Bio Protocol September 2026: Open Science & DeSci Updates

September’s Bio Protocol updates included the launch of Open Science Index, credit-card funding for Launchpad wallets, and a redesigned Bio website. PeptAI was selected for the Adaptyv Bio × Anthropic Protein Design Competition, while NeuroLab’s Ignition Sale closed oversubscribed.

This edition of Bio Monthly covers those developments and research updates across the decentralized science ecosystem.

• Open Science Index: Find Open Source Scientific Research Tools
• Bio Launchpad Adds Credit-Card Wallet Funding
• Bio’s New Website Brings Its Products Together
• NeuroLab AI Ignition Sale and NDT Reward Update
• PeptAI Joins the Adaptyv Bio × Anthropic Protein Design Competition
• Bio Ecosystem Research and Community Updates

Open Science Index: Find the Tools That Fit Your Research

Scientific software is spread across repositories, registries and individual lab websites. Finding a tool is only the beginning. Researchers also need to understand what it does, whether it is maintained, and how it compares with the alternatives.

We introduced Open Science Index, opening our internal tracker to the wider research community. At announcement, the directory indexed 6,720 resources across biology, chemistry, physics, materials science and earth science.

The Index brings together open source software, AI models, datasets and workflows, with links to their sources, related papers and alternatives. Citations, downloads, commits and maintenance signals help researchers investigate whether a tool fits their work.We also published a guide to reading these signals.

Read the announcement.

Credit-Card Funding Comes to the Launchpad

We added credit-card funding for Launchpad wallets through Privy.Previously, participants had to buy funds elsewhere and transfer them into their wallet.

The new integration makes that step available directly on the launchpad. Embedded wallets and Bio account management are planned next, with the aim of making participation easier for people who do not already use crypto.

The New Bio website is live

Our new website went live this month bringing our network’s products into one place.

Researchers can explore BIOS and OpenLabs, find project preparation support through Buildspace, and learn about raising through the Launchpad. Biofy connects the ecosystem with community-facing science-backed products.

The site makes these different entry points easier to navigate and explains how they fit into our broader work supporting research and the teams behind it.

NeuroLab Ignition Sale

Our most recent Ignition Sale @neurolab successfully closed 2.2x oversubscribed, with 442K+ USDC committed by 650+ participants.

NDT Rewards for veBIO holders

veBIO staker reward claims went live on app.bio.xyz for NDT, 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.

NootropicsDAO is developing NeuroLab AI to connect evidence across molecular interactions, brain systems and potential cognitive effects. The intended use is to help researchers decide which compounds to test next in the lab. Its computational predictions should be understood as hypotheses for testing.

Also following the NDT TGE, all BioXP spent in the NeuroLab Ignition Sale has been refunded to every participant including those who purchased instant BioXP.

PeptAI Enters the Adaptyv Bio x Anthropic Protein Design Competition

PeptAI was selected for Track 2 of the @adaptyvbio x @AnthropicAI Protein Design Competition.

The competition brings together researchers from around the world to design new potential drug candidates with AI, aimed at diseases that affect millions of people.

Track 2 comes with three months of Claude Max 20x accounts and $500 in @Modal compute credits.The designs will go through experimental testing, and the results will be shared openly on @Proteinbase so anyone can access the data and build on it.

Network & Community Updates

AthenaDAO

AthenaDAO (@athenabiorg) published a thesis for the AIxBIO era, arguing that missing sex-specific biological data will become one of the biggest issues to discovery as AI speeds up drug development.

The team proposed a new research organization focused on the ovary, with a 5-year plan to fund 15 leading labs, standardize how data is collected, and release it openly as public infrastructure.

They also published a piece by Dr. David Pépin (@MassGenBrigham) on MenoGo and the case for seeing the ovary as a lifelong endocrine organ.

Anagen / HairDAO

Anagen / HairDAO finalized a topical diazoxide formulation for further testing. In its September lab update, the team reported completing the Indian import licence for Precision Dutasteride ahead of a planned 60-person trial, preparing TWIST1i for mouse studies, and processing over 2,500 microscopy images from other research programs.

Anagen also rolled out a major platform upgrade and announced that Anagen and $HAIR were live on Robinhood Chain.

Quantum Biology DAO

Quantum Biology DAO (@QuantumBioDAO) hosted Dr. Michal Cifra (@mcer33) on September 14 for a live talk on how external electric fields affect protein structure, dynamics, interactions, and function.

QBI's Quantum Unbound series continued on October 1 with a free class on Quantum Biology and Health, led by Dr. Venkatesh Sridharan, Dr. Douglas Brash, and Dr. Karolina Okła. Michal presented his work on how external electric fields can affect protein structure, dynamics, interactions, and function, followed by a community Q&A.

Molecule

Molecule (@Molecule_sci) published “Attribution at Machine Speed”, exploring scientific attribution and traceable research records through Molecule Labs. The team also hosted a human-in-the-loop AI roundtable in Berlin and joined RoX Health in Zürich to discuss AI in biotech research.

PeptAI

PeptAI (@peptai_) was selected for Track 2 of the Adaptyv Bio × Anthropic Protein Design Competition, receiving access to Claude Max and compute credits to support its protein design work.

The competition includes experimental testing, with results to be shared openly through Proteinbase.

They also launched their new website, replacing individual candidate views with a pipeline overview so visitors can follow each project’s progress. Researchers and companies can also submit research questions or project ideas through a new contact form.

SpineDAO

SpineDAO (@Spine_DAO) took its AI suite, including LAMINA, VECTOR, SPINAL, and A2R, to @NSpineUK in London, where @VirginieLafage and @challaire presented to 200 international spine surgeons and industry players.

Later in the month, the team took VECTOR to the French Neurosurgery Society in Marseille with @GuillaumeLonjon, where licensing of its FILTER algorithm for a smart appointment platform is moving forward.

VitaDAO

VitaDAO (@vita_dao) community-backed Rubedo Life Sciences is taking RLS-1496 into androgenetic alopecia, the most common form of hair loss. It is the first clinical study of a GPX4 modulator in hair loss, starting in October 2026 with data expected in the first half of 2027. In early tests on human hair follicles, the highest dose trended above finasteride.

@hacking_aging, another VitaDAO-backed project, won the Aging & Longevity Innovation Award from Alira Health at the MedTech World Asia Awards in Hong Kong.

Stay updated via Telegram, Discord, and the Governance forum. Follow @BioProtocolEco for real-time updates.