The lifecycle of scientific research is often filled with obstacles. Take the development of new drugs as an example; this process is exceptionally lengthy and expensive, fraught with challenges of high failure rates—95% of drugs ultimately fail after entering human trials, with average R&D costs exceeding $2 billion and taking over 13 years! Additionally, the funding model for academic research is overly skewed toward well-established researchers, resulting in a shortage of funding for innovative and non-traditional projects. Meanwhile, the pressure to publish papers or research results has also led to problems such as over-speculation, irreproducible results, and systemic inequalities, where minority groups often find themselves at a disadvantage. These systemic issues highlight the need for innovative solutions to democratize research funding, promote collaboration, and maintain the integrity of scientific discoveries. Therefore, this article aims to explore two key questions: (1) Why is decentralized science (DeSci) needed? (2) How does it address existing issues?
1. What is decentralized science (DeSci)?
Decentralized science (DeSci) is an emerging movement that uses blockchain technology to address core challenges in the scientific field, such as lack of funding, transparency, and collaboration. By utilizing decentralized technologies like tokens, NFTs, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), DeSci aims to create a more open, community-driven, and incentivized model of scientific research. It promotes transparent funding models, peer review processes, and data sharing by eliminating traditional intermediaries. DeSci projects like VitaDAO, Molecule, and AminoChain showcase how decentralized platforms can redefine the funding, conduct, and dissemination of scientific research, bridging the gap between basic research and clinical application while ensuring ownership and transparency in data management.
2. Problem Statement.
1) Inefficient research funding systems.
The current research funding system is extremely inefficient, with researchers spending nearly 80% of their time applying for grants and only 20% of their time actually conducting research. Imagine if software developers had to spend most of their energy competing for funding instead of focusing on programming; the pace of technological advancement would inevitably slow significantly, just as the existing outdated processes hinder the progress of scientific innovation. The barriers faced by junior researchers are particularly pronounced, as most funding and resources are monopolized by senior scientists. This preferential treatment stifles the emergence of novel and unconventional ideas while also limiting opportunities, especially in underrepresented regions. Furthermore, centralized, competitive, and conservative funding distribution systems prioritize clichéd and mundane research over impactful directions.
2) Outdated research infrastructure and decentralized data management systems.
The research ecosystem faces serious challenges from outdated infrastructure and decentralized data management systems. Platforms like GitHub for code and Dropbox for data create "information silos" that limit collaborative efficiency. Moreover, many data repositories fail to meet FAIR standards (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability), leading to massive data loss—up to 80% over 20 years, primarily due to issues like broken links. Additionally, intellectual property (IP) is often controlled by institutions rather than researchers, meaning scientists may lose control over their research when changing institutions, leaving early data and informal collaborations unprotected. These issues, compounded by insufficient interoperability between systems and the use of outdated tools like fax machines, not only obstruct collaboration but also hinder AI-driven research and overall slow down the pace of scientific advancement.
3) Low-incentive reproducibility and uncompensated peer review.
Reproducibility of experiments is a key step in validating scientific discoveries, but this step has been severely neglected due to academic journals prioritizing novel findings. This has led to the so-called "reproducibility crisis," with estimates suggesting that 70% of published research cannot be replicated. Moreover, scientists often work pro bono during the peer review process, which is estimated to have a time value of up to $1.5 billion annually. However, this process frequently lacks transparency and fairness. To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of overall scientific research, it is essential to address issues related to incentive mechanisms and compatibility.
4) Oligopoly in scientific publishing.
The global academic publishing market is dominated by five major publishers, controlling nearly 50% of the market share and generating $19 billion in revenue annually, with profit margins as high as 40%. This oligopoly positions publishers as "gatekeepers," prioritizing profit over scientific value. High publication fees (ranging from approximately $2,000 to $12,000 per article) create significant barriers for underfunded researchers, especially scholars in developing regions. At the access level, the price for a single article can reach $35 to $50, further limiting the dissemination of critical knowledge. These high costs and restrictive policies exacerbate inequalities in knowledge sharing, favoring wealthier institutions and regions while excluding underfunded scientists and communities.
