Decentralized Science Platform Aubrai Launches on Base to Address Gaps in Research Funding

Aubrai Launches on Base, Merging AI and Blockchain to Accelerate Longevity Research

Aubrai, a decentralized AI agent built on unpublished data from Aubrey de Grey’s lab, has officially launched on Base, powered by Bio Protocol’s Launchpad. The initiative marks a significant leap for decentralized science (DeSci), merging blockchain technology with biomedical research to reshape how longevity science is funded and advanced.

Developed by VitaDAO, Bio Protocol, and de Grey’s LEV Foundation, Aubrai aims to address the chronic funding gaps in long-term scientific research—often referred to as the “valley of death”—where promising discoveries struggle to secure support from traditional capital markets.

Decentralized Funding Through Tokenized IP

Central to the platform is the AUBRAI token, which gives holders governance rights over research funding and a share in the revenue from licensed scientific discoveries. Once experiments are approved and validated, research outputs are minted as intellectual property tokens, opening up new commercialization pathways for biotech and pharmaceutical applications.

“By leveraging DAOs and crypto-native funding models, we’re able to support science that traditional systems overlook,” said de Grey. “Aubrai is helping bridge the gap between early discovery and real-world application.”

AI-Driven Hypothesis Generation

Trained on proprietary, unpublished lab data, Aubrai uses a knowledge graph to generate hypotheses and suggest experiments, which are then voted on by token holders. The platform has already made contributions to de Grey’s Robust Mouse Rejuvenation (RMR2) study—one of the most ambitious lifespan experiments to date—by identifying overlooked variables and offering methodological adjustments.

“The agent has been instrumental in refining our experimental design,” de Grey noted. “It’s augmenting human expertise with AI to push longevity research forward at a faster pace.”

A New Model for Scientific Innovation

According to Bio Protocol founder Paul Kohlhaas, Aubrai could do for science what platforms like Substack did for independent media—liberating researchers from legacy institutions and enabling direct value capture.

“Scientists can now own and monetize their intellectual contributions in an open, decentralized ecosystem,” Kohlhaas said.

Challenges Remain

Despite its potential, DeSci projects like Aubrai face regulatory uncertainty, especially around tokenized intellectual property. There’s also the question of whether established pharmaceutical players will embrace discoveries sourced through decentralized platforms.

Still, for high-risk, high-reward fields like longevity science, Aubrai offers a compelling alternative. If successful, it could validate blockchain’s broader potential as a tool for accelerating and democratizing scientific innovation.