Use Cases and Applications of DeSci
AIDS Research Funding Gap
In 2009, a promising HIV/AIDS research project at a mid-tier university lost funding mid-study despite showing initial positive results.
The conventional grant cycle's inflexibility meant waiting another year to reapply, by which time the research team had disbanded.
DeSci's solution: Continuous funding mechanisms through Research DAOs allow projects to receive ongoing support based on milestone achievements.
If preliminary results show promise, the community can quickly provide additional funding without waiting for annual grant cycles.
Psychology Studies
The 2015 reproducibility crisis in psychology, where researchers failed to replicate results in over 60% of published studies
It highlighted a fundamental flaw in academic publishing - the bias against publishing negative results.
DeSci's approach: Blockchain-based platforms incentivize and reward reproduction studies.
Scientists earn tokens for verifying others' work, whether the results are positive or negative.
All attempts at reproduction are permanently recorded, creating a more complete picture of scientific knowledge.
Rare Disease Research
A researcher spent ten years studying a rare genetic disorder affecting only a few thousand people worldwide.
Despite promising early results, the work never received major funding because pharmaceutical companies saw no profit potential, and government grants prioritized more common diseases.
DeSci's solution: Patient-driven DAOs allow communities affected by rare diseases to pool resources and directly fund research.
Similar to how the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation revolutionized research funding for CF, DeSci platforms enable direct coordination between patients, researchers, and funders/patrons, no more gatekeepers.
Cancer Research
In 2018, three separate research teams unknowingly pursued the same failed approach to pancreatic cancer treatment because negative results weren't shared between institutions.
Each team wasted millions in funding and precious research time.
DeSci's implementation: Decentralized data repositories ensure all research data, including negative results, is accessible and timestamped.
Smart contracts automatically reward data sharing and cross-referencing.
Malaria Research
Leading malaria researchers in Africa struggled to publish crucial findings in top journals due to institutional bias and lacking partnerships with Western universities.
Their vital local knowledge and research insights were effectively locked out of the global scientific conversation.
DeSci's answer: Decentralized publishing platforms evaluate research based on scientific merit alone, using blind peer review systems powered by smart contracts.
My DeSci Project
I'm building a DeSci platform, "Kickstarter for Science, with crypto", where scientists can tokenize their research and share future success with the supporters who fund them.