CoinW Research Institute: In-depth Report on DeSci

Key Points:

• The DeSci concept was not born recently. Binance Labs announced its first investment in BIO Protocol, and the joint attendance of CZ and Vitalik at Binance’s DeSci Day event have once again drawn market attention to DeSci.
• The DeSci track currently has a relatively low market value and is one of the key tracks being watched by top-tier venture capital firms. In addition to Binance labs beginning to layout the healthcare field, a16z has also begun to layout the DeSci field.
• Projects on the DeSci track are still in the very early stage of exploration. Areas worthy of attention include the BIO ecosystem and related Memes.

The DeSci (Decentralized Science) sector has been gaining significant traction recently, with related memecoins like $RIF and $URO experiencing single-day surges of up to 200%, sparking waves of market excitement. Binance’s exclusive investment in BIO Protocol, a leading DeSci project, has further drawn attention to this emerging trend.

But what exactly is DeSci, the sector highlighted by both CZ and Vitalik? And more importantly, can this growing market enthusiasm be sustained?

Why Did DeSci Suddenly Become So Popular?

DeSci (Decentralized Science) is an innovative concept that combines blockchain technology with scientific research, aiming to reshape the current scientific research funding, collaboration, data sharing, and publication methods. The goal of DeSci is to create a more open, transparent, fair, and efficient scientific ecosystem.

The concept of DeSci (Decentralized Science) is not entirely new. As early as March this year, Binance introduced the DeSci concept and provided a detailed interpretation. However, its recent surge in popularity stems from two key events:

1. On November 8, Binance Labs announced its first investment in BIO Protocol, marking its official entry into the DeSci field.
2. On November 13, CZ and Vitalik jointly attended Binance’s DeSci Day event in Bangkok, catapulting DeSci into the market’s spotlight.

These milestones have significantly amplified interest and discussion around the DeSci sector.

Source： Desci Day Event

Following these events, DeSci-related Memecoins such as $RIF and $URO saw a single-day increase of up to 200%, further drawing market attention to the DeSci track. Can the DeSci track continue to develop? How far can the bio-Meme go? What potential projects on the DeSci track are worth our attention?

Projects Worth Paying Attention to on the DeSci Track

According to Coingecko data, as of November 20th, the total market value of the DeSci track is $1.2 billion. Compared to other popular tracks like AI, the market value of the DeSci track still has room for growth.

Source: Coingeck

The DeSci track is also one of the key tracks followed by top-tier VCs. In addition to Binance Labs starting to lay out in the healthcare field, a16z has also begun to lay out in the DeSci field, with AminoChain being one of the projects they have invested in. AminoChain mainly powers the modern processing of biological samples by connecting data between healthcare companies. On September 25th, it completed a seed round of financing of $5 million and has not yet conducted a Token Generation Event (TGE).

Source: AminoChain

CZ personally has high hopes for this track, believing that DeSci has enormous potential. DeSci is expected to solve the drawbacks of traditional scientific research, and the spirit of freedom in DeSci can also help explore areas such as human health and longevity.

However, DeSci-related projects are still in the very early stages of exploration. Currently, the main areas of focus can be divided into the BIO ecosystem and related Memes.

I. BIO Protocol Ecosystem

BIO Protocol aims to build a global scientific funding and cooperation platform on blockchain and DAOs, hoping to use blockchain technology to address current challenges such as rare diseases, longevity research, and emerging health issues.

1. $BIO (BIO Protocol)

On November 13th, the auction round of BIO Protocol ended. The average auction price of BIO in thefirst round was $0.025, and the average auction price in the last round was $0.066, with a 164% increase in auction price. Currently, the token $BIO has not yet been launched, but it is worth noting that many Chinese KOLs participated in the BIO auction round.

