Decentralized Science (DeSci) initiatives are gaining traction and the attention of large pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer. Pfizer has voted in favor of decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) proposals from VitaDAO, a German blockchain-based organization focused on longevity.
VitaDAO has raised $4.1 million in its latest funding round and will use the funds to finance longevity research projects and accelerate biotech startups. Pfizer has committed some of its own scientists to join the VitaDAO research community and help make some of the research a reality.
The DeSci movement has created a thriving ecosystem of projects ranging from decentralized biotech foundations to funding vehicles. The GenomicDAO platform, launched in San Francisco in February 2021 by AI biotech company Genetica, aims to establish a community to drive and govern Asia-focused precision medicine initiatives. Its first subsidiary, DAO, works on stroke prevention, focusing on awareness, research, and development for ischemic strokes. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension in 2021, Asian populations have a higher incidence of stroke than Western populations.
GenomicDAO believes that combining a network of research groups, institutions, organizations, scientists, and medical experts with artificial intelligence can reduce the time to launch a new product from 12–18 months to 4-6 months.