5) The 'valley of death' in research fields.
The traditional new drug development process is time-consuming and expensive, typically taking 10 to 13 years and costing over $2 billion to bring a new drug to market. Throughout this process, pharmaceutical companies often operate independently rather than collaborating in a globally interconnected market, leading to redundant work and missed opportunities to jointly tackle diseases like cancer. The most critical barrier in this process is the 'valley of death,' the stage between basic research and commercialization. During this period, many promising projects require substantial funding to scale, but funding support sharply declines. With 95% of drugs failing in human trials, this funding gap becomes a significant obstacle that prevents many transformative innovations from reaching the market and benefiting the public.
6) Lack of patient-centered models and data privacy protections in biomedical research.
Every year, thousands of people donate biological samples to support medical research, but the current system excludes these donors from the lifecycle of their contributions. Donors often sign a consent form and are then unable to learn about how their samples are used, undermining trust and lowering participation willingness, resulting in consent rates as low as 25% in major institutions. Centralized systems exacerbate this issue, failing to effectively track sample usage or properly manage donor consent while facing the risk of data breaches, threatening the security of sensitive information. This lack of transparency and security limits the availability of high-quality data, slows scientific progress, and hinders the development of life-saving therapies.
3. Solutions
Decentralized science (DeSci) addresses many significant challenges in the traditional research ecosystem by leveraging blockchain technology, decentralized networks, and new incentive mechanisms. These solutions aim to enhance the accessibility, transparency, funding distribution mechanisms, and collaboration levels of scientific research. Below is an overview of how DeSci addresses key issues in the scientific community:
1) DAOs: Empowering collaborative governance in science.
Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) provide a decentralized, community-driven framework for resource allocation and decision-making in research. Through the democratization of resource distribution, DAOs enable scientists, investors, and other stakeholders to collaboratively propose and vote on research projects, fostering a collaborative and transparent research environment. A practical case is the BIO Protocol, a decentralized platform that helps the community fund and accelerate scientific research through blockchain technology. BIO Protocol supports the creation and funding of BioDAOs (biomedical decentralized autonomous organizations) that focus on specific medical challenges, gathering resources and expertise to drive innovation. Successful cases.
HairDAO: Developed the consumer product Foll1C0ol for hair loss treatment and holds patents owned by the DAO.
CerebrumDAO: Raised $1.5 million for brain health research, in collaboration with Fission Pharma to address neurodegenerative diseases.
ValleyDAO: Focuses on synthetic biology, raising $2 million in collaboration with Imperial College London.
AthenaDAO: Focuses on women's health research, funding projects of $500,000, with 14 intellectual property transactions pending.
CryoDAO: Raised $3 million to advance cryobiology research in collaboration with the Oxford Cryo Technology Team.
Quantum Biology DAO: Led by a PhD from MIT, pioneering quantum microscopy and opening new research possibilities.
Long COVID Labs: Led by neuroscientists at Stanford University, accelerating research on long COVID, focusing on health issues affecting millions worldwide.
2) Decentralized, persistent, and accessible research data.
DeSci platforms provide researchers with a secure and decentralized way to store data, manuscripts, and research materials. Through blockchain technology, these platforms ensure the long-term accessibility of research data, avoiding data unavailability due to broken links (link rot). For example, platforms like DeSci Nodes offer decentralized storage, guaranteeing the permanence and immutability of research results. Furthermore, DeSci platforms are built around the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Each dataset is accompanied by metadata that details how the data was generated, allowing other researchers to easily find and reuse this data. The integration of FAIR principles not only enhances the accessibility of scientific data but also encourages collaboration and reduces waste from duplicate research.
3) Reproducibility and peer review incentive mechanisms: Addressing scientific reproducibility issues.
