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How Can DeSci Convince Both CZ and Vitalik to Endorse It?

Written by: Anthony Chan, Shubham Kumar

Translated by: Plain Blockchain

The life cycle of scientific research is often fraught with obstacles. Take new drug development as an example: this process is extraordinarily long, expensive, and plagued with a high failure rate. About 95% of drugs fail after entering human trials, with average development costs exceeding $2 billion and taking more than 13 years to complete. Furthermore, academic research funding is skewed heavily in favor of established researchers, leaving innovative and unconventional projects underfunded. Meanwhile, the pressure to publish research results has led to issues such as excessive speculation, irreproducibility of results, and systemic inequalities that disadvantage minorities. These systemic problems highlight the need for innovative solutions to democratize research funding, foster collaboration, and uphold the integrity of scientific discoveries. This article aims to explore two key questions: (1) Why is decentralized science (DeSci) necessary? (2) How does it address existing problems?

1. What is Decentralized Science (DeSci)?

Decentralized Science (DeSci) is an emerging movement that leverages blockchain technology to address core challenges in the scientific field, such as funding shortages, lack of transparency, and difficulties in collaboration. By employing decentralized technologies such as tokens, NFTs, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), DeSci seeks to create a more open, community-driven, and incentivized research ecosystem. By eliminating traditional intermediaries, DeSci promotes transparent funding models, peer review processes, and data sharing. Projects like VitaDAO, Molecule, and AminoChain demonstrate how decentralized platforms can redefine the ways in which scientific research is funded, conducted, and disseminated, bridging the gap between basic research and clinical applications while ensuring ownership and transparency in data management.

2. Problem Statement

1) Inefficiency in the Research Funding System

The current research funding system is highly inefficient, with researchers spending nearly 80% of their time applying for grants, leaving only 20% for actual research. Imagine if software developers had to dedicate most of their time to securing funding rather than coding—it would significantly slow technological progress. Similarly, outdated processes are hindering scientific innovation. Early-career researchers face particularly significant hurdles, with the majority of funding and resources allocated to senior scientists. This favoritism suppresses novel and unconventional ideas while limiting opportunities, especially in underrepresented regions. Additionally, centralized, competitive, and conservative funding systems prioritize mundane research over impactful, innovative directions.

2) Outdated Infrastructure and Fragmented Data Management

The scientific ecosystem faces severe challenges from outdated infrastructure and fragmented data management. Platforms like GitHub (for code) and Dropbox (for data) create "information silos" that hinder collaboration. Moreover, many data repositories fail to meet FAIR standards (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability), resulting in significant data loss—up to 80% over 20 years due to issues like broken links. Intellectual property (IP) is typically controlled by institutions rather than researchers, meaning scientists may lose access to their research when changing institutions. This prevents early-stage data and informal collaborations from being effectively protected. Combined with inadequate interoperability across systems and reliance on outdated tools (e.g., fax machines), these challenges not only hinder collaboration but also slow artificial intelligence-driven research and overall scientific progress.

3) Low Incentives for Reproducibility and Unpaid Peer Review

Reproducibility is a critical step in validating scientific findings, yet it is severely overlooked as academic journals prioritize novel discoveries. This has led to a "reproducibility crisis," with an estimated 70% of published research being irreproducible. Moreover, scientists often perform peer review work unpaid, with the annual value of this labor estimated at $1.5 billion. However, this process frequently lacks transparency and fairness. To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of scientific research, incentive mechanisms and compatibility issues must be addressed.

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 annual revenue with profit margins as high as 40%. These publishers act as "gatekeepers," prioritizing profits over scientific value. High publication fees (ranging from $2,000 to $12,000 per article) create significant barriers for underfunded researchers, particularly those in developing regions. On the access side, the cost of a single article ranges from $35 to $50, further restricting 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

The traditional drug development process is time-consuming and expensive, often requiring 10–13 years and over $2 billion to bring a new drug to market. Pharmaceutical companies tend to work in silos rather than collaborating in a globally connected marketplace, leading to duplicated efforts and missed opportunities for tackling diseases like cancer. The most critical hurdle in this process is the "Valley of Death," the gap between basic research and commercialization. During this stage, many promising projects require substantial funding to scale but face a dramatic decline in financial support. With 95% of drugs failing in human trials, this funding gap becomes a major obstacle, preventing transformative innovations from reaching the market and benefiting people's lives.

