How crypto treasuries and blockchain are transforming scientific research funding
A growing wave of biomedical and scientific organizations are embracing blockchain technology and crypto treasury models to overhaul how early-stage research is financed. By shifting away from traditional capital formation—often slow, centralized, and restrictive—these innovators aim to accelerate breakthroughs in medicine and science that might otherwise take decades to materialize.
Crypto treasuries enter the biomedical sector
One of the most notable examples is Portage Biotech, which recently pivoted into a Toncoin (TON) treasury company. Beginning in September, Portage started generating operating revenue through TON staking—helping to secure the network—while also investing in emerging Telegram ecosystem projects including games, apps, and other mini-programs.
According to Brittany Kaiser, CEO of AlphaTON, a portion of the revenue and capital appreciation from the company’s TON holdings will be directed toward cancer research funding. The goal, she said, is to harness blockchain-based tools to remove long-standing financial and accessibility barriers in the research ecosystem.
Kaiser emphasized that the company is exploring real-world asset (RWA) tokenization as a potential model for decentralizing research finance:
“We’re researching the best case studies—what has worked and what hasn’t—from tokenizing intellectual property and company equity to tokenizing future profits of the research.”
Strategic adviser Anthony Scaramucci added that Portage’s continued focus on biomedical research distinguishes it from typical digital asset treasury firms, which often abandon operating businesses entirely after restructuring.
Prediction markets as a new scientific funding model
Another decentralized science initiative, Ideosphere, is experimenting with prediction markets as a mechanism for backing early scientific work. These platforms function as crowdsourced intelligence engines, where participants speculate on outcomes, trends, and hypotheses.
Co-founder and head of technology Rei Jarram explained that prediction markets could evolve into a dynamic system for funding ideas:
“If you create prediction markets around early-stage research, those markets become a marketplace of ideas—and the money follows.”
In this model, researchers submit hypotheses they are actively exploring. Traders then speculate on these hypotheses, and the spread generated by market activity is redirected back to the scientists themselves, providing direct, merit-based funding.
Bio protocol raises $6.9 million to build an AI-native research platform
In September, Bio Protocol—a decentralized science platform combining artificial intelligence, blockchain infrastructure, and community-driven research—secured $6.9 million in funding from Web3 leader Animoca Brands and the Maelstrom fund.
According to Maelstrom founder Arthur Hayes, Bio Protocol has the potential to become a fully “AI-native research market,” introducing a new paradigm for how drug discovery and scientific inquiry are conducted.
A new frontier for decentralized science
From tokenized research assets to prediction-driven science markets, blockchain technology is creating new avenues for researchers to secure funding outside traditional institutions. As decentralized science (DeSci) continues to expand, these innovative funding structures could dramatically reshape the pace and accessibility of scientific discovery.
