Another hot new narrative, DeSci: A new track emerging from the combination of Web3 and science

As of November 24, the data statistics for BTC, ETH, and TON on the TrendX platform are as follows:

The discussion count for BTC last week was 19.39K, an increase of 10.69% compared to the week before last; the price last Sunday was $98,432, up 7% from the Sunday before last.

The discussion count for ETH last week was 4.7K, an increase of 13.89% compared to the week before last; the price last Sunday was $3,489, up 11.3% from the Sunday before last.

The discussion count for TON last week was 782, an increase of 3.44% compared to the week before last; the price last Sunday was $5.52, up 11.5% from the Sunday before last.

Binance founder CZ and Ethereum founder Vitalik appeared together at a gathering for the decentralized science project Bio Protocol, expressing their support for DeSci. CZ also stated that he hopes to see 1,000 DeSci projects next year, aiming to bridge the gap between Web3 and the scientific community. Related meme coins RIF and URO also saw over 20 times growth within two days, as DeSci, another hot new narrative, began to attract market and capital attention.

What is DeSci?

DeSci is a scientific research model based on blockchain technology and the Web3 ecosystem. Its core idea is to enable global open access to research data through distributed storage technology, reducing the control of data by a single government or institution. This open model liberates science from traditional closed-door practices, allowing global researchers to share resources and data in an unobstructed environment. Additionally, DeSci optimizes research funding mechanisms through smart contracts and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), ensuring that the allocation and use of funds are more transparent and reducing cumbersome intermediaries. This new model not only changes the structure of research funding sources but fundamentally improves the efficiency of fund utilization.

Andrew Kang, a partner at Mechanism Capital, stated that the DeSci field currently feels like the DeFi era in early 2019. Everything is still very primitive and experimental, but a basic conclusion can be drawn: it has enormous potential. The potential of DeSci has already begun to emerge through practical cases.

The 20x Rising DeSci Meme Twins

The meme coin market is heating up, especially in the DeSci field, where the two meme coins RIF and URO have achieved astonishing growth in a very short time. They both originate from the Pump.science platform, symbolizing the compounds Rifampicin (RIF) and Urokinase (URO).

Pump.science was launched by Molecule DAO at this year's Solana Breakpoint conference, funding medical research through the issuance of meme coins. It allows users to purchase meme tokens representing different drugs and participate in drug effect predictions and experimental data trading. When RIF and URO were first launched, their market capitalization was relatively stable, maintaining around $150,000, but recently their performance has been exceptionally outstanding, with market capitalization soaring to nearly $3 million, achieving a growth of up to 20 times.

The heat in the DeSci field has been reignited, closely related to the active promotion by crypto leaders like CZ and Vitalik. Additionally, the anticipated easing of regulations on technology and research following Trump's victory in the U.S. election is one of the reasons why the DeSci concept is gaining traction at this time.

What are the potential projects in the new narrative?

Molecule

Founded in 2021, Molecule is a research funding platform based on Ethereum, dedicated to providing funding (mainly in USDC) for cutting-edge research such as drug development through the trading of intellectual property NFTs. The platform is known for its initial projects, including Newcastle University's research on molecular aging and Copenhagen University's longevity project. Through the Molecule platform, researchers can not only obtain diversified funding from around the world but also ensure the independence and transparency of their research through a distributed governance mechanism.

VITA

VitaDAO was established in 2021 and is the most orthodox DeSci project. It is a decentralized organization focused on life sciences, incubated by Molecule, dedicated to funding early longevity research. It has attracted widespread attention, including from traditional pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, raising over $5 million through community fundraising. After Vitalik showcased the first product VD 001 developed by VitaDAO to CZ in Bangkok, VITA entered a rapid growth phase, with a daily increase of up to 82.4%. The latest price is $3.12, with a market capitalization exceeding $80 million, nearly tripling in the past week.

BIO Protocol

On August 9, BIO Protocol launched its first round of Bio Genesis token sales, with an average price of $0.025 and a trading volume of $11.51 million. The second round of token sales took place on September 30, with the average price of BIO increasing by 72% to $0.043, and the trading volume rising to $19.49 million.

On November 8, Binance completed strategic financing for BIO Protocol, with the round and amount undisclosed. Thanks to Binance's investment, the BIO Genesis community fundraising initiative quickly reached its funding cap, raising a total of $33 million. By the time of the second public auction on November 10, the price of BIO had risen to $0.066, an increase of 264% from the first round. Currently, the auction rounds for BIO Protocol have concluded.

Data Lake

Data Lake is a blockchain-based medical data sharing platform that allows patients to anonymously donate data for scientific research and share research profits with patients through a token incentive mechanism. This model protects privacy while accelerating the progress of data-intensive research, providing possibilities for breakthroughs in the medical field.

Research Hub

Research Hub is a project founded by Brian Armstrong, the founder of Coinbase, which also collaborates with BIO Protocol. RSC is the native token of the Research Hub platform, primarily used to reward users who publish quality content on the platform. Whenever users publish this content or receive likes, they earn a certain amount of RSC tokens, and the number of RSC tokens can represent the user's reputation on the Research Hub platform; the higher the reputation, the greater the power. In the past week, RSC has increased by nearly 200%, with its market capitalization reaching $60 million again after six months.

Conclusion

In the future, the potential of DeSci is not only limited to optimizing the research process but may also lead a comprehensive transformation in scientific governance, intellectual property management, and research ethics. Through decentralized decision-making mechanisms and community-driven models, DeSci is expected to democratize research, providing more people with opportunities to participate in scientific development. At the same time, with the support of blockchain technology, the authenticity and transparency of research data and results will see unprecedented improvements, effectively combating academic fraud and further enhancing public trust in science.

Overall, DeSci is gradually becoming a new paradigm for scientific research. It is not just a supplement to traditional research models but a profound cultural transformation in science. Supported by Web3 technology, DeSci is expected to break down barriers in the research field and promote global scientific development. In the future, as more practical cases emerge and technology continues to improve, DeSci will lead the scientific community into a new era that is more open, efficient, and democratic.

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