SiteOne Therapeutics Names Scientific Founder John Mulcahy, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SiteOne Therapeutics Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company developing new treatments to address conditions involving hypersensitivity of the nervous system, today announced the appointment of John Mulcahy, Ph.D., as chief executive officer. Dr. Mulcahy is one of the scientific co-founders of the company and has led the strategic as well as technical drug discovery efforts at SiteOne since its founding. He replaces Stan Abel, who becomes SiteOne's board chairman.  

The move comes as SiteOne expands its technology platform and clinical development activities to address hypersensitivity disorders more broadly in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. These disorders include chronic cough, neuropathic pain, ocular discomfort, and pruritus. Clinical trials are expected to start for SiteOne's lead drug candidate this year, while the company works to expand its pipeline.

"As part of the heart and foundation of our company, John was a clear choice to lead SiteOne," Abel said. "With