A major issue in current scientific research is the 'reproducibility crisis,' where many studies fail to yield the same results in repeated experiments. DeSci is actively addressing this issue by providing incentives for scientists to replicate experiments or review others' research. For instance, the ResearchHub platform, supported by Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong, uses tokens to reward scientists for verifying research findings, sharing feedback, and participating in peer review. This mechanism incentivizes researchers to carefully scrutinize research results, ensuring that published studies are more reliable. By encouraging collaboration and transparency, DeSci is helping to resolve this long-standing issue in traditional science.
4) Open access and programmatic publishing.
DeSci platforms eliminate traditional publishing's paywall barriers by providing open access options, allowing scientists to freely share research results. For example, DeSci Publish allows researchers to upload and disseminate research content without incurring high publishing fees, ensuring broader dissemination and impact of scientific discoveries. Additionally, programmatic publishing accelerates the research-to-publication process by automating tasks such as manuscript submission, formatting, peer review coordination, metadata creation, revision tracking, and dissemination, alleviating the burden of manual submissions and allowing researchers to focus on their scientific work rather than tedious administrative tasks. A real case is Etica Protocol, a decentralized science (DeSci) initiative that transforms medical research by eliminating intellectual property (IP) restrictions and promoting open-source collaboration. Launched in April 2022, Etica operates on blockchain technology, allowing researchers to freely share research results while receiving economic rewards throughout the research process. By bypassing traditional patent systems and restrictive licensing agreements, Etica creates a fair and efficient framework that accelerates the innovation process while ensuring affordable prices for treatments and promoting equitable access to medical advancements.
Core features
Decentralized proposals: Researchers submit proposals related to specific diseases, which are evaluated through community voting on the blockchain.
Staking and voting: Token holders stake Etica Tokens (ETI) to participate in voting, receiving rewards for correct votes while facing penalties for incorrect votes, ensuring accountability.
Dynamic approval thresholds: The approval threshold for proposals adjusts dynamically based on voting patterns, balancing fairness with rigor.
Privacy and transparency: The two-step voting system ensures privacy during the voting process while providing transparency after results are announced.
Research areas of Etica Protocol.
Etica Protocol is driving open-source medical research across several key health challenges, focusing on global diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. At the same time, collaborations on the platform are advancing innovative solutions for Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), addressing global issues like malaria and pneumoconiosis (occupational lung disease). Furthermore, Etica supports research on cystic fibrosis (Mucoviscidosis) and addiction issues, as well as longevity research aimed at extending lifespan and fundamental research exploring basic scientific questions. These research areas demonstrate Etica's practical impact and encourage active participation to promote accessible and equitable medical solutions.
5) IP-NFTs: Empower researchers and secure ownership.
Decentralized science (DeSci) fundamentally transforms the funding, management, and innovative ownership models of scientific research by introducing a transparent and efficient framework, similar to how blockchain has disrupted the financial system. DeSci addresses the "valley of death" problem in research by leveraging non-fungible tokens (IP-NFTs) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), where many promising projects fail to transition from basic research to commercialization due to lack of funding support. With DAOs, researchers can directly access a global funding network, bypassing traditional barriers and ensuring that early-stage projects receive the necessary resources to scale. This decentralized approach not only accelerates innovation but also democratizes access to funding, facilitating global collaboration and advancing scientific progress. IP-NFTs are the core technology of this transformation, with a framework built on the Ethereum blockchain, integrating legal contracts, smart contracts, and cryptographically private data stored on decentralized platforms like Arweave and Filecoin. By tokenizing research projects, IP-NFTs enable efficient funding, transparent governance, and collective ownership, empowering researchers while ensuring equitable access to scientific outcomes. Here are some relevant examples to illustrate this.
Key advantages of IP-NFTs:
Monetization: Researchers can directly sell IP-NFTs to raise funds for research and potentially receive substantial economic returns.
Open access and control: IP-NFTs can be combined with open access models, ensuring research findings are publicly accessible while retaining ownership.
Real case studies.
