown analyte having an identifiable label (e.g., fluorescent label) may be exposed to an array of known probes that have predetermined addresses within the array. Observing chemical reactions that occur between the probes and the unknown analyte may help identify or reveal properties of the analyte.

#Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for selectively activating or depositing nucleotides within a flow cell.

#The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims, in which:

#FIG. 1 depicts a block schematic view of an example of a system that may be used to conduct biochemical processes;

#FIG. 2 depicts a block schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a consumable cartridge that may be utilized with the system of FIG. 1;

#It will be recognized that some or all of the figures are schematic representations for purposes of illustration. The figures are provided for the purpose of illustrating one or more implementations with the explicit understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

#In some aspects, methods and systems are disclosed herein for synthesizing DNA (or other biological material) to store data or other information by selectively depositing or activating nucleotides during a writing process in a DNA storage device. Machine-written DNA may provide an alternative to traditional forms of data storage (e.g., magnetic storage, optical storage, and solid-state storage). Machine-written DNA may provide faster read-write speeds, longer data retention, reduced power usage, and higher data density.

#Examples of how digital information may be stored in DNA are disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0261664, entitled “High-Capacity of Storage of Digital Information in DNA,” published Sep. 17, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. For example, methods from code theory to enhance the recoverability of the encoded messages from the DNA segment, including forbidding DNA homopolymers (i.e. runs of more than one identical base) that are known to be associated with higher error rates in existing high throughput technologies may be used. Further, an error-detecting component, analogous to a parity-check bit, may be integrated into the indexing information in the code. More complex schemes, including but not limited to error-correcting codes and, indeed, substantially any form of digital data security (e.g., RAID-based schemes) currently employed in informatics, may be implemented in future developments of the DNA storage scheme. The DNA encoding of information may be computed using software. The bytes comprising each computer file may be represented by a DNA sequence with no homopolymers by an encoding scheme to produce an encoded file that replaces each byte by five or six bases forming the DNA sequence.