- The Journal of Global Surgery is using Bitcoin Cash micropayments to crowdfund and unlock medical studies for free public access.
- This innovative model aims to tear down academic paywalls and make vital healthcare information available to everyone, everywhere.
In an era where information is power—and often locked behind steep paywalls—a bold new initiative is using cryptocurrency to unlock vital medical research for the public good. The Journal of Global Surgery (ONE) is pioneering a crowdfunded model that combines Bitcoin Cash (BCH) micropayments with traditional funding to make peer-reviewed surgical studies freely available to all.
Recently, the journal made a significant breakthrough: a study on establishing a prostate cancer clinic in resource-limited Zambia was released for open access after being “chipped away” by micropayments as small as $0.10. Once the collective funding met the publishing cost, the study became publicly accessible—proving that even niche medical research can be liberated by the crowd.
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Founded by surgeon and activist Dr. Saqib Noor, the journal aims to revolutionize the peer-review process and publication model. Peer reviewers are compensated in BCH regardless of a manuscript’s acceptance, and there are no author fees. It’s a fair and sustainable system that puts power back in the hands of researchers and readers—not publishers or corporate gatekeepers.
The mission echoes the legacy of the late Aaron Swartz, the internet freedom advocate and Reddit co-founder who championed free access to academic knowledge. Swartz paid dearly for his activism, but his spirit lives on in platforms like ONE, which strive to make life-saving information universally available.
By leveraging a “borderless, permissionless” digital payment system, The Journal of Global Surgery is quietly challenging not only the academic status quo but also the political boundaries of healthcare. As the world continues to debate crypto’s legitimacy and the ethics of digital decentralization, this project provides a practical, real-world use case that prioritizes people over profit.
Still in beta, ONE invites global participation to help fine-tune its open-access platform. In a time when truth and transparency are more contested than ever, crypto-funded medical publishing might just be the disruptive force science needs.