On the Reliability of Information Retrieval From MDS Coded Data in DNA Storage
For researchers designing DNA storage systems, this work offers a theoretical framework to optimize code rates and sequencing depth for reliable data retrieval.
The paper theoretically analyzes the probability of successful data retrieval using MDS codes in DNA storage under i.i.d. substitution errors, showing how this probability depends on sequencing reads, code rates, and error rates, and provides insights for optimizing system reliability.
This work presents a theoretical analysis of the probability of successfully retrieving data encoded with MDS codes (e.g., Reed-Solomon codes) in DNA storage systems. We study this probability under independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) substitution errors, focusing on a common code design strategy that combines inner and outer MDS codes. Our analysis demonstrates how this probability depends on factors such as the total number of sequencing reads, their distribution across strands, the rates of the inner and outer codes, and the substitution error probabilities. These results provide actionable insights into optimizing DNA storage systems under reliability constraints, including determining the minimum number of sequencing reads needed for reliable data retrieval and identifying the optimal balance between the rates of inner and outer MDS codes.