6) Lack of Patient-Centric Models and Data Privacy in Biomedical Research

Every year, thousands of people donate biospecimens for medical research, but current systems exclude donors from the lifecycle of their contributions. Donors typically sign a consent form and receive no further information about how their samples are used, undermining trust and reducing participation rates, which are as low as 25% at major institutions. Centralized systems exacerbate this issue by failing to effectively track sample usage or properly manage donor consent, while also exposing sensitive information to data breaches. This lack of transparency and security limits the availability of high-quality data, slowing scientific progress and impeding the development of life-saving treatments.

3. Solutions

Decentralized Science (DeSci) leverages blockchain technology, decentralized networks, and new incentive mechanisms to address many of the major challenges in traditional scientific ecosystems. These solutions aim to enhance the accessibility, transparency, funding distribution, and collaboration levels of scientific research. The following outlines 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. By democratizing resource distribution, DAOs enable scientists, investors, and other stakeholders to collectively propose and vote on research projects, fostering a collaborative and transparent research environment. Practical cases include the BIO Protocol, which helps communities fund and accelerate scientific research through blockchain technology. The protocol supports the creation and funding of BioDAOs (biological DAOs) focused on specific medical challenges, pooling resources and expertise to drive innovation.

4. A Bright Future for Decentralized Science: A Revolution in Research Funding

Decentralized Science (DeSci) is rapidly transforming the way research is funded and conducted, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and collaboration. Since 2023, over seven specialized Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) have been established. Collectively, these DAOs have evaluated more than 2,000 projects and allocated over $70 million in funding through on-chain mechanisms. These DAOs span diverse fields, including psychedelic research, hair loss treatment, cryogenics, neuroscience, and cutting-edge quantum biology. While only 0.5% of projects have received funding so far, the impact is already significant. Over 3,000 ETH has been deployed to support the development of 5 to 6 new drugs. The first tangible product, a high-dose spermidine supplement, was brought to market by VitaDAO and approved by Thailand's FDA, demonstrating the concrete outcomes of this revolutionary funding model.

5. Future Prospects for DeSci Projects

The potential of DeSci is further highlighted by exciting upcoming initiatives:

  • Curetopia
    • Objective: Address over 10,000 rare genetic diseases by uniting patient groups and diverse communities.
    • Approach: Directly involve patients in research, placing them at the core of the process and fundamentally transforming the methodology of rare disease treatment.
  • Quantum Biology DAO
    • Objective: Accelerate research in quantum biology by fostering community building, open governance, and innovative experimentation.
    • Mission: Understand and harness biological mechanisms at the quantum level, opening doors to groundbreaking scientific advancements.

6. Major Players Supporting DeSci

The significance of Decentralized Science has drawn attention from major players in the blockchain industry. BN Labs has made substantial investments in the BIO Protocol, a pioneering platform aimed at enabling global scientists, patients, and investor communities to collaboratively fund and co-own groundbreaking biomedical research. The BIO Protocol focuses on critical areas like rare diseases, longevity studies, and mental health, incubating multiple BioDAOs to drive patient-centered innovation.

Industry leaders like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and BN CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) have expressed their support, personally attending a DeSci event in Bangkok. Their involvement underscores DeSci's potential to revolutionize the way scientific research and funding operate globally.

DeSci's development 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 real-time scientific experiments and tokenize longevity compounds. This innovative approach has led to rapid success, with tokens performing exceptionally well after DevCon: $RIF reached a market capitalization of $106 million, while $URO surged to $39 million.

The decentralized science market is experiencing rapid growth, with trading volume exceeding $25 million and a total market value of $1.2 billion. DeSci tokens such as RSC (ResearchHub, backed by Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong), VITA, and HAIR are also performing strongly. These figures reflect the growing interest and confidence of investors in DeSci's potential to redefine scientific progress.

7. A New Era of Science: The DeSci Revolution

Decentralized Science (DeSci) is spearheading a revolution, fundamentally changing how science is funded, conducted, and shared. With the support of industry giants like BN and pioneers like Vitalik Buterin, DeSci is not just a technological innovation but a movement dedicated to democratizing science and tackling humanity's greatest challenges. Projects like BIO Protocol, Curetopia, and Quantum Biology DAO demonstrate the potential for achieving true breakthroughs, while cross-chain collaborations are expanding DeSci's reach beyond Ethereum to platforms like Solana.

This is not merely blockchain speculation but a movement focused on curing diseases, accelerating development, and making innovation accessible to everyone. DeSci represents an open, collaborative, and inclusive future for science. It is not a fleeting trend but a profound shift in the way we pursue progress. As this movement accelerates, we appear to be witnessing the dawn of a transformative new era for humanity.

This article is sourced from Foresight News:

https://foresightnews.pro/article/detail/71543

AIC Team

December16, 2024