DeSci: Web3.0 empowers new trends in scientific research

Source: Jishi Communication

Abstract

The allocation of traditional scientific research funds is often controlled by small closed centralized groups, which have certain limitations in supervision and efficiency. , which will further affect the output efficiency of scientific research results and the exploration of value potential. In response to these problems, the decentralized science (DeSci) movement has recently emerged in the industry, aiming to use Web3.0 systems to build public infrastructure for fair and equal funding, creation, supervision, validation, storage and dissemination of scientific knowledge. In the simplest terms, DeSci provides a more Web3.0-oriented solution for scientific research funding, supervision, review, scientific research promotion and timely decision-making. Completely different from the traditional scientific research operation model, users in the Web3.0 world become promoters of scientific research, and the market becomes the core driving force. This is a new trend in the industry. Of course, as a new thing, the risks of DeSci are also obvious. Issues such as data falsification in the scientific research process, platform security, and other risks from the outside (such as external attacks) will have an immeasurable impact on the quality of scientific research and risk spillover.

Pumpscience promotes longevity research and becomes a representative of the recent rise of the DeSci industry. Currently, Pumpscience enables anyone to conduct experimental longevity studies, providing an idea for an intervention (a drug, or multiple drugs) to be tested, and token incentives based on the Solana platform. Drug developers can raise funds for experiments, and others can bet on which intervention will extend the lifespan of the different model organisms tested. To fund experiments on a specific intervention, drug developers launch a token that represents partial rights to a drug mixture that can be sold to pay for the experiments. Rights to interventions developed on the platform can be licensed and the interventions can be sold by chemical suppliers as supplements or research chemicals. The entire process of all projects on Pumpscience is decentralized from inception to implementation. DeSci's model is structured at each stage. At each stage: capital preparation, decision-making, supervision and market operations are all in the cryptocurrency market. It is driven by , and is carried out in a fully developed and decentralized manner.

The core of Pumpscience is the cryptocurrency market as the core driving force. In terms of funds (and funding thresholds), creativity, supervision and decision-making, it uses market forces to fully tap the market value of every link and promote scientific research. Rapid development. For example, compounds can be formulated into final products at any stage of the research process if the company concerned so wishes. This is also very imaginative. We can think about it openly: in the process of scientific research and experiments in biological sciences and even other fields, some intermediate data and products will also have certain application markets. For example, although chemicals are not the final ideal target, May be required by other manufacturersCompounds (catalysts or other intermediates required for production). Relevant companies can purchase tokens in the token market and push up the price as a means of intervention to provide a milestone foundation for possible effective products in the next stage. At the same time, you can buy out the relevant product production/sales authorization. Although this is not the ultimate goal of the experiment, the market value of the intermediate process has also been well released.

It can be said that DeSci has decentralized the structure of every step from scientific research creativity/leadership, promotion process (and decision-making at each stage), supervision to industrial transformation. This flywheel model will undoubtedly fully unleash the efficiency and energy of Web3.0.

Risk warning: Blockchain technology research and development is less than expected; regulatory uncertainty; the implementation of the Web3.0 business model is less than expected.

1. Core point of view

The allocation of traditional scientific research funds is often controlled by small, closed, centralized groups. These groups have certain limitations in supervision and efficiency. restrictions, which will further affect the output efficiency of scientific research results and the exploration of value potential. Of course, groups have a high influence in the process of related property rights transfer and productization. This influence sometimes also inhibits the output of scientific research. efficiency. In response to these problems, the decentralized science (DeSci) movement has recently emerged in the industry, aiming to use Web3.0 systems to build public infrastructure for fair and equal funding, creation, supervision, validation, storage and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Different from the decentralized crowdfunding in earlier years, DeSci is quite open in terms of funding, creativity, research ideas and even market support. It has more Web3.0 thinking and fully taps the efficiency and output of scientific research. At the same time, Share rights and interests with decentralized Web3.0 ecological users.

Of course, as a new thing, the risks of DeSci are also obvious. Issues such as data falsification in the scientific research process, platform security, and other risks from the outside (such as external attacks) will affect the quality of scientific research and risk spillover. Produce immeasurable impact.

This article introduces the operation mode of typical representative projects of DeSci and analyzes its development potential.

2.DeSci: Web3.0 empowers scientific research

Decentralized Science (DeSci) is a movement that aims to use Web3.0 to build structures for fair and equal funding, creation, supervision, and confirmation , public infrastructure for storing and disseminating scientific knowledge. In the simplest terms, DeSci provides a more Web3.0-oriented solution for raising funds for scientific research (as well as supervision, review, and various assistance), that is, Web3.0 becomes an accelerator for new scientific research. Completely different from the operation model of traditional scientific research, users in the Web3.0 world become promoters of scientific research, and conduct it in a decentralized manner.

