BioDAOs
BioDAOs are community-owned scientific research networks. They typically focus on a specific scientific or medical area, and use the power of a globally distributed collective of stakeholders (patients, scientists and biotech builders) to accelerate the R&D process and develop new assets such as intellectual property (IP), applications and agents. BioDAO members pool together resources (capital, labor, data) for the mission of the DAO. By sharing resources, these communities can reduce the cost of innovation and the time to commercialization.
BioDAO Benefits:
Rapid Research Funding: BioDAOs raise funding via token sales, and use their treasuries to back and develop biotech projects related to their mission, creating shared ownership of the resulting IP between their members.
No Gatekeeping: BioDAO tokens represent a stake in the DAO's research, granting community members a say in how funds and BioDAO revenue are allocated. Anyone can contribute, which means new biotechnologies aren't bottlenecked by a handful of traditional funders.
Liquid IP: BioDAOs use Molecule's tokenized IP framework to own, license, and transact in IP generated from projects they support. Proceeds from IP and product sales can flow back into a BioDAO's treasury to fund and translate the next generation of R&D, further advancing the BioDAO's mission.
Key advantages over traditional scientific models:
Capital Efficiency: Pooled resources lower innovation costs
Flexible Work Model: Enable part-time expert contributions
Shared IP Ownership: Incentivize contributions through IP ownership
Open Access: Remove gatekeeping in scientific funding and decision-making
Diversified Portfolio: Bundle many biotech projects simultaneously, reducing risk
Example BioDAOs in the Bio Network
VitaDAO: Funded $8M+ in longevity science, backed by Pfizer Ventures, partnered with Newcastle University.
Long COVID Labs: Accelerating a cure for 100M+ Long COVID patients. Founded by Rohan Dixit, ex-Stanford Neuroscientist, healthcare entrepreneur and Long COVID survivor.
Quantum Biology DAO: Building quantum microscopes to advance bio research. Founded by Clarice D. Aiello, MIT PhD and world-leading Quantum Biology Scientist.
Curetopia (Rare Diseases): Tackling the $1T+ rare disease space by uniting patient families and researcher communities. Founded by Ethan Perlstein, Harvard PhD, rare disease entrepreneur & Y-Combinator alumnus.
CerebrumDAO: Advancing brain health, raised over $1.5M, struck a deal with Fission Pharma to tackle mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease.
ValleyDAO: Focusing on synthetic biology, raised $2M+ and partnered with Imperial College London.
AthenaDAO: Advancing women's health R&D, funded $500k in translational research, with 14 IP deals pending.
CryoDAO: Advancing the field of cryogenics; $3M raised for the field and established projects with Oxford Cryotechnology and Advanced Neural Biosciences.
How BioDAOs Work
While each BioDAO is unique, they generally operate around a few core functions:
Deal Flow
This is the process of sourcing, vetting, and selecting projects for funding. It typically involves an expert community or a designated working group that reviews proposals for scientific merit, feasibility, and alignment with the DAO's mission before bringing them to a community vote.
Operations
This covers the day-to-day activities required to run the DAO. It includes managing the community, coordinating contributor work, handling communications, and ensuring that the organization makes steady progress towards its goals.
Governance
This is the decentralized decision-making process. Token holders use their tokens to vote on key proposals, such as which projects to fund, changes to the DAO's strategy, and how to manage the community treasury. This ensures that the DAO's direction is guided by its members.
Community Building
This is the heart of the BioDAO. It involves attracting and engaging a diverse group of stakeholders—including patients, researchers, and investors—who are aligned with the DAO's mission. A strong community drives governance, contributes to deal flow, and provides the collective expertise needed to accelerate science.
Last updated