Spinoff story

Synthetic DNA Diagnoses COVID, Cancer

A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.

About this technology

Overview

Synthetic DNA used to diagnose diseases such as COVID, hepatitis, and cancer was developed by Firebird Diagnostics LLC of Alachua, Florida, with research funded in part by the NASA Astrobiology Program. The technology could also help find life on other planets or moons by identifying DNA characteristics that might be Earth-specific and looking beyond them.