Aubrai Launches on Base, Merging Decentralized AI and Longevity Science

Aubrai, a decentralized science (DeSci) and artificial intelligence agent, has officially launched on Base, aiming to revolutionize how longevity research is funded, validated, and commercialized. Built by VitaDAO and Bio Protocol in partnership with Aubrey de Grey’s LEV Foundation, Aubrai brings together onchain infrastructure, AI, and tokenized incentives to accelerate breakthroughs in aging science.

The agent is powered by proprietary, unpublished research from de Grey’s lab and utilizes Bio Protocol’s Launchpad to tokenize research outputs and fund experimental work directly through its native AUBRAI token. Token holders become long-term stakeholders in the agent’s research journey, with governance rights over funding decisions and a share in future commercial revenues.

Disrupting Traditional Research Bottlenecks

Decentralized science is emerging as a credible alternative to conventional research models, which often suffer from chronic underfunding, limited transparency, and a reliance on philanthropy. DeSci frameworks like Aubrai seek to address the notorious “valley of death” — the stage between discovery and clinical validation where scientific progress often stalls due to lack of capital.

“Traditional financing creates persistent gaps, especially for long-horizon research like longevity,” said biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey. “With DeSci platforms, DAOs, and AI agents, we can align incentives for long-term societal benefit while decentralizing access to funding and risk.”

AI-Driven Discovery, Onchain Validation

Aubrai combines de Grey’s exclusive lab data with agentic AI capabilities. The AI organizes experimental findings into a structured knowledge graph, generates hypotheses, and proposes new experiments for community governance votes. If approved and validated, results are minted as intellectual property (IP) tokens that can be licensed to biotech and pharmaceutical companies — with revenue shared among contributors.

This model is already being tested in the Robust Mouse Rejuvenation 2 (RMR2) study, one of the most ambitious mouse longevity experiments to date. Aubrai has actively participated in the planning pipeline, surfacing dosing adjustments and methodological refinements that otherwise would have taken weeks to uncover through manual review.

“We’re seeing the agent generate compelling new ideas and propose actionable next steps,” said de Grey. “It’s the synergy between AI intelligence and expert human oversight that could meaningfully accelerate the pace of longevity breakthroughs.”

A New Creator Economy for Scientists

According to Paul Kohlhaas, founder of Bio Protocol, Aubrai marks a broader shift in how scientific talent can be empowered. “Just like Substack gave writers a new business model, our platform allows scientists to monetize discoveries directly — without relying on traditional publishers or institutions,” he said.

Challenges and Outlook

Despite its promise, the model faces obstacles. Tokenized IP may draw regulatory scrutiny, and established pharmaceutical players may remain hesitant to engage with outputs from decentralized collectives. Still, for an area like longevity — where capital market disinterest often derails promising research — platforms like Aubrai could offer a lifeline.

If successful, Aubrai won’t just showcase the utility of blockchain beyond speculative trading; it could pioneer a new infrastructure for scientific progress, redefining how innovation is funded and shared.

It may also signal that decentralized science has the potential to serve as a real alternative to legacy funding systems that have long constrained biomedical research.