Author: Austin Freimuth, Messari research analyst; compiled by 0xjs@Golden Finance
DeSci is gaining widespread attention. Just this month, Binance Labs invested in BIO Protocol, and CZ and Vitalik Buterin attended a DeSci event in Thailand, while ResearchHub hosted the first SciCon conference. However, the most notable milestone is the groundbreaking success of Pump.Science, whose memecoins RIF and URO saw a total market capitalization soar to over $350 million on November 18.
Pump.Science announced at the Solana Breakpoint conference in September 2024, aiming to accelerate breakthroughs in longevity science through gamification. It utilizes rapid liquidity generation on pump.fun to raise funds and introduces its own mechanisms to gamify the R&D process. Traders are referred to as 'PHDegens', who speculate on experimental results involving different compounds. These experiments are represented by memecoins, such as RIF (Rifampicin) and URO (Urolithin A).
A major challenge faced by scientists is that the process of obtaining R&D funding is very time-consuming and often comes at the cost of sacrificing experiments. This issue is particularly severe in fields like longevity research, where the lack of immediate profitability leads to funding shortages and slow scientific progress. Through its novel approach, Pump.Science can reduce this funding timeline from months to hours.
Source: DeSci Declaration
Pump.Science works as follows:
1. Someone submits an experimental idea and provides SOL to initiate the process.
2. A token is launched on pump.fun, where SOL is used to create initial liquidity and fund experiments as tokens are sold at market capitalization milestones.
3. Experiments are divided into three phases: worms, flies, and mice. Testing is conducted at third-party laboratories Ora Biomedical and Tracked Biotechnologies.
4. Video updates will be uploaded to the platform every hour. The initial video for phase one will be deployed once the market capitalization of the token exceeds $10,000.
5. PHDegens trade tokens, speculating whether each compound can successfully extend the lifespan of test subjects.
Currently, the experiments with RIF and URO are in the pilot phase. The platform provides video updates and data on survival rates, movement, and other metrics to guide trading decisions. For compounds like Urolithin A, which can be self-administered without a prescription, phase four will use wearable devices to collect data.
Source: Pump.Science X account
Next month, the team will launch 10 to 20 new tokens to expand the scope of experiments. The ultimate goal is to develop a supplement store selling over-the-counter products based on the most promising compounds. Tokens will provide partial rights to intellectual property, and profits from supplement sales will benefit token holders through buybacks and burns. The team also mentioned plans to integrate AI agents and is considering collaborating with Daos.Fun to establish a scientific fund.
Although still in the early stages, Pump.Science is reimagining longevity R&D through gamification, sparking broader interest in DeSci in the process.