The I.B.M. approach is based on what the company describes as a “DNA transistor,” which it hopes will be capable of reading individual nucleotides in a single s

The I.B.M. approach is based on what the company describes as a “DNA transistor,” which it hopes will be capable of reading individual nucleotides in a single strand of DNA as it is pulled through an atomic-size hole known as a nanopore. A complete system would consist of two fluid reservoirs separated by a silicon membrane containing an array of up to a million nanopores, making it possible to sequence vast quantities of DNA at once. If you can read individual nucleotides, down the road you just might be able to synthesize individual nucleotides, DNA strand, perhaps whole chromosomes. And do it with accuracy far greater then cell division, much better error detection. And this brings tissue manufacturing that much closer.