What is DeSci? Explore the tools and projects within the DeSci ecosystem.

Original Title：What is DeSci？Explore the tools within the DeSci ecosystem and 8 low-market-cap DeSci projects worth paying attention to recently.

Last year, we actually introduced some DeSci-related projects. For example, in March of last year (March 13th), we introduced GenomesDAO (GENE) in an article. In subsequent articles, we also mentioned other similar projects. By the end of last year, in December, we even included DeSci as one of the six areas suggested for focused attention in 2024 (the other five being AI, GameFi, RWA, DePIN, and DeFi3.0).

However, over the past year, the overall outlook for the AI, GameFi, RWA, DePIN, and DeFi3.0 (including LSDFi) sectors has been quite positive, with many people paying attention. But in comparison, the DeSci field seems to be much quieter, as if it hasn’t received much understanding and attention. Perhaps for many, the concept of DeSci itself is difficult to grasp, and things that are difficult to understand don’t seem to attract much attention for hype.

1.What is DeSci？

DeSci (Decentralized Science) aims to build a public infrastructure for scientific research using Web3 technology in a fair and equal manner. Its goals include funding, creating, reviewing, verifying, storing, and disseminating scientific knowledge. As a movement, DeSci primarily aims to create an ecosystem that incentivizes scientists to openly share their research while allowing anyone to easily understand and contribute to research. Moreover, the creation and sharing of scientific knowledge are achieved through decentralized methods rather than relying on any central authority.

The main problems that DeSci can address include:

First, funding allocation

In traditional research systems, the allocation of research funds is often unequal. DeSci can address this issue by completely changing the way research funds are distributed through mechanisms such as crowdfunding and DAOs, promoting fairness, diversity, and democratization in the research field.

Secondly, accessibility

DeSci can enhance accessibility by using blockchain-based research repositories. For example, scientists can easily share their research findings and transform them into NFT digital assets. This allows researchers to directly benefit from their work while also promoting the sharing and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Additionally, blockchain-based storage enhances the security and accessibility of research data.

Thirdly, reproducibility

DeSci can provide incentive measures such as token rewards and reputation systems to achieve reproducibility. Specifically, smart contracts can facilitate transparent peer review, incentivizing researchers to conduct reproducible scientific work and allowing individuals from different backgrounds and fields to participate in various stages of scientific research.

In summary, the future outlook for DeSci appears promising, but its realization likely still has a long way to go. However, in the current cryptocurrency market, speculation based on concepts predominates. As long as there is speculation, there will be opportunities, especially during bull markets. It seems wasteful that a project representing such a bright future like DeSci isn’t being hyped to capitalize on the market frenzy. According to data from CoinGecko, the entire DeSci sector currently has a total market capitalization of only $980 million (sum of the market capitalizations of 21 projects), as shown in the graph below.

Indeed, with DOGE’s current market cap at $30 billion, it’s notable that the entire DeSci sector’s market cap is only around one-third of that. This suggests that there may still be some good opportunities ahead in the DeSci field.

2.DeSci

Next, we will briefly list a few DeSci projects worth paying attention to recently (ranked by market capitalization, below $100 million), so that everyone can further study and understand.

The first project is Hippocrat (HPO).

Hippocrat is primarily based on comprehensive medical databases and AI technology, providing instant responses to health queries and personalized assistance from verified medical professionals. It can be understood as a decentralized patient network based on blockchain.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $100 million. As shown in the chart below.

At the beginning of this month (March 5th), Hippocrat announced a strategic partnership with Saluscare, a personalized precision medicine company. According to the partnership agreement, both parties will jointly advance Saluscare’s health check and prognosis management ecosystem and expand the use of the HPO token within the ecosystem. In other words, Hippocrat will provide services to over a million people with diseases annually through the Saluscare platform.

The second project is VitaDAO (VITA).

Founded in 2021, VitaDAO is primarily focused on building a decentralized, community-governed platform dedicated to anti-aging drugs and longevity projects. The aim is to accelerate research into longevity, extend human lifespan, and promote healthy aging. In the same year, they initiated online fundraising and community governance, allowing anyone to actively participate in VitaDAO governance by holding VITA tokens.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $69 million. As shown in the chart below.

At the same time, VitaDAO is also funding early-stage longevity research projects, aiming to break through the boundaries of longevity research and further advance the mission of extending healthy lifespan. Currently, they have funded over 22 projects. Additionally, they will support VITA staking services, allowing users to exchange VITA tokens for related health product services. As shown in the image below.

