Author: David C, Bankless; Translated by: Deng Tong, Jinse Finance
Last Friday, ahead of the BIO protocol token launch, DeSci token prices soared.
As the boundaries between cutting-edge technologies like DeSci and artificial intelligence continue to blur, this upward trend persisted until the BIO launch and was reflected in the massive bidding for tokens associated with these technologies. As a key hub for DeSci financing, the launch of BIO is promising, igniting enthusiasm in this highly experimental field and attracting more attention and capital to DeSci over time.
In today’s article, let’s dive into the BIO protocol, how it works, the challenges it aims to address, and the DAOs operating under its umbrella. Then, let’s go beyond its ecosystem to explore other DeSci projects that tell unique stories and provide additional tools or use cases to transform scientific collaboration and funding.
Inside the BIO protocol
Essentially, the BIO protocol is a decentralized, token-managed platform that supports and incubates specialized BioDAOs. By incorporating funding decisions, intellectual property ownership, and governance on-chain, BIO directly addresses several long-standing barriers in the biotechnology field:
Helping early projects escape the 'valley of death,' where funding shortages often inhibit promising ideas from maturing into real-world applications.
By tokenizing research outcomes, promoting open access and transparent collaboration, combatting data and intellectual property silos.
Replacing opaque R&D channels with real-time, on-chain tracking of capital flows and milestones.
To achieve these goals, BIO has implemented several core mechanisms:
Curation
BIO holders lock their tokens (vBIO) to help determine which new BioDAOs can join the network. This process ensures that only the most promising or community-supported ventures can join, as those committing support must stake BIO within a certain timeframe. If approved, stakers will gain exclusive participation in funding rounds for the BioDAOs.
Funding and Liquidity
After completing the curation phase, BioDAO will initiate a private placement for those who commit vBIO.
This allows early supporters of the DAO and the BIO community to invest in early-stage scientific research under terms traditionally reserved for venture capital. At the same time, the BIO protocol manages liquidity on behalf of these BioDAOs, eliminating the need for them to oversee secondary markets. The BIO treasury pairs tokens (i.e., VITA/BIO or HAIR/BIO) with ETH or other assets to generate fees for the protocol while ensuring stable trading pairs. This arrangement enables BioDAOs to focus on advancing their research rather than being bogged down by market operations.
Meta-Governance
Since the BIO treasury holds a portion of each BioDAO token, BIO holders can exert collective influence throughout the DeSci ecosystem.
This meta-governance structure allows them to guide the decisions of multiple BioDAOs—whether it’s determining research priorities or highlighting synergies between projects. Additionally, by diversifying the assets in the treasury, the protocol enhances its ability to invest in new projects and reinvest in existing ones, enabling seamless coordination in the ever-expanding field of scientific research.
Provide returns
To incentivize clear and measurable contributions to its network, BIO issues 'bio/acc rewards' in the form of additional BIO tokens to BioDAOs that achieve key milestones. In addition to these incentives, BioDAOs can tokenize their IP (from research data to patents), making it easier to license, share, or monetize discoveries. By issuing IP tokens, BioDAOs can grant partial ownership of their research outcomes, allowing more stakeholders to benefit from future breakthroughs while retaining control over key decisions and potentially earning revenue from the use of their data.
In addition to these direct incentives, the overall value of the network grows through token distribution and liquidity owned by the protocol. Grants for new BioDAOs can be exchanged for a small equity stake in their tokens, while liquidity pool fees flow back to the treasury. As BioDAOs mature and produce tangible results, the total value of these assets should increase, strengthening the cycle of financing, growth, and innovation.
BioDAOs in BIO
Currently, there are 8 BioDAOs in the BIO network, each focusing on specific research areas.
VitaDAO | $VITA
VitaDAO was established in 2021 to support research aimed at extending human healthspan. The project is funded by Pfizer Ventures and Balaji Srinivasan and explores the biological mechanisms of aging, including neurodegenerative diseases.