Source: BIO Protocol

2. BIO Protocol Cooperative DAO Projects

The network of BIO Protocol currently mainly consists of nearly ten BIO DAOs, which operate on the Ethereum network and are planned to be split onto Solana and other chains in the first quarter of 2025. These DAOs cover various directions such as women’s health and mental health. The main representative projects among these cooperative DAOs are as follows:

Source:BIO Protocol

• $VITA (VitaDAO): VitaDAO is the most famous among the seven DAOs, and the main members of BIO also come from VitaDAO. VitaDAO is a group focused on funding early-stage longevity research. Its first longevity product — VD001, is a natural high-dose spermidine supplement approved by the Thai FDA.At the Desci Day event in Bangkok on November 13th, Vitalik showed VD001 to CZ, and subsequently, $VITA’s price increased by 82.4% on the same day, with the current price of $VITA at $5.23.
• $RSC (ResearchHub): ResearchHub is a platform founded by the founder of Coinbase to reward users who publish high-quality content on the platform. RSC is the native token of the ResearchHub platform.
• $HAIR (HairDAO): HairDAO is dedicated to solving hair health issues, developing proprietary products, and promoting the application of related patents, such as the “Follicool” product supported by its community.
• $ATH (AthenaDAO): AthenaDAO focuses on research and development in women’s health, such as reproductive health and the treatment of female-specific diseases. By supporting interdisciplinary research, it promotes innovation and technology transformation in women’s medicine and helps to fill the funding gap in traditional research.
• $CRYO (CryoDAO): CryoDAO focuses on the research of cryopreservation technology, collaborating with institutions such as Oxford University to promote the application of cryopreservation technology in biomedicine.
• $GROW (ValleyDAO): A decentralized, community-governed platform focused on anti-aging drugs and longevity projects.
• $PSY (PsyDAO): PsyDAO supports the research of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental illnesses, such as PTSD and depression. It promotes the construction of a trial and data-sharing platform for psychedelic drugs.

According to the BIO treasury allocation, the DAO with the largest fund allocation is VitaDAO, accounting for 51.2%.

Source: BIO Protocol

II. Main Memecoins

To understand the DeSci-related Memes, one must first understand Pump.Science the Pump.Science platform.

Pump.Science, a new meme token launch platform developed by Molecule DAO — a DeSci initiative within the Solana ecosystem — introduces a unique twist to meme tokens. Unlike typical projects, the meme tokens launched on Pump.Science must be tied to the scientific field. When a token’s market cap reaches $10,000, affiliated medical research organizations utilize funds for experimental drug research and periodically share results on the platform. Participants can then analyze the experimental outcomes, predict drug effectiveness, and trade meme tokens accordingly.

Pump.Science has notably launched two primary meme tokens: $RIF and $URO, alongside other tokens centered on themes like donations and quantum entanglement. However, meme tokens are notoriously volatile, driven largely by market sentiment. As of this writing, many of these tokens have experienced declines. Below is a detailed look at the status of the key meme tokens:

Pump.Science Token Concepts

$RIF (Rifampicin)

• Focus: Antibiotics, specifically exploring treatments for tuberculosis infections.
• Status: The leading meme coin within the Pump.Science ecosystem.

$URO (Urolithin A)

• Focus: Lifespan extension research, inspired by a natural metabolite found in pomegranates and other nuts.

Donation Concept

$Scihub

• Inspired by Sci-Hub, the world’s largest free paper download center.
• Context: Sci-Hub operates under legal challenges due to its open-source nature and relies solely on donations to sustain its platform.
• Focus: Exploring issues related to scientific research copyright and funding.

Quantum Entanglement Concept

Tokens: $PRO and $ANTI

• Unique Mechanism: While independent on the blockchain, custom contracts enable their tokenomics to “entangle.”
• Innovation: Theoretically, 1 $ANTI equals 1 $PRO. If the price of one rises, the other adjusts accordingly, creating a symbiotic economic relationship.

Outlook for DeSci

The emergence of the DeSci (Decentralized Science) field has brought renewed optimism to areas such as human longevity and biological sciences. By integrating DeSci with cryptocurrency, there is potential to address inefficiencies in traditional scientific research processes. Additionally, the decentralized and open nature of DeSci has inspired a sense of freedom and hope among many scientific researchers.

That said, it’s important to recognize the challenges ahead. Biological research often requires long development cycles, and many DeSci projects are still in their infancy. Furthermore, the long-term impact of cryptocurrency on the scientific research ecosystem remains to be fully assessed and understood.