The third project is ResearchHub (RSC).

ResearchHub is a scientific research incentive platform that is building a suite of collaboration and publishing tools to help researchers work together, share their findings, and receive feedback from peers. Anyone who publishes content on the platform will receive RSC tokens as rewards. Additionally, the token allows users to create bounties to reward other scientists for completing research-related tasks. It can be understood as a GitHub-like platform for the research field.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $58 million. As shown in the chart below.

Another point of interest about ResearchCoin is its founder, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.

The fourth project is HairDAO (HAIR).

HairDAO is a decentralized organization dedicated to treating hair loss. It adopts an open-source investment and operating model, aiming to advance research and development in hair loss treatment in a democratic manner and provide funding support for early-stage hair loss research and related companies.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $29 million. As shown in the chart below.

HairDAO is indeed an interesting project. Although they currently have only 2,100 followers on X platform, they previously made a serious announcement about launching a shampoo product. The main ingredient in the shampoo is ketoconazole, along with numerous other hair growth stimulants, adding a touch of humor to their endeavors. As shown in the image below.

The fifth project is Data Lake (LAKE).

Data Lake is a medical data donation platform built using blockchain technology, aimed at supporting medical research and the development of artificial intelligence. The project establishes a bridge through the LAKE token, connecting patients willing to donate medical data with researchers in need of this data, thereby improving healthcare services and patient treatment outcomes.

The specific operation of the project is as follows: they first obtain access to medical data from donors’ healthcare providers, then anonymize this data for safe use by researchers. Additionally, they allow hospitals and data donors to share the economic benefits generated by medical data, thereby incentivizing more individuals and institutions to participate in data sharing.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $23 million. As shown in the chart below.

Data Lake has been mentioned in previous articles as well. They previously launched a product called Consentify, which is the first blockchain-based patient recruitment management platform. Using this platform, any researcher can publish their research projects, create standardized forms and surveys to collect data, and set LAKE token bounty rewards for those who help them reach the required data quotas to start their research.

The sixth project is Solve (SOLVE).

Solve is a blockchain platform for digital health networks, providing users with medical relationship management.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $19 million. As shown in the chart below.

Last week (March 19th), they also announced their official launch on the Polygon network. As shown in the image below.

The seventh project is Valley DAO (GROW).

Valley DAO is a synthetic biology research DAO dedicated to addressing critical climate and food challenges through funding and incubating academic research in synthetic biology and industrial biotechnology, as well as community building.

The project primarily aims to make funding for synthetic biology research faster, cheaper, and more democratic by utilizing the coordination principles of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and new technologies such as non-fungible tokens for intellectual property (IP-NFTs). This ensures that the technologies produced have the greatest impact in the real world.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $9 million. As shown in the graph below.

The eighth project is Aimedis (AIMX).

Aimedis enables patients to manage their medical records and interact with healthcare professionals to receive remote medical services. The core product of the project is DataXChange, which facilitates seamless data sharing among healthcare providers.

The project currently has a market capitalization of $4 million. As shown in the chart below.

Currently, they are attempting to integrate AI with Aimedis Avalon virtual metaverse, hoping to usher in a new era for terminally ill patients. As shown in the image below.

3.DeSci Tools

The listed projects above are just a few of the DeSci projects we believe are worth mentioning recently. If you wish to have a more comprehensive understanding and exploration of the DeSci field, besides data tools like CoinGecko mentioned earlier, you might need to use additional tools.

Science World: This platform’s Dashboard currently includes 109 DeSci-related projects, covering most projects in the DeSci field, allowing you to have a more comprehensive and intuitive understanding of DeSci. As shown in the image below.

DeSci Global: This platform provides a global DeSci event calendar, helping you explore past events in the field and participate in upcoming ones. As shown in the image below.

Desci Wiki: This is a Wiki created by UltraRare Bio. After reviewing it, I found that it contains comprehensive content, covering introductions to DeSci knowledge and details about various projects. Moreover, the Wiki also includes a Decentralized Science Landscape diagram, which I believe is well done. Interested individuals can explore it further.

Dune: This platform is also one of my go-to tools when writing articles and researching data. There are many dashboards created by experts that are very practical. You can directly search for the keywords you need (such as DeSci) to find relevant information.

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