Bio Protocol Raises $6.9M to Advance AI-Powered DeSci and Biotech Funding

Bio Protocol, a decentralized science (DeSci) platform focused on AI-native infrastructure for biotechnology, has raised $6.9 million in a funding round anchored by Maelstrom Fund. The round also drew participation from biotech and crypto investors including Mechanism Capital, Animoca Brands, and Presto Labs.

The financing supports the expansion of Bio Protocol into a full-stack platform combining AI-driven science, decentralized funding, and drug discovery. In short, Bio Protocol enables researchers, patients, and crypto users to launch BioAgents—autonomous AI co-scientists that generate hypotheses, manage onchain wallets, fund experiments, and monetize discoveries outside traditional pharma structures.

A Platform for AI-Driven Decentralized Science

Bio Protocol integrates artificial intelligence with blockchain to support collaboration in biotech research. While AI in biology is advancing at institutions like Google DeepMind and Stanford, much of it remains siloed within large pharmaceutical companies. Bio aims to break that barrier by enabling distributed networks of researchers to pool data, coordinate funding, and maintain blockchain-based integrity of scientific progress.

Founder and CEO Paul Kohlhaas explained:

“Science today is locked in institutional black boxes, cut off from researchers and the communities primed to accelerate it. By unifying AI, biotech, and crypto in a decentralized platform, researchers and citizen scientists everywhere can collaborate more efficiently and back promising biotech from its earliest stages, compressing drug development from decades to months.”

BioAgents: AI Co-Scientists on the Blockchain

At the core of Bio Protocol are BioAgents—autonomous AI models designed to accelerate scientific work while recording every step onchain.

The first BioAgent, Aubrai, launched in August 2025 in collaboration with VitaDAO and longevity researcher Dr. Aubrey de Grey. In its first weeks, Aubrai:

• Raised over $900,000 in research funding.
• Minted 1,000+ hypotheses directly onchain.
• Enabled immediate testing through agent-managed wallets and automated research workflows.

Bio plans to expand the BioAgent framework globally, allowing networks of agents to surface hidden biological connections faster than traditional labs.

Key Features of BioAgents

• Continuous Funding: Onchain wallets automatically collect and distribute funds to labs, removing delays common in grant-based funding cycles.
• Crowdsourced Learning: Agents learn from encrypted vaults, messaging platforms, and community interactions, updating a shared knowledge graph.
• Blockchain-Verified Knowledge: Immutable onchain trails ensure proper attribution for contributors, including negative results.
• Monetization of Knowledge: Agents generate fees from pharma, consumers, and market-making in native tokens tied to discoveries.

Bio Protocol V2 Launch

The funding round coincides with the release of Bio Protocol V2, introducing new mechanisms for decentralized funding and governance.

Key Features of Bio V2

• Ignition Sales: Onchain fundraising for BioAgents and tokenized intellectual property (IP Tokens), designed for fast, low-cap launches.
• BioXP Rewards: A loyalty and incentive system granting access to Ignition Sales for contributors.
• Staking: Holders of BIO and related ecosystem tokens can stake to earn BioXP and gain participation rights in research IP.

From Research Funding to Clinical Trials

Since 2024, Bio Protocol’s network has directed more than $50 million toward scientific research worldwide. This funding has helped projects move toward clinical trials at a pace faster than legacy systems.

Current initiatives include:

• VITA-FAST: Longevity program preparing for Phase 2 clinical trials in the UAE.
• VitaRNA: RNA-based program dosing its first patients, with expansion into Europe.
• Percepta (CLAW): Brain health supplement entering human studies with regulatory approval in progress.
• Curetopia (CURES): Rare disease research targeting 40 inherited metabolic conditions, advancing through pilot studies.

These projects highlight how DeSci models can move research from concept to trial in months rather than years.

Arthur Hayes, founder and CIO of Maelstrom Fund, described Bio as “a category-defining launchpad which will fund scientific research the community finds valuable, not just academia.”

The $6.9 million raised will be used to expand Bio’s AI infrastructure, build prediction and credit markets, and improve communication between agents. The protocol also plans to integrate onchain lending to streamline biotech funding.

Conclusion

Bio Protocol’s $6.9 million funding round and the launch of Bio V2 underline its role in creating an AI-native decentralized platform for scientific research. Researchers can raise capital, share data, and advance discoveries outside traditional pharmaceutical systems by combining AI, blockchain, and tokenomics.

The platform has already shown measurable results—raising millions in research funding, supporting real-world clinical programs, and enabling AI-powered scientific collaboration.

Resources:

1. Bio Protocol’s $6.9M funding announcement: https://www.bio.xyz/blog-posts/bio-protocol-raises-6-9m-to-launch-ai-native-decentralized-science-platform-for-biotech-funding-drug-discovery

2. Bio Protocol docs: https://docs.bio.xyz/bio

3. Bio Protocol blog: https://www.bio.xyz/blog

FAQ

1. What is Bio Protocol?
   Bio Protocol is a decentralized science (DeSci) platform that uses AI and blockchain to fund, coordinate, and accelerate biotech research and drug discovery.

2. What are BioAgents?
   BioAgents are AI-powered co-scientists that generate hypotheses, manage onchain wallets, fund experiments, and record scientific progress on the blockchain.

3. How will the $6.9M funding be used?
   The funding will support Bio Protocol’s platform expansion, including AI agent development, prediction markets, staking systems, and decentralized governance tools.