Researchers at Harvard University have developed a silicon chip capable of writing 64 distinct DNA sequences simultaneously using electric currents and water-based enzymes — replacing the toxic chemical solvents that conventional DNA manufacturing has relied on for decades.
The advance, published in the journal Nature Electronics and reported by Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, marks a potentially important step toward making the production of custom genetic material faster, cheaper, and more environmentally sustainable — developments that could, over time, accelerate access to next-generation medical treatments.
