The Dragonsbane Project
Need and Vision
Dragons to slay
We envision a global health singularity where each person’s wellness is so optimal as to require very little in the way of traditional healthcare. The approach to that singularity is characterized by increasing health and wellness at lower and lower cost until the singularity is reached. At that point wellness costs would be so small as to obviate the need for any non-individual funding mechanism for any health related services required from others. But, there are dragons in the way.
The first dragon is the sequestration of knowledge. Current healthcare data is sequestered by those who own it by virtue of having paid for the care, such as insurance companies or state run institutions. This ignores the fact that the patients’ whose lives created the data paid for the care through insurance premiums or taxes. This knowledge is treated as an asset rather than a commons and is not easily available to all wishing to advance people’s health and wellness. This is akin to a social media company utilizing unpaid for uploaded content to create a revenue stream from advertisers without the contributors benefiting in any way other than casual use of the network.
The second dragon stems from the historical limits of knowledge and the slowness of learning. We currently name disease states with low-granularity diagnoses such as diabetes or hypertension. These names become evocative of the research and assumptions attached to them as if they were monolithic, while, in fact, each person has a unique set of genetic, physical, and environmental factors that often change the meaning of their diagnosis and the most appropriate options. With limited computing power and limited time, it is understandable how this system developed, but a better way is available now.
The third dragon to slay is the current vision of cutting edge research produced by the researchers and those who fund them. Medicine identifies proper treatments for low-granularity diagnoses as described above. Where our current system does attempt greater granularity in diagnosis, it is usually done along lines having nothing to do with the underlying biology. This leads to massive amounts of wealth being spent to develop single treatments for diagnoses that require more of a complex system of treatment.
An example would be apropos. We study 200 people diagnosed with Illness X. Half are given treatment A and half treatment B. The results show that to a statistically significant degree 60% of those given treatment B were better while only 40% of those who got treatment A were improved. Published papers result saying that B is better than A for diagnosis X. But what we don’t hear is who got better with A, and who didn’t with B, and would they have done well with the opposite treatment. In short, the current model of science gives us the better between two treatments when in fact what we each want to know is, “what do I need, along with what else, in what order and for how long?” This work requires great numbers (a large N) not generally accessible to funded studies. This funding limit illuminates the next dragon.
Currently funding, the fourth dragon, for medical research is mostly from government programs or for-profit pharmaceutical companies. The latter group requires a return on investment, and increasingly the former group is being asked to provide one as well. This ROI is generally seen as coming back in the form of profits or savings and requires in most for-profit cases that the information be corralled and controlled for best business use. For those not for profit, the ROI is sometimes quantified by successfully published studies. These publications are not controlled by new bright innovative thinkers, but by the established members of the field who don’t accept work that questions their own[1]. This same group also sits on the funding boards of the federal grantors. This system inhibits the breakthrough in favor of the slow evolution with little change to the status quo.
Finally, the last dragon is our intermittent disease oriented method of care that has come about as the historical outcome of all we’ve discussed above. Physicians are mostly paid by insurance companies to provide treatment for illness states during compensated visits. Attempts at other cost structures have been met with “unforeseen” negative feedback loops that have actually increased cost, lowered availability of care, or degraded the quality of the physician/patient relationship. It is important to note that the current situation is not the result of any nefarious intent. We have these dragons, not because someone sent them to plague us, but because this is the best we could have done with what we had. But we can do better now.
Another way forward
We live in a time of immense information flow and processing power. This gives us the capacity to solve large problems in shorter periods of time than ever before. However, data is segregated into pools mined by the owners for monetary value regardless of where the data came from. This privatization of individual data is akin to a single person gaining control of a commons. We can revitalize the commons so that those whose lives create the data can gain the benefit themselves.
Dragonsbane is a global, distributed AI ecosystem designed to produce highly individualized health and wellness options for its users. Dragonsbane is what will make possible the slaying of the dragons that currently prevent us from gaining progress in this area. By being distributed on the blockchain, the system can be constructed so that those who create the data benefit not only by the immediate answer but also by earning further rights to the system in the form of Dragonsbane Tokens (BANEs). Further, those sharing successful models and computing power for the system will also gain these rights for their work. This will incentivize the network to grow. As the system becomes larger the AI will become more accurate, and deliver more value to each of its members. Via network effects, BANE will increase in value, drawing more to the network, and enabling a spiraling virtuous circle.
First Implementation
The first use case derives from another dragon that requires slaying[2]. The founder’s experience is in the world of addiction treatment and he believes that there is not only good treatment but that it’s possible to end the problem of addiction within his lifetime. One step on the way to that goal is to democratize and personalize addiction treatment, and the first step of that is to make people aware of their genetic individuality as they assess treatment options.
The founder created a genetic testing algorithm for sequencing medical treatment for addiction and previously sold it[3]. He is developing a new, better system via a different method for implementation on Dragonsbane that will be published in a future version of this whitepaper. The seed model in the first instance will be the founder’s model that he will place in the Dragonsbane network. After the network is opened a model registry will be created, discussed below, and all other models that meet criteria will be accepted.
Envisioned System Interactions
Users will upload their data to the network via their anonymous wallet and receive a nominal payment in BANE for doing so. The BANE is the only payment the network accepts for the right to receive the options generated, so there will be a give and take. Users will also be able to earn BANE by giving feedback on the network about the options they and their treatment teams chose and the results of those efforts. Those results will feedback into the AI engine improving performance of the network. Users can re-query the network, using Bane, at any time to see if options have changed.