2.1 DeSci’s progress relative to GitCoin: Completely decentralized structure project process

Gticoin is a decentralized collaboration platform built on Ethereum, which provides a development collaboration platform for developers and a donation platform (cryptocurrency donation) for investors. It can be simply understood as a crowdfunding and sharing platform for project codes and funds. Airdropping project tokens to funders in return is a very Web3.0-style financing method, which is an early decentralized financing and incubation model.

During the implementation of the funding plan, the project requires not just one-time funding, but different rounds of financing arranged according to different stages of project development. A single funding round can spark backer interest, but a coordinated multi-round strategy is essential to build sustained engagement and attract long-term builders. By sequencing funding rounds by established goals (milestone achievements), projects can attract a steady stream of funders and co-builders while continually adapting to changing needs.

Take project Sei as an example. Sei’s goal is to combine the development standards of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with the performance of Solana to enable ecological applications to flexibly run on two Expansion between public chains. According to different stages of development, Sei has planned four rounds of financing. In the four rounds of financing, a total of US$1.3 million was allocated to various projects in the Sei ecosystem. Sei Ecosystem’s TVL (Locked Asset Value) achieved significant growth between July and October, more than doubling to more than $200 million. During this period, the number of active users rose dramatically, peaking at about 65,000 per day.

Obviously, GitCoin is an earlier Web3.0 decentralized crowdfunding platform. It mainly solves the personalized financing needs at different stages of the project and is based on decentralization. This approach provides a more decentralized and market-oriented approach to financing demand and capital supply. In addition to providing early support for scientific research (projects) in terms of funding, DeSci is also more decentralized in various aspects such as project (research) content, creativity and decision-making, rather than just limited to crowdfunding of funds. This is an innovation with more Web3.0 thinking. At the same time, in terms of open development potential, the scientific research supported by DeSci has greater potential and wider commercialization potential, and innovation in this area is also a prominent feature.

We will see in the following analysis that DeSci essentially deconstructs the process of scientific research projects in a decentralized manner.

2.2 DeSci: Deconstructing the entire process of scientific research

DeSci aims to create an ecosystem that encourages scientists to openly share their research and receive honors and rewards for it, while allowing anyone to Easily understand and contribute to research. This is significantly different from traditional scientific research: the allocation of traditional scientific research funds is often controlled by small, closed, centralized groups. These groups have certain limitations in supervision and efficiency, which will further affect the output efficiency and efficiency of scientific research results. valuePotential exploration, of course, groups have high influence in the process including related property rights transfer and productization. This influence sometimes inhibits the efficiency of scientific research output. In response to these problems, DeSci is trying to create a more decentralized and transparent scientific research model, through decentralized access to funds, scientific tools and communication channels, and create an environment where new and non-traditional ideas can flourish. . Obviously, under the DeSci model, Web 3.0 users will deconstruct the authority of traditional scientific research funders, regulators and even experimental operators, making them more development-oriented and possessing various capabilities from the initiation of scientific research experiments to the launch of products. Same potential.

DeSci has become a hot topic recently, and its representative is the Pumpscience platform. Currently, Pumpscience enables anyone to conduct experimental longevity studies, providing an idea for an intervention (a drug, or multiple drugs) to be tested, and token incentives based on the Solana platform. Drug developers can raise funds for experiments, and others can bet on which intervention will extend the lifespan of the different model organisms tested. To fund experiments on a specific intervention, drug developers launch a token that represents partial rights to a drug mixture that can be sold to pay for the experiments. Rights to interventions developed on the platform can be licensed and the interventions can be sold by chemical suppliers as supplements or research chemicals. All experimental testing on Pumpscience is (currently) aimed at extending lifespan. The entire process of this project from inception to implementation is decentralized. DeSci's model is structured at each stage. At each stage: capital preparation, decision-making, supervision and market operations are all under the influence of the cryptocurrency market. It is driven and carried out in a fully developed and decentralized manner.

Pumpscience’s specific workflow includes:

1) Drug developers submit interventions for testing and pay X US dollars in SOL to pay for the experiment;

2) Issue tokens on pump.fun and use the raised funds to purchase the first batch of tokens:

3) If the token market value reaches a certain Once the threshold is reached, tokens are automatically sold to fund new phases of research and development;

4) These interventions were tested against C. elegans on Ora Biomedical’s Wormbot and on Tracked Biotechnologies’ Flies were tested on FlyBox, and more experiments will be conducted in the future;

5) Data are transmitted to users at fixed intervals, and users can evaluate the effectiveness and value of interventions;

< p>6) Chemical suppliers can purchase the right to intervene from token holders.

