Highlights from May in the Biosphere 🌐
- PeptAI Ignition Sale: The PeptAI Ignition Sale successfully closed 32x+ oversubscribed, with 1.6M+ USDC committed by 1.4K+ participants. veBIO staker reward claims are now live on app.bio.xyz for PEPTAI. Next up: first on-chain wet-lab attestation via Molecule Labs in Q2, and a GLP-1R Gen 1 library in Q3.
- BIO on Robinhood: BIO is now tradable on @RobinhoodApp, bringing DeSci to one of the world's most widely used retail trading platforms.
- BIOS Live Demo: We hosted a live demo of upcoming BIOS features including including new biotech tool integrations, image segmentation, and an in-house robotics program to close the full autonomous loop from receptor to wet-lab result with more on the way.
- Ecosystem Updates include: VitaDAO launching VitaApp in private alpha with Aubrai's longevity AI built in and Cyclarity presenting first human evidence that arterial plaque driver 7-ketocholesterol can be safely excreted, AthenaDAO launching the Longitudinal Menopause Project, HairDAO filing their 10th patent on the back of first human data for MINX, SpineDAO presenting at NSpine in Corsica in front of 80+ spine surgeons, and DeSci Berlin returning June 18–19 during @BerBlockWeek. RSVP now.
PeptAI Ignition Sale: Autonomous Agents for Peptide Drug Discovery
Bio's most recent Ignition Sale @peptai_ successfully closed 32x+ oversubscribed, with 1.6M+ USDC committed by 1.4K+ participants.
PEPTAI Rewards for veBIO holders
veBIO staker reward claims went live on app.bio.xyz for PEPTAI, enabling passive exposure to the network as it grows. You can now claim on the staking rewards page or wait for the 6-month vesting period to receive the full amount. Any early claim forfeits the rest.
➤ See the PeptAI Roadmap & follow @peptai_ to get the latest updates on the agent.
Live Demo: What's New in BIOS
We hosted a live demo of the upcoming features in the BIOS AI Scientist w/ @BioAIDevs. Upcoming features include:
- New Biotech Tool Integrations: Type "GLP-1R" into BIOS and the system runs a 9-step pipeline pulling target structure from UniProt + AlphaFold, flagging binding hot spots, generating 5,000 binder candidates in parallel across three generative models (PXDesign, BoltzGen, RFdiffusion3), filtering down to 10–15 viable candidates via scoring and molecular dynamics, then shipping to Adaptyv Bio for synthesis via x402. Wet-lab results feed directly back into the next generation cycle, so the system compounds with every round of physical data.
- Segmentation: Segmentation will be a native tool in BIOS. Type @, pick "segment anything", upload an image, and describe what you want counted in plain language. The GPU runs in the cloud and the result comes back in the chat.
- In-House Robotics Program: BIOS is building a robotic arm to handle pipetting, plate transfers, and binding assays without routing to an external CRO at each step closing the full autonomous loop from receptor to result inside one system. Today, wet lab runs route to @adaptyvbio via x402. The robotics program removes that dependency entirely. BIOS is building all three pillars in parallel: self-hosted foundation models, operational wet-lab execution, and in-house robotics.
Designing an Orally Available MOTS-c Analogue with PeptAI
MOTS-c is a naturally occurring peptide with promising metabolic benefits but as a drug, it has a fatal flaw: it gets destroyed in the gut and can't be swallowed as a pill. In 150 minutes, @peptai_'s autonomous pipeline on BIOS infrastructure designed 306 chemically modified versions of MOTS-c, ranked by predicted stability, cell permeability, and preservation of the binding sites that make MOTS-c biologically active. Three candidates were shortlisted for synthesis.
These are computational predictions, no peptides have been made or tested yet. The next step is to synthesize 11 peptides and run three lab assays (binding, enzyme activation, stability) at an estimated cost of $35,000–60,000 over 10–14 weeks.
BIO Live on Robinhood
BIO is now tradable on @RobinhoodApp bringing DeSci to the platform.
Network & Community Updates
- VitaDAO (@vitadao) - Cyclarity presented Phase 1 results for UDP-003 at AHA Vascular Discovery, showing the first human evidence that 7-ketocholesterol (a driver of arterial plaque) can be safely excreted, with Phase 2 on plaque regression planned for 2026. They launched VitaApp in private alpha, their first consumer app with @Aubrai_ longevity AI built in. Aubrai is also closing a native AI-to-wet-lab integration, generating hypotheses and paying scientists when results land. VitaRNA's lead candidate ARTAN-102 hit 350x liver expression in vivo, with primate toxicity next. Portfolio companies continue to advance: Gero signed with Roche's Chugai for up to $250M in milestones, and Rubedo reported positive Phase 1 readouts for RLS-1496, the first GPX4 modulator ever dosed in humans, with Phase 2a ahead. VitaLabs is being rebuilt as an AI-native longevity venture studio, with cohort 1 capped at 3 projects.
- FOXO3 (by @vitadao) - identified six ASOs capable of more than doubling production of the long, active form of the FOXO3 protein in primary human disc cells which is a key step toward RNA drugs that could treat degenerative disc disease. The team has established cell cultures, confirmed ASO delivery without nanocarriers, and built a damaged disc cell model for functional testing. A community call is scheduled for July 2026, with a preliminary data update coming May 26.
- AthenaDAO (@athenabiorg) - released their Longitudinal Menopause Project, building a dataset for sex-specific research and recruiting women aged 40–55 in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, or San Diego. Register here.
- CerebrumDAO (@Cerebrum_DAO) - partnered with Waves, a browser-based brain health platform with an AI coach called Celeste, built on a cognitive neuroscience methodology developed at UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth. Try it for free. They also hosted an AMA session on science updates.
- HairDAO (@HairDAO_) - released first human pharmacokinetic data for MINX, their DeSci funded and first AI-designed 5mg oral minoxidil lipid-matrix capsule. Not yet proof of better efficacy or fewer side effects, but a strong early signal of differentiated behavior. HairDAO filed their 10th provisional patent on the back of this data.
- SpineDAO (@Spine_DAO) - presented at NSpine Innovative Spine Education in Bastia, Corsica, appearing on a podium slide during a clinical talk in front of 80+ spine surgeons from around the world.
- Quantum Biology DAO (@QuantumBioDAO) - launched a new QBI-DAO Slack channel run by the Quantum Biology Institute, serving as a central hub for DAO community updates including reports, publications, events, and financial updates, part of their commitment to building in public and keeping science open and transparent.
- ValleyDAO (@valley_dao) - released a new Proof of DeSci episode on how to get your first DeSci project funded. Listen to the full episode.
- DeSci Berlin is back for its 5th edition on June 18-19, during @BerBlockWeek with speakers from @Molecule_sci, @peptai_, @foresightinst and more! RSVP now.
- Bio hosted a livestream with the founders of @peptai_ and ALIVE discussing their projects and roadmaps.
- @peptai_ hosted a livestream with the team breaking down how the agent fleet works and what's currently running in the pipeline.
- @peptai_ is hiring a founding cocktologist, a scientist who will design novel peptide candidates and pilot the autonomous agent fleet that validates them. Apply now!
Stay updated via our Telegram, Discord & Governance forum. Follow @BioProtocolEco on X for real-time ecosystem updates.
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