Precision Pain Management
A new approach to eliminating resistant cancer pain
Precision Pain Management
A new approach to eliminating resistant cancer pain
Welcome to NK-One Therapeutics
Mission
We are dedicated to eliminating debilitating cancer pain in order to enable aggressive treatment, improve outcomes, extend survival, and enhance quality of life of patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Technology
NK-OneTherapeutics is developing a proprietary interventional molecular therapy to selectively disable the Neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1r) pain signaling gateway in the spine. This is the main gateway for pain signaling from peripheral tumors to the brain.
Precision
Our 'molecular scalpel' approach features a single intrathecal administration targeting only the NK-1R expressing pain neurons at the synaptic interface in the superficial dorsal horn. This selective targeting means a broad range of 'non productive' cancer pain can be halted, while protective acute pain signaling pathways are preserved.
Validated
SP-SAP has been demonstrated to be effective in a large canine clinical trial. NK-One Therapeutics intends to expedite development of our precision therapy for human and veterinary use.
The Silent Crisis of Cancer Pain
Cancer Pain
One third to half of all patients with a cancer diagnosis will experience moderate to severe pain. But for those whose cancer advances or progresses to metastatic disease up to 75% experience severe and often intractable pain (1).
Neuropathic
Neuropathic cancer pain, arising from damage to the somatosensory nervous system, occurs in up to 40% of cancer patients and poses greater treatment challenges due to diminished opioid responsiveness. (2)
Impact
Chronic pain is associated with all cause mortality in the cancer population.(3) Poorly controlled cancer pain has been shown to shorten survival by 20 months in older adults (9 months vs 29 months).(4) In addition, refractory pain is often a primary factor halting aggressive cancer treatment.
Cancer Types
SP-SAP has broad application to resistant cancer pain targeting the following types:
- Metastatic breast, lung and renal
- Prostate
- Pancreatic
- Gynecological
- Colorectal
- Bladder
- Osteosarcoma
References
1) van den Beuken-van Everdingen MHJ, et al. "Prevalence of pain in patients with cancer: a systematic review of the past 40 years." Annals of Oncology, 2007; 18(9): 1437–1449.
2) Aaron Lawson McLean, Julian Kahr, Jean Régis, Marcel A. Kamp, Christian Senft; Epidemiology of Resistant Cancer Pain: Prevalence, Clinical Burden, and Treatment Gaps. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 2025
3) Zhang Y, Guo Y. Chronic pain is a risk factor for all-cause and cancer-specific mortality in cancer survivors: a population-based cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2025 Jan 25;25(1):325
4) Gabbard J, Isom S, Statler T, Asselin J, Callahan KE, Pajewski NM, Wagner LI, Parala-Metz A, Tooze JA, Klepin HD. Patient-reported pain severity is associated with shorter survival in older adults with newly diagnosed cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2025 Jul 26;33(8):722.
NK-One Leadership Team
Michael Shine, MBA CEO
Paul Silver, PhD. CSO
Michael Shine, MBA CEO
Mike is an experienced CEO and longtime biotechnology industry veteran. Prior to NK-One Therapeutics he was CEO of OrthoCellix a cell therapy company and the co founder and CEO of NovaPharm Therapeutics which developed a breakthrough treatment for CRPS. Mike currently serves on the Boards of Ambros Therapeutics and OrthoCellix.
Marco Pappagallo, M.D. CMO
Paul Silver, PhD. CSO
Michael Shine, MBA CEO
With a career in neurology that spans 36 years, Dr. Pappagallo has held multiple Chief Medical Officer and Sr. Medical Advisory roles in the pharmaceutical industry in the field of pain management. He was a co founder of NovaPharm Therapeutics, has authored more than 150 papers in pain and neurobiology, and holds numerous patents.
Paul Silver, PhD. CSO
Paul Silver, PhD. CSO
Paul Silver, PhD. CSO
A seasoned drug development expert, Paul has 44 years of experience in pre-clinical and clinical development of numerous drugs on the market today. He was a cofounder of NovaPharm and a Global Program Development Team Leader at Wyeth in Neurosciences. Paul has authored 120 papers and holds 5 patents.