In a groundbreaking move to revolutionize scientific funding, the decentralized science project Aubrai launched this week on Base, a platform within the Bio Protocol ecosystem. Spearheaded by the renowned biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey and his LEV Foundation, Aubrai aims to bridge the daunting “valley of death” in longevity research—a phase where promising discoveries often languish due to a lack of capital from traditional markets.
The Promise of Decentralized Science
Aubrai is not just another cog in the crypto wheel; it’s a bold experiment in reshaping how science is funded and conducted. Utilizing blockchain technology and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), this initiative seeks to directly fund experiments, ensure transparent credit attribution, and transform research results into tokenized assets. The AUBRAI token, which made its debut on Bio Protocol’s Launchpad, grants its holders a permanent stake in the agent’s research outputs, governance rights over funding decisions, and a share in revenues from commercialized discoveries. This follows a pattern of institutional adoption, which we detailed in State Street’s expansion into tokenized debt on JPMorgan’s Blockchain Platform.
According to de Grey, the conventional funding model has long been plagued by a “chronic funding gap, over-reliance on philanthropy, and a ‘valley of death’ between discovery and the clinic.” In an interview with CoinDesk, he emphasized the need for alternative mechanisms like DAOs and DeSci platforms, which align incentives around societal benefit and can handle the long timelines inherent in scientific research.
Combining AI and Human Insight
What sets Aubrai apart is its unique synergy of agentic AI intelligence and expert human insight. By tapping into de Grey’s unpublished lab data, Aubrai gains exclusive insights that go beyond what’s available in public literature. This gives the platform a first-mover advantage in generating innovative, commercially viable hypotheses in the field of longevity science.
The process is as follows: the agent ingests experiments into a knowledge graph, generates hypotheses, and routes them to token-holder votes for funding. De Grey shared that the agent is already formulating exciting new hypotheses and suggesting actionable next steps. “It’s the combination of agentic AI intelligence and expert human intelligence that has the potential to dramatically speed up breakthroughs in the fight against aging,” he noted.
Aubrai’s system is already being employed in de Grey’s Robust Mouse Rejuvenation (RMR2) study—one of the largest mouse lifespan experiments ever undertaken. The agent has been instrumental in suggesting methodological adjustments and identifying dosing concerns, which would have otherwise required weeks of manual review. “Having the agent at our disposal has been transformative for our planning pipeline,” de Grey said, highlighting the proactive nature of the AI in circumventing foreseen limitations.
A New Era for Scientists
For Paul Kohlhaas, founder of Bio Protocol, Aubrai signifies a pivotal moment in scientific organization and funding. Drawing a parallel to how Substack empowered writers to monetize outside legacy media, Kohlhaas envisions Bio’s infrastructure turning scientists into a new breed of creators. “Bio’s infrastructure can turn scientists into the next great creator economy,” he asserted. This innovative approach mirrors trends in other sectors, such as DBS’s expansion into tokenized structured notes on Ethereum, showcasing the growing intersection of traditional finance and blockchain technology.
However, despite its promising outlook, the project is not without its challenges. Tokenized intellectual property is likely to attract regulatory scrutiny, and there’s a possibility that established pharmaceutical firms may be hesitant to adopt discoveries emerging from decentralized collectives. Yet, for a field like longevity, where breakthroughs often falter between early results and human trials due to a disengaged capital market, Aubrai offers a hopeful alternative.
What Lies Ahead
If successful, Aubrai could showcase blockchain’s potential to transcend the world of memecoins and provide the infrastructure to accelerate research—a leap towards therapies that extend human health span. It represents a shift in how scientific endeavors are perceived and undertaken, and could indicate that decentralized science is not merely a passing trend but a viable market alternative to the entrenched funding structures that have historically stymied biomedical innovation.
As the project unfolds, it raises intriguing questions about the future of scientific funding and the role of blockchain in facilitating research. Will Aubrai pave the way for a new era in longevity science? Only time will tell, but the implications for both the scientific community and the crypto world are undeniably significant.
Source
This article is based on: Decentralized Science Project Aubrai Launches on Base to Tackle Science Funding’s ‘Valley of Death’
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Steve Gregory is a lawyer in the United States who specializes in licensing for cryptocurrency companies and products. Steve began his career as an attorney in 2015 but made the switch to working in cryptocurrency full time shortly after joining the original team at Gemini Trust Company, an early cryptocurrency exchange based in New York City. Steve then joined CEX.io and was able to launch their regulated US-based cryptocurrency. Steve then went on to become the CEO at currency.com when he ran for four years and was able to lead currency.com to being fully acquired in 2025.