Quantum Biology DAO
Quantum Biology DAO studies how weak magnetic fields affect cells at the quantum level. The project collaborates with the Quantum Biology Institute to develop quantum microscopes, opening new avenues for longevity research, drug discovery, and more.
HairDAO | HAIR
HairDAO unites patients, researchers, and funders to address hair loss, a severely resource-constrained issue.
ValleyDAO | $GROW
ValleyDAO seeks to address climate change through synthetic biology solutions, such as engineering microorganisms to capture carbon dioxide or produce biodegradable materials.
AthenaDAO | $ATH
AthenaDAO focuses on women's health, filling gaps overlooked by standard funding. Through a decentralized community of patients, scientists, and advocates, it supports projects on reproductive health, hormonal disorders, and other under-researched topics in female biology.
CryoDAO | $CRYO
CryoDAO allocates funds for cryopreservation research to improve organ and tissue storage, a method with life-saving potential.
PsyDAO | $PSY
PsyDAO focuses on psychedelic research targeting mental health issues such as depression, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It employs a decentralized funding model and AI-based audits to accelerate the exploration of new compounds, while on-chain governance ensures transparency in resource allocation.
CerebrumDAO | $NEURON
CerebrumDAO convenes a global community to prevent neurodegeneration and extend brain health. It studies conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on inflammation, metabolic issues, the blood-brain barrier, and their implications.
Other promising DeSci projects
Beyond the BIO Protocol ecosystem, there are many interesting DeSci projects that bring new platforms or tools for analyzing scientific discoveries.
ResearchHub Foundation
ResearchHub Foundation was founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Patrick Joyce to create an open platform for publishing and reviewing scientific works using RSC. Contributors earn RSC by publishing research, curating content, or facilitating discussions. The platform aims to establish a 'GitHub for scientific research,' designed to streamline peer review, encourage open sharing, and bring real-time accountability to academic publishing—all achieved through token incentives. RSC holders can also vote on platform improvements and reward distributions.
Yesnoerror
Yesnoerror is a decentralized platform that combines AI with community-driven oversight to improve the reliability of scientific papers. Its AI engine continuously scans for inaccuracies in research—whether in numerical data, statistical analysis, or references—and flags potential issues for further review. Community members who verify or correct these errors will earn YNE tokens, creating intrinsic incentives for thorough review and timely feedback.
Overall, YNE aims to detect issues early to prevent flawed conclusions, reduce the risk of misguided policy decisions and research waste, and develop an AI that can learn from users to better detect issues across a range of scientific fields.
Pump.Science
Pump.science is a DeSci platform aimed at identifying and developing chemicals that can extend our healthspan. It seeks to gamify research by conducting low-cost tests on simple organisms (worms, flies) before using complex models (mice). This approach can identify promising interventions early, utilizing cryptocurrency-based funding to propose or invest in new compounds. By live-streaming experiments (which pump.science calls 'stadium science'), the protocol aims to provide real-time data, allowing both researchers and speculators to track results and potentially adjust their support as research progresses.
In addition to extending lifespan, pump.science also explores potential methods to enhance athletic performance, referencing the idea of an 'Animal Stimulant Olympics'. If successful, the compounds could ultimately become consumer products sold on the market, with creators retaining intellectual property and suppliers potentially bidding to bring new discoveries to market.
Moonshot project breakthroughs?
The token launch of the BIO Protocol has brought DeSci into the spotlight, showcasing how a new generation of on-chain initiatives can reshape R&D in biotechnology and beyond.
Outside the BIO ecosystem, other DeSci projects showcase complementary strategies to enhance scientific research through blockchain. From ResearchHub's open collaboration platform to yesnoerror's AI-based paper audits and pump.science's gamified longevity trials, these projects explore the intersection of science and crypto from different angles. Collectively, they point to a rapidly evolving DeSci landscape where shared governance, financial coordination, and real-time data sharing could yield new breakthroughs.
Whether addressing funding bottlenecks, streamlining peer review, or discovering molecules to extend lifespan, DeSci solutions have bold objectives of putting discoveries in the hands of broad, proactive communities—ultimately accelerating the world’s benefit from the next wave of scientific innovation.