Molecule is a leading platform revolutionizing scientific research funding through IP-NFTs. By tokenizing intellectual property, Molecule enables researchers to raise funds directly from a global community of investors, patients, and enthusiasts.
Over $30 million has been raised through the Molecule ecosystem to support decentralized scientific research.
29 research projects funded, covering niche areas such as rare diseases and quantum biology.
15,700+ community members, including scientists, investors, and supporters.
Directly funded $1.95 million in cutting-edge research projects, achieving significant advances in underfunded areas.
VitaDAO showcases the transformative potential of IP-NFTs in scientific research, achieving decentralized funding and governance through blockchain technology. VitaDAO has deployed over $4.2 million in funding, supporting 24 research projects and evaluating over 200 projects, enhancing collaboration and transparency in advancing breakthrough longevity science. Its holding of $6 million in liquid assets demonstrates how decentralized mechanisms effectively support innovative research and progress in key scientific areas.
6) Examples of projects funded through IP-NFTs.
Discovering new autophagy activators.
Laboratory: Newcastle University Korolchuk Lab.
Research focus: Identifying compounds to restore autophagy function in aging cells, addressing cellular recycling mechanisms associated with aging and diseases.
Funding amount: $285,000.
Naked mole rat-based longevity biotechnology.
Laboratory: Gorbunova Lab.
Research focus: Developing therapies based on high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, leveraging its anti-cancer and longevity properties.
Funding amount: $300,000.
Longevity molecules.
Laboratory: Scheibye-Knudsen Lab.
Research focus: Analyzing 1.04 billion prescription records through machine learning to identify drugs capable of extending human lifespan.
Funding amount: $537,000.
ApoptoSENS: CAR-NK cells for eliminating senescent cells.
Research focus: Developing CAR-NK cells to clear senescent cells and treat age-related diseases.
Funding amount: $253,000.
Innovative mitochondrial autophagy activators for Alzheimer's disease.
Laboratory: Fang Lab.
Research focus: Utilizing AI to identify candidate drugs that restore mitochondrial autophagy, potentially treating Alzheimer's disease and other age-related conditions.
Funding amount: $300,000.
Reverse periodontal disease through aging science.
Laboratory: An Lab.
Research focus: Testing compounds targeting inflammation to treat age-related periodontal disease and improve human healthspan.
Funding amount: $330,000.
ARTAN Bio: Targeting mutation-specific codon suppression related to aging and longevity.
Company: ARTAN Bio.
Research focus: Developing interventions targeting nonsense mutations that lead to age-related diseases and cancer.
Funding amount: $91,300.
7) Applications of decentralization in the biomedical field.
Decentralized science (DeSci) offers a transformative solution by placing patients and donors at the center of the research process. Leveraging blockchain technology, DeSci ensures that donors maintain control over their biological samples, allowing them to understand how their samples are used and even receive economic rewards when samples are commercialized. This approach enhances trust and encourages participation. At the same time, decentralized systems provide higher security for sensitive data, ensuring that data is securely stored and only accessible with appropriate authorization. By replacing centralized data repositories with the transparency and immutability of blockchain, DeSci protects privacy and accelerates progress in biomedical research.
AminoChain: Transforming biomedical research through decentralized science.
AminoChain is fundamentally transforming biomedical research by building decentralized platforms that connect healthcare institutions and empower patients. This project has raised $7 million in funding, including $5 million in seed round financing led by a16z crypto and Cercano, establishing a transparent and efficient system for managing biological samples and medical data. At the core of AminoChain is Amino Node, a software package integrated with existing healthcare systems (such as electronic medical records and inventory management tools). Amino Node standardizes data into a universal format while ensuring data is securely stored on institutional servers. By achieving data unification across the network, AminoChain enables the development of patient-centered applications and facilitates collaboration between healthcare institutions. One of its key applications is the Specimen Center, a peer-to-peer marketplace platform for biological samples. Researchers can search for and request samples from biobanks through this platform while maintaining compliance and tracking sample origins. Tasks that traditionally take weeks to complete are streamlined into efficient workflows, accelerating the realization of research outcomes. Notably, donors can track how their samples are used, gain insights generated from their contributions, and receive financial rewards when samples are commercialized, further enhancing trust and participation. What sets AminoChain apart is its deep integration of bioethics into core operations, prioritizing patient transparency and benefit-sharing while facilitating research and collaboration in the biomedical field.
