Biomemory launches DNA Shield for offline data recovery

Biomemory has opened early access to DNA Shield, a service that stores digital information in synthetic DNA. It is the company's first commercial product.

The service is aimed at organisations that want an offline copy of critical information, including cryptographic keys, intellectual property, regulated records and long-term institutional archives. Data is encrypted before being encoded into synthetic DNA, then held offline under managed custody.

The Paris- and Boston-based company positions the product as a separate recovery layer outside networked systems. It is designed to help customers recover data after cyber attacks or other disruptions, while maintaining an independent copy of records over long periods.

DNA data storage uses synthetic DNA molecules to represent digital information in physical form. Unlike electronic storage systems, the medium does not require a continuous power supply while data is stored at rest.

Commercial push

The launch follows two developments at Biomemory over the past year. The company acquired the assets of Boston-based Catalog Technologies, bringing together technology, intellectual property and staff in DNA data storage and computing. It later appointed Laurent Guengant as Chief Executive Officer.

The acquisition gave Biomemory a second production and research base in Boston alongside its Paris headquarters, and expanded its intellectual property position.

Biomemory has its roots in Sorbonne University and CNRS and has focused on turning DNA-based storage from a research effort into a commercial business. It is also a co-chair of the DNA Data Storage Alliance.

Initial uses for DNA Shield include what Biomemory describes as key custody continuity, industrial intellectual property, integrity records, and sovereign memory or golden records. In practice, this means materials such as cryptographic key recovery information, proprietary formulas or design parameters, tamper-evident regulatory records, and institutional records that need to outlast existing systems.

Recovery is not intended for routine access. Retrieval follows a controlled process triggered only when required.

Offline copy

Biomemory argues that some information must remain recoverable and verifiable for years or decades, even if surrounding technology, suppliers or organisational structures change. The service is also designed to provide resilience against emerging threats, including advances in artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

DNA Shield enters a market in which businesses and public bodies are reassessing how they preserve highly sensitive data as cyber risks grow and retention periods lengthen. Conventional electronic storage remains the dominant option, but interest in offline and tamper-evident methods for a small subset of critical information is increasing.

Biomemory said the new service is the first product in a broader strategy it calls Molecular IT. The company plans to expand from sovereign data protection into larger-scale DNA data storage, followed by molecular search and computing.

Laurent Guengant, Chief Executive Officer of Biomemory, described the release as a commercial turning point for the business. "DNA Shield is the moment Biomemory moves from proving a science to delivering a commercial product," he said.

He added: "Organisations need a way to hold their most critical digital assets, cryptographic keys, core intellectual property, regulated records, and long-term institutional memory, somewhere no single vendor, cloud, or system can reach, and to prove it still works over time. That is what DNA Shield is built for, and it is the first step on a roadmap that takes Biomemory from sovereign data protection today into storage, molecular search and compute."

Vincent Franceschini, Vice President of Product Management at Biomemory and Co-Chair of the DNA Data Storage Alliance, said the shift to a customer-facing service set this launch apart from earlier work. "What changed this year is not just our product line. It is the shift from technology building blocks to a shipped product that customers can put to work," he said. "DNA Shield is built on the same molecular platform we have spent years industrializing, but it is the first time we are asking a customer to rely on it operationally rather than as a research demonstration. Getting that right, end to end, from encoding to authorized recovery, is what makes us the first company bringing Molecular IT to market."