DNA Security Through Molecular Cryptography

The DoD maintains a repository of over 7.8 million individual DNA data samples of active duty, reserve, national guard, and DoD civilians and enrolls over 225,000 new samples annually. This is one of the largest DNA holdings of U.S. citizens in the world and must be protected. The ability for adversaries to exploit this information represents a serious threat today. In the future, as biotechnology advances, if this data is not protected then advanced biological weapons that target specific DNA will threaten the health and readiness of our service members. Technology is needed to protect genetic information but genetic lab systems rely on many internet connected devices that are not built for secure environments. In a previous AFWERX Phase II, GeneInfoSec successfully demonstrated a prototype of molecular cryptography, a method that secures information within DNA molecules so that sensitive genetic information is protected before it ever touches a computer. We hold two patents on this approach. Our first patent outlines a method by which DNA from samples can be tagged with unique molecules, so that after many such samples are mixed, only those with the keys can determine which piece of DNA belongs to which sample. Our second patent provides a method by which the reagents needed for this technology can be generated inexpensively. Moreover, the reagents generated with this new approach allow full control over the keys used to decrypt the data. Here, we propose the development of this new technology so that the approach can be adapted to the USAF labs that handle human genetic data. Through this proposed work we will develop molecular cryptography to a high technology readiness level, and then work with external partners at Los Alamos to test this technology on their systems, advancing the approach to TRL-8. The work will begin by redesigning our current prototype (TRL-3/4) to adapt them to our new method. This adaptation will be relatively straightforward, but we will need to ensure that the resulting design will be applicable to many different systems (TRL-5). The next step will be to demonstrate the ability for the keys to be generated from the reagents. These keys are molecules that contain unique, secret DNA sequences used to unlock the data. We will measure the effectiveness of the cryptography after the pooled samples have been sequenced using information theory, such as differential privacy. This approach allows the keys to be generated by the end-user, converted into electronic format when needed. After the method has been developed for one genetic locus, it will be expanded to many genomic regions. Approximately 12 regions will be developed, with the potential for more depending on the ultimate price of the method. The technology will then be sent to external partners for testing, resulting in a TRL of 8.