Creating DNA from Scratch for DNA-Based Data Storage

Senior Design Team sddec22-12

Team Email: sddec22.12@gmail.com

Project Overview:

DNA is a promising medium for digital information structure because its density and durability. During the past three decades, the development of next generation sequencing technology has significantly boosted our capability of reading DNA sequences, which encoded a large variety of creatures. While there have been tremendous advances DNA synthesis technologies, it is still challenging to create de-novo DNA sequences with a high accuracy. Our goal is to explore a new approach to print hundreds of thousands of short DNA oligomers, which are the building blocks for large gene segments. The proposed approach can print DNAs by modifying an off-the-shelf 3D printer. The team will develop a software controller for the 3D printer, build a microfluidic system, and test the system to create a DNA microarray. If successful, the system will be used for rapid generation of any programed DNA sequences.

We want to build an automated tool for creating DNA oligos and reprogramming higher organisms. The specific deliverables include:

1.) A modified 3D printer that can create DNA microarrays.

2.) A user interface that controls the 3D printer.

Design Breakdown:

The current design has been broken down into three major sub-components. Each member of the group has been designated a role in designing at least one of these components:

1.) LCD Screen/UV Light Control - Using HDMI->MIPI adapter to form connection to LCD.

2.) User Interface - Using C# and XAML in a WPF Framework Application.

3.) Microfluidic System - Parts are being gathered and model is being developed for next semester.

Team Members

Connor Larson

cml@iastate.edu

Firmware Development

Connor Larson has experience in Java, Python, C, and MySQL. During one of my internships I worked to teach myself Python and develop an API that used AWS to extract information from legal pdf documents. Another summer at a different internship I worked to implement radars/sonar with Python.

Kyle Riggs

kjriggs@iastate.edu

GUI Development

Kyle Riggs brings an extensive background in Java and C# programming with a focus on the frontend development needed for this project. He has also worked in a diverse team during an internship with electrical, software, computer, and mechanical engineers.

Brandon Stark

bstark@iastate.edu

Client Integration

Brandon Stark has experience working with multiple programs/coding languages: These programs/languages include: LTSpice, Matlab, Simulink, Virtuoso, and Excel. He also has experience working with circuit design and testing and has knowledge of simple digital systems. Over the summer he worked with the university at the communications building regarding IT infrastructure. He collaborated and worked alongside multiple engineering students, electricians, contractors, and IT supervisors.

Lucas Heimer

ljheimer@iastate.edu

Component Design

Lucas Heimer has experience in programs such as: LTSpice, Virtuoso, and Matlab. He also has a minor in biomedical engineering which will be useful in contributing to the biology background of the project. He has worked with circuit design and semiconductor design.

Nathan Armstrong

nathana4@iastate.edu

Unit Testing

Nathan Armstrong has experience with various softwares, such as MATLAB, simulink, LTSpice, excel, and others. He also has experience with C coding and a little in python. Nathan has experience with multiple personal projects involving circuit design, building, and testing, as well as simulating said projects in previously mentioned software programs. He will be focusing on the hardware aspects of the 3D printer.