$GENOME
$GENOME: More than just a token
Navigating the world of Web3 can be daunting. With volatility and skepticism deeply rooted in the collective consciousness, this can act as a barrier for those who wish to have a deeper understanding.
We get it, seeing meme coins appear overnight and collapse shortly after is concerning. However, genuine tokenomics extend far beyond quick profits and speculative hype. Increasingly, innovative projects leverage tokens to deliver meaningful utility and real-world value.
At Genomes.io, our token, $GENOME, exemplifies exactly this philosophy, showing practical utility, long-term value, and genuine community benefit.
What is a utility token?
Utility tokens are designed to power the services or functionality within a specific platform or ecosystem. Depending on a project’s mission, utility tokens can be used for:
Payments for services or digital goods
Participation in platform governance
Access to premium features
Reward and incentive systems
In the case of $GENOME, three of these apply, with access to premium features not being a use case of ours at the moment.
What is $GENOME used for?
Unlike many tokens that promise future utility, $GENOME already has multiple live use cases. Genomes.io is a working product, with a growing user base, active participation, and real utility.
Here are a few concrete examples of what can currently be done with $GENOME
Participation in Paid Studies
At the heart of the $GENOME ecosystem is the principle that individuals should be fairly compensated for contributing to scientific and medical research, on their own terms.
When a company, research institution, or healthcare provider wants to query specific traits or variants in genomic data, they can send out a study invitation. If you're eligible for the study, you'll be notified via email or it will appear in the Campaigns section of your Genomes.io dashboard.
From there, it’s entirely your choice: you can accept or reject the request after reviewing the details provided.
This process is executed in the most transparent, anonymous, and auditable way possible, ensuring that your data privacy is never at risk. Queries are run inside your encrypted vault, and the output is anonymous information about specific variants' presence, or lack of. Your raw genomic data never leaves your vault.
Bar chart showing the percentage of participants with each of the nine genetic variants studied in the thrill-seeking query
If you choose to participate, you’ll be rewarded in $GENOME tokens. This is where the utility aspect of the token becomes real: $GENOME isn’t just a digital asset, it’s your compensation for enabling ethical, privacy-first research.
The amount of $GENOME awarded depends on the value the researcher assigns to the query. In some cases, the same researcher may follow up with additional queries, offering you further compensation for more information.
Below are two examples of paid studies which have been carried out:
Infrastructure Incentization
The token has also played a big role in encouraging engagement with our platform. Between the 11th of September 2024 and the 31st of March 2025 we ran the $GENOME fund campaign.
This campaign awarded users points for different interactions on the platform, including:
Buy a Genomes.io sequencing kit (100 points)
Upload DNA data from 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage, or Genomes.io (100 points)
Data upload bonus for uploading within the first 30 days of the program (50 points)
Generate and view genomic reports (10 points per report)
Report generation bonus for completing 5 reports in the first month (25 points)
Refer friends who upload data and generate a report (50 points per successful referral)
To further incentivize referrals, we introduced a bonus multiplier system:
Refer 1 friend who uploads: 1.1x point multiplier
Refer 2: 1.2x
…up to 1.5x for five or more successful referrals
At the end of the campaign, all the points earned were converted into $GENOME, and each user got a share of the 10,000,000 $GENOME tokens that were available in the fund.
By running this campaign and having $GENOME rewards as the driver, we saw a significant increase in user sign ups (118.71% increase), and number of reports run (200.43% increase), with momentum carrying on since then.
$GENOME Staking
In March of this year, we introduced a staking system allowing $GENOME holders to earn a free Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) kit. By locking up (staking) their tokens, users receive rewards in the form of $KIT, a non-tradable voucher token that can be redeemed for a WGS kit, valued at over $320.
The staking program offers a 50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY), meaning that if you stake 10,000 $GENOME for one year, you will earn the equivalent of 5,000 $GENOME in value, paid out as $KIT. Once you’ve accumulated one $KIT token, you can redeem it for a sequencing kit and begin the process of taking full ownership of your genetic data.
This staking model is designed to reward long-term commitment to the Genomes.io ecosystem. It gives token holders a path to access personal genomic testing without needing to purchase a kit outright.
DAO Voting
To involve the DAO in operations, we make use of Snapshot, a voting platform that allows $GENOME holders to vote on proposals affecting the community. Importantly, proposals don’t just come from us; any DAO member can submit one.
The most recent vote was on the staking APY. The community was given the choice to decide the yield, and the result was a 50% APY.
So what is next for $GENOME?
We are always working on making sure that our token is available to everyone and are therefore very happy it will soon be findable on CoinBase, the biggest crypto exchange platform in the world.
Continuing to build on the momentum and utility behind the $GENOME token, several ongoing and upcoming initiatives will give users even more opportunities to earn, participate, and contribute meaningfully to the platform:
More paid studies will be carried out, whether it is offered from ourselves or some of our partner organizations
A second season of the points system will be coming, following the success of the original $GENOME Fund campaign. Like before, users will be rewarded for completing meaningful actions on the platform, with the chance to earn a share of a new token pool.
Staking remains active, giving $GENOME holders the opportunity to earn a Whole Genome Sequencing kit through the $KIT rewards program. This continues to offer users a way to convert their support for the platform into real access to sequencing.
We will continue to use Snapshot, allowing DAO members to make decisions about proposals which may affect them
These programs reinforce what $GENOME is all about, real utility, real engagement, and a community and security first approach to building a new model for personal genomics.
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