DNA-based barcoding for identification of Army materiel

To address the Army’s urgent need for a DNA based barcoding system that would enable unforgeable, unambiguous and easily readable system for labeling and tracking military material, in Phase I, ChromoLogic LLC (CL) has developed and demonstrated a new reagent-free DNA based barcode and reader (RDB) system. RDB consists of a unique DNA analogous inorganic material that was shown to have the information storage capacity and unforgeability of natural DNA, in a robust, field-portable format. The system was shown to rapidly and unambiguously identify DNA analogous tags within 3 seconds by means of dielectrophoretic mass sorting. During tag reading, no contact with the DNA analogous material or the use of any reagents is required, ensuring tag security and unforgeability. The system was shown to have low-cost of ownership (<$1/tag) and rugged field capability. Following the successful demonstration of the feasibility of the RDB technology, in Phase II, CL plans to develop a hand-held, field-portable RDB barcode reader and demonstrate the durability of the RDB tags. The success of the Phase I effort has attracted significant commercial and university interest that will be leveraged for a rapid transition of the RDB system to the DOD.