Leap in DNA synthesis slashes time to build new genetic sequences

Article excerpt

Researchers have dramatically accelerated DNA synthesis, the process of chemically constructing genetic sequences from scratch. The breakthrough, detailed in a new method called Sidewinder, reduces synthesis time by orders of magnitude compared to conventional techniques. This speed gain could unlock faster development of gene therapies, synthetic biology applications, and pandemic-response vaccines. The advance addresses a critical bottleneck: while reading DNA has become cheap and fast, writing it has remained slow and expensive. With synthesis now approaching the speed of sequencing, researchers say the gap between imagining a genetic design and building it practically disappears.