Two entirely separate cryptocurrency projects sharing the ticker LAB have simultaneously captured market attention, leading to widespread confusion among traders and investors. One is a decentralized science (DeSci) initiative from the LabDAO ecosystem, while the other is the native token of a multi‑chain trading terminal founded by entrepreneur Vova Sadkov. Both have experienced explosive price movements and intense social media interest, but their fundamentals, tokenomics, and risk profiles differ radically.
The DeSci LAB gained traction after listings on KuCoin and Gate.io on March 10, 2025. This project focuses on tokenizing laboratory research data, allowing researchers to mint NFTs of experimental results for trading or licensing. Its price skyrocketed over 300% in 48 hours, reaching $0.042 with a 24‑hour volume of $120 million, up from an average of just $5 million. The circulating supply stands at approximately 450 million out of a maximum 1 billion, and a deflationary burn mechanism is in place. While the RSI reached 88, indicating overbought conditions, the community remains passionate about the real‑world utility of data tokenization.
In stark contrast, the Trading Terminal LAB witnessed a 364% surge on May 3, 2026, hitting $3.18 after the announcement of a mobile app launch. This token powers a multi‑chain platform supporting spot, limit, and perpetual trades across Solana, Ethereum, and BNB Chain. A scheduled cliff unlock of 282 million tokens (28% of total supply) on August 14, 2026 has cast a shadow over the rally, as it could unleash significant sell pressure. Adding to the uncertainty, on‑chain investigator ZachXBT alleged that insiders control over 95% of the circulating supply, contributing to a 77% flash crash on June 3, 2026, which erased roughly $6 billion in market value. The project also suffered a high‑profile incident involving the PiggyBank DeFi protocol, which disclosed a trading error that exacerbated losses.
The coexistence of these two LAB tokens underscores the risks of ticker duplication in a market where narratives can propel prices without regard to underlying differences. Investors are urged to verify contract addresses and project details before acting on trending labels.
