Biomolecule-Driven Two-Factor Authentication Strategy for Access Control of Molecular Devices

Abstract

The rise of DNA nanotechnology is promoting the development of molecular security devices and marking an essential change in information security technology, to one that can resist the threats resulting from the increase in computing power, brute force attempts, and quantum computing. However, developing a secure and reliable access control strategy to guarantee the confidentiality of molecular security devices is still a challenge. Here, a biomolecule-driven two-factor authentication strategy for access control of molecular devices is developed. Importantly, the two-factor is realized by applying the specificity and nicking properties of the nicking enzyme and the programmable design of the DNA sequence, endowing it with the characteristic of a one-time password. To demonstrate the feasibility of this strategy, an access control module is designed and integrated to further construct a role-based molecular access control device. By constructing a command library composed of three commands (Ca, Cb, Ca and Cb), the authorized access of three roles in the molecular device is realized, in which the command Ca corresponds to the authorization of role A, Cb corresponds to the authorization of role B, and Ca and Cb corresponds to the authorization of role C. In this way, when users access the device, they not only need the correct factor but also need to apply for role authorization in advance to obtain secret information. This strategy provides a highly robust method for the research on access control of molecular devices and lays the foundation for research on the next generation of information security.

Arbitrary Digital DNA Computing: A Programmable Molecular Perceptron Driven by Lambda Exonuclease for Lighting up Concatenated Circuits

“…28−30 Furthermore, these enzymes exhibit significant controllability in terms of molecular dynamics, making them a primary driver of the development of DNA circuits. 31,40,41 In our work, we first utilize Lambda exonuclease to construct a single-layer molecular perceptron by employing an exonucleaseassisted signal transmission (EAST) architecture because of its good conduction properties for DNA molecular signals. The output sequence is shielded and concealed by a 5′-phosphate modified DNA strand, preventing exposure and thus circumventing the limitation of a three-letter code.…”

“…This introduces limitations in the circuit design process with restricted decision margins, making it more challenging to obtain credible and stable outputs in practical applications. Biological enzymes give us more flexible approaches to dealing with the information carried by DNA molecules, such as utilizing DNA polymerases, restriction endonucleases, and nicking enzyme (PEN tools) to accomplish cut and paste operations on DNA. − Furthermore, these enzymes exhibit significant controllability in terms of molecular dynamics, making them a primary driver of the development of DNA circuits. ,, …”