4. The bright future of decentralized science: A revolution in research funding.
Decentralized science (DeSci) is rapidly changing the way research is funded and conducted, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and collaboration. Since 2023, more than seven dedicated decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) have been established, collectively evaluating over 2,000 projects and granting more than $70 million through on-chain channels. These DAOs span various fields, including psychedelic research, hair loss treatment, cryobiology, neuroscience, and cutting-edge quantum biology research. Although only 0.5% of projects currently receive funding, their impact has been significant. Over 3,000 ETH have been invested, driving the development of five to six new drugs. The first actual product—a high-dose spermidine supplement—was launched by VitaDAO and received approval from Thailand's food and drug administration, indicating that the results of this revolutionary funding model are tangible.
6. Future project prospects for DeSci.
The potential of DeSci is further demonstrated in exciting upcoming projects: 1) Curetopia.
Goal: To address over 10,000 rare genetic diseases by uniting patient communities and various populations.
Method: Directly involve patients in research, putting them at the core of the research approach to rare disease treatments.
2) Quantum Biology DAO
Goal: Accelerate quantum biology research, promote community building, open governance, and innovative experimentation.
Mission: To understand and manipulate biological mechanisms at the quantum level, opening new avenues for scientific breakthroughs.
7. Major players supporting DeSci.
The importance of decentralized science (DeSci) has captured the attention of major players in the blockchain space. BN Labs made a significant investment in BIO Protocol, a groundbreaking platform designed to enable global scientists, patients, and investor communities to jointly fund and collectively own transformative biomedical research. BIO Protocol focuses on key areas such as rare diseases, longevity research, and mental health, incubating several BioDAOs to accelerate patient-driven innovation. Industry leaders, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and BN CEO Zhao Changpeng (CZ), have also expressed their support, attending a DeSci event in Bangkok. Their involvement underscores the potential of DeSci to revolutionize research funding and methodologies on a global scale. The development of DeSci extends beyond the Ethereum ecosystem; projects like PumpDotScience on the Solana platform are pushing the boundaries of decentralized science. With support from the Solana Foundation, PumpDotScience allows users to watch live scientific experiments and tokenize longevity compounds. This innovative model has led to rapid success, with tokens performing exceptionally well after DevCon: $RIF reached a market capitalization of $106 million, while $URO soared to $39 million. The decentralized science market is growing rapidly, with trading volumes exceeding $25 million and a total market capitalization of $1.2 billion. DeSci tokens such as RSC, VITA, and HAIR, supported by Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong, are also performing strongly. These figures reflect investors' strong interest and confidence in DeSci's potential, redefining the patterns of scientific development.
8. A new era of science: The DeSci revolution.
Decentralized science (DeSci) is igniting a revolution that fundamentally changes the way science is funded, implemented, and shared. With the support of industry giants such as BN and the advocacy of pioneers like Vitalik Buterin, DeSci is not just a technological innovation, but a movement dedicated to democratizing science and addressing significant human challenges. Projects like BIO Protocol, Curetopia, and Quantum Biology DAO showcase the potential for achieving true breakthroughs, while cross-chain collaborations extend DeSci's impact from Ethereum to platforms like Solana. This is not merely speculation on blockchain; it is about healing diseases, accelerating development, and making innovation accessible to everyone. DeSci represents a future of open, collaborative, and inclusive science. This is not a fleeting trend but a profound transformation in our approach to progress. As this movement accelerates, we seem to be witnessing the arrival of a new era with genuinely transformative implications for humanity.