The Decentralized Science (DESCI) Platform Bioprotocol has secured support from investors, including the Maelstrom Fund and the Animoca brand, expanding the artificial intelligence and native biotechnology research framework.
Bio Protocol announced its $6.9 million funding on Wednesday, reflecting growing interest in a decentralized approach to drug discovery that integrates AI, blockchain and community engagement.
Maelstrom founder Arthur Hayes described the bioprotocol as a potential “category definition launchpad” for scientific research. “If it works, it’s not just a launchpad. It’s the birth of the AI-Native research market,” he said.
Hayes also highlighted not only what academics find interesting, but how they open up research opportunities that the community finds attractive.
Cointelegraph contacted Maelstrom and Animoca for more details, but did not receive a response from the publication.
sauce: Bioprotocol
Use AI and cryptography to speed up science
Desci is a movement to change the way scientific research is carried out, funded and shared using blockchain technology, crypto incentives and decentralized governance.
Bio Protocol said it is speeding up science by integrating cryptography and AI. That approach uses blockchain-based funding and coordination to compress the drug discovery pipeline.
Instead of waiting for a traditional grant to be awarded or forming a pharma partnership, researchers use decentralized AI agents to generate hypotheses, called “bio-agents,” connecting to on-chain wallets and experimenting with community-raised capital.
Each step of the process is recorded on-chain, ensuring that contributors are credited and maintain an immutable record of research progress.
The protocol also uses encryption and native incentives to keep research moving faster. Use tokenized intellectual property, staking systems and loyalty rewards to tailor investors, researchers and community members to their shared outcomes.
Related: “Sci needs updates”: How Desci fixes junk science and cures hair removal
Addressing inefficiency in academic research
Simon Dedic, founder of MoonRock Capital, one of Bio Protocol investors, said Desci’s early innings “occasionally look like memes.” However, he said that bioprotocols can play a major role in modifying academic science systems.
“I come from academic science myself and I know first hand how broken the system is. This has a very false incentive that has totally fatal consequences,” Dedic said, adding that the project can make science great again.
The company positioned its work as part of a larger Desti movement aimed at reducing dependence on universities, government grants and pharmaceutical companies, making research more accessible to communities and independent scientists.
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