Encryption and steganography of synthetic gene circuits

Oliver Purcell, Jerry Wang, Piro Siuti and Timothy K. Lu ()
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Oliver Purcell: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jerry Wang: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Piro Siuti: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Timothy K. Lu: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Synthetic biologists use artificial gene circuits to control and engineer living cells. As engineered cells become increasingly commercialized, it will be desirable to protect the intellectual property contained in these circuits. Here, we introduce strategies to hide the design of synthetic gene circuits, making it more difficult for an unauthorized third party to determine circuit structure and function. We present two different approaches: the first uses encryption by overlapping uni-directional recombinase sites to scramble circuit topology and the second uses steganography by adding genes and interconnections to obscure circuit topology. We also discuss a third approach: to use synthetic genetic codes to mask the function of synthetic circuits. For each approach, we discuss relative strengths, weaknesses, and practicality of implementation, with the goal to inspire further research into this important and emerging area.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07144-7

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