At the specific operational level, Pumpscience's current scientific research project designs DeSci as a "game", aiming to identify chemicals that extend human life in the most time-saving and economical way. To generate meaningful, high-quality data quickly and affordably, Pumpscience first tests on model organisms that are shorter-lived and less expensive to experiment with, building evidence in simpler organisms first before moving on to more complex and more expensive organisms. high organisms. Includes three levels:

1) Worms: Start with worms, which are small nematodes about the size of eyelashes. Worms live only 20-30 days in the laboratory, so the effects of potentially life-extending chemicals can be quickly observed in worms. A high-quality drug screen for worms costs approximately $300-$500.

2) Flies: Next, the test will be conducted on fruit flies, which can live for about 3 months in the laboratory. The cost of culturing Drosophila melanogaster is relatively low (~$2-3k per experiment) and provides more complex biological insights than C. elegans . Although they have no spinal cord, their low cost and rapid life cycle make them ideal for experiments.

3) Mice: Promising chemicals will then enter the mouse testing phase. Mice live about 2-3 years, and experiments cost $30,000-$60,000, depending on the environmental setup. Due to their longer lifespan and higher cost, only the most promising drug candidates advance to this stage, where more expensive, time-consuming, but more human-relevant data can be collected.

To fund the game, Pumpscience proposed a fundraising protocol based on a cryptocurrency platform. The agreement will allow funding to be raised and allocated for each intervention, ensuring that only the most promising ones make progress. Through transparent, decentralized funding, donors can directly support the development of chemicals that may extend human lifespan in the future.

When researchers (developers) submit new interventions, participants purchase tokens on the platform tied to their intervention. This different stage of financing is based on cryptocurrency market capitalization milestones: as the token market capitalization grows, tokens are sold at key milestones to pay for increasingly advanced testing:

1) Worm: The market value of the token is US$70,000 When Yuanshi sold tokens for $500;

2) Flies: When the market value of the tokens reached $1 million, tokens were sold for $2,500;

3) Rats: When the market value of the tokens reached $1 million, Token sold when it reaches $3 million market cap 20,000 USD in tokens.

Anyone can submit a test for a compound for less than $100 without a license. Keeping costs low and removing barriers to entry for potentially valuable products into the market will further increase the number of ideas submitted. The more ideas submitted, the more likely it is that the ideas will lead to valuable products that extend healthspan.

Fly longevity experiments involve feeding a compound or a placebo control to a tube of flies (about 15 flies per tube). Flies given the compound were placed in one tube, and flies given the placebo were placed in another tube. Your goal is to predict whether a compound will make flies live longer than flies given a control. To predict this, you have to monitor the flies, which are uploaded to Pumpscience as they are recorded. You can look at flies in test tubes. Flies in each tube received either the compound or the control, which had a label on the top of the tube.

At the end of the experiment, there is a final score: Percent Lifetime Extension (PLE). This indicates how much longer the creatures given the drug lived than the animals in the control group. The goal of the game is to find more compounds that increase the PLE of all organisms tested. Once the experiment is completed, if the market cap of the compound token reaches the next milestone threshold, then the next experiment will be funded and executed.

Pumpscience’s future development plan is to launch more scientific research and testing content, business plans, and even the introduction of AI agents. At present, no substantial progress has been seen in this regard, but the deconstructive power and innovation brought by Web3.0 are expected to bring more interesting results.

The above game seems more complex and interesting, but the core is the cryptocurrency market as the core driving force, in terms of funding (and funding thresholds), creativity, supervision and decision-making. Utilize market forces to fully tap the market value of every link and promote the rapid development of scientific research. For example, compounds can be formulated into final products at any stage of the research process if the company concerned so wishes. This is also very imaginative. We can think about it openly: in the process of scientific research and experiments in biological sciences and even other fields, some intermediate data and products will also have certain application markets. For example, although chemicals are not the final ideal target, It may be compounds required by other manufacturers (catalysts or other intermediates required for production). Relevant companies can purchase tokens in the token market and push up the price as a means of intervention to provide a milestone foundation for possible effective products in the next stage. At the same time, you can buy out the relevant product production/sales authorization. Although this is not the ultimate goal of the experiment, the market value of the intermediate process has also been well released.

Risk Warning

Blockchain technology research and development is not as good as expected: The blockchain-related technologies and projects underlying Bitcoin are in the early stages of development, and there is a lack of technology research and development. Anticipated risks.

Regulatory uncertainty: The actual operation of blockchain and Web3.0 projects involves a number of financial and network issues.and other supervision. At present, the supervision in various countries is still in the research and exploration stage, and there is no mature supervision model, so the industry faces the risk of regulatory uncertainty.

The implementation of the Web3.0 business model falls short of expectations: Web3.0-related infrastructure and projects are in the early stages of development, and there is a risk that the implementation of the business model will fall short of expectations.

This article is excerpted from the report "DeSci: Web3.0 empowers new trends in scientific research" released on November 28, 2024. Please see the relevant report for details.