BioCoder #11

Chapter 7. Blockchain-Enabled Open Science Framework

Vikram Dhillon

Open dissemination of scientific research and data is a prerequisite for solving the reproducibility crisis. The problem of low reproducibility is plaguing all disciplines, but its impact is much worse in preclinical research and development. Further clinical R&D into drug candidates and targets is turning up wasteful because published results can’t be replicated (Freedman 2015, Begley 2012). There are similar problems with clinical research: Drug trials are published with mostly positive data supporting the claims, and negligible negative data (Ioannidis 2015). In this article, the discussion will mostly remain limited to preclinical research outcomes.

The lack of replicability can be attributed to two broad reasons: a lack of consensus on protocols being used in research labs and the level of access to tools and equipment required for performing experiments. There are numerous methods that can be used to solve a problem, and domain-specific researchers often have their own versions of protocols which work optimally in their lab. This creates obvious problems for independent verification of results and claims. Moreover, not every lab has access to high-end equipment. Many researchers have to substitute lower-end techniques which may affect the overall accuracy. To solve these problems and standardize research equipment, we need the scientific community to reach a consensus on specific protocols and also provide ...