With the initial governance by the founding team, followed shortly by the Dragonsbane Foundation, the table will be set for a transition to a fully autonomous user governed network within 5-10 years of the first submission. With governance by users, paid for by users, Dragonsbane will have created a more responsive system of individual health and wellness with costs limited to those necessary to operate the system.
The BANE Token
Supply and creation
One billion BANE, divisible into 1025 indivisible units have been created as an ERC20[4] compliant contract and are currently held on a static address. No additional BANE will be created.
Distribution
BANE will be distributed in a crowd source sale at a date to be announced. Funds derived in that sale will be used to build out future aspects of the network by the Dragonsbane Foundation, a non-profit foundation, to be formed to provide services to the network and facilitate the transition from centralized to fully decentralized operation and governance. The founder will retain a small amount (1,000,000Bane) and there will also be a small amount set aside for the development team and the Dragonsbane Foundation at the time of the closing of the crowd source sale. Unsold BANE will be burned following the end of the distribution.
Model Registry and Evolutionary Change
The Dragonsbane AI is seeded with original assumptions called a “model.” These essentially can be drawn by anyone from anywhere, but will largely be submitted by experts in the healthcare arena or healthcare companies wishing to partake in the network. These models will be subjected to evolutionary change and continuous alteration by the AI engine so that even if someone tried to seed an inaccurate model, it would not have much say for long in the output of Dragonsbane. Further, as all models entered into the registry are assumptions, whether meant well or not they will all be subjected to the same empirical machine learning process.
Original models will be published as open source within the model registry. As new inputs and attachments are discovered by the AI engine, these will be published as well.
While the word infinite should be used with caution with regard to scaling, Dragonsbane is close to being infinitely scalable. With 1025 indivisible fractions of BANE multiplied by their velocity, the network will eventually allow a future population of 10billion people world-wide to make 1015 transactions each if the value of each token were to scale to that degree.
Transactions within Dragonsbane
The BANE is the embodiment of the rights to use the functions of the Dragonsbane Network. Users who submit their data inputs into the network will be rewarded with BANE. Users who allow the network to use their computing power will be rewarded with BANE. Users who submit feedback on Network derived options to improve the network will be rewarded with BANE. Users who submit models that successfully survive evolutionary feedback will be rewarded with BANE. Users who wish to receive and use the options produced by the Network will pay for that exclusively with BANE.
The Dragonsbane Network will not interfere in the free trading of Bane with any other good or service outside of the network. It may be that in the future those providing medical care or advice outside the Network may also accept Bane in exchange for their services.
Future Development Map
Prior to the crowd sale:
An initial model will be developed and implemented as a simple personalized feedback system without AI. When a person opens a wallet they will be able to upload their genetic data and will be granted some BANE in return. It is not envisioned that the original feedback system will earn BANE, but will instead be supported by the founder. Also prior to the crowd sale the Dragonsbane Foundation will be formed and chartered and prepared to receive the results of the crowd sale.
At the crowd sale:
1,000,000 BANE will be granted the founder in exchange for his intellectual property and support of the project. Other small but larger percentages will be set aside for the development team and the Dragonsbane Foundation. Details await the formation of the team, but it is envisioned that these set asides for development and Foundation will of such a nature as to leave the crowd sourced volume at a super majority of around 80%. At the conclusion of the crowd sale distribution, all BANE not spoken for will be burned.
Post Crowd sale development – the first years
When the Dagonsbane Foundation receives its funding, it will set to work on the following milestones:
Continue fleshing out the governance board for the foundation
Development of a model integration registry
Development of the AI engine
Public work to promote the Dragonsbane Network
Post crowd sale development – years 5 – 10
Transition to full decentralized governance
Crowdfunding
At a future date during a one-week period of time, a crowd sale of BANE will occur at the price of 1,000 BANE to 1 ETH. As there are only 1,000,000,000 BANE in existence and no more will be created, that creates a maximum funding of BANE of 1,000,000 ETH. It is envisioned that there will be a minimum of 1,000,000 BANE sold, and if less is sold, it is envisioned that ETH will be returned to the wallets that bought BANE.
The founder is holding back 1,000,000 BANE for himself, which will be the only recompense and compensation he will ever receive for any work on Dragonsbane. As the development team is fleshed out, BANE compensation will be set aside for them as well. Further, it is envisioned that some amount will also be set aside for the Dragonsbane Foundation to fund it’s non-development operations and the transition to a fully autonomous network.
Team
Founder
Howard Wetsman, MD, DFASAM
Dr Wetsman has over 25 years of experience in treating addiction, and more importantly has been an innovative voice in moving addiction treatment into the 21st century. In 2009 he co-founder Townsend, which, along with its associated companies, sold in 2016 for $22 million dollars. Dr Wetsman’s singular vision regarding how our medical establishments have grown to actually make our medical problems worse rather than better inspired the Dragonsbane Project.
AI Team
Won’t you join our work? Give us a call so you can see your name here.
Development Team
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Feedback
This is only version 0.1 of this whitepaper. Please comment on dragonsbaneproject.org or on other sites on which we’re active to help us along in this quest to make us all healthier.
References
[1] Kuhn, TS. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press, 1962. Chicago, Il.
[2] White, W. Slaying the Dragon. Chestnut health Systems; 2nd ed (July 2014)
[3] http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_7ea28bb8-f3f1-5077-8703-6c716b9e2e30.html
[4] https://github.com/ethereum/EIPs/issues/20