Scientists uncover new DNA-building process once seen as biological error
Scientists can now draw DNA: new discovery (photo: Magnific)
Scientists from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom have proposed a DNA design theory using a process previously considered a biological error. The method, called doodling, allows the creation of extremely long DNA chains without copying existing templates, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
What is DNA doodling?
For decades, biologists believed that enzymes (polymerases) could build DNA only using a pre-existing template. However, sometimes they “deviate” from instructions and create random sequences — this process has been called doodling (from drawing random scribbles).
Previously, this was considered a biological curiosity, but the new study has shown:
Exceptional length: using doodling, scientists were able to create DNA strands up to 85,364 nucleotides long (“building blocks” of DNA and RNA molecules).
For comparison, traditional chemical synthesis allows the creation of only about 200 units.
No template required: scientists no longer need an existing DNA sample to design something new.
How this could change bioengineering and pharmaceuticals
Controlled “doodling” could transform drug development from a “lottery game” into a precise engineering process. Instead of testing thousands of compounds, scientists could design DNA sequences to target specific viruses or cancer cells.
“DNA contains genetic information that is key to all life on Earth. It works as a set of instructions for cells: helping them synthesize necessary molecules, build internal structures, and coordinate various processes within the organism,” scientists explain.
“At the same time, the question of how biological information can emerge from scratch remains open,” they add.
Key advantages of the technology
Personalized therapy: development of drugs tailored to a patient’s metabolism and immune response, potentially minimizing side effects in the future.
Highly accurate diagnostics: the method can reduce “noise” in testing, making early cancer and infection screening more reliable.
Advancing CRISPR (genome editing): the technology could help build complex genetic constructs faster for more precise genome editing.
Although implementing the method in living cells remains challenging (living organisms tend to remove non-template DNA as an error), scientists believe this is only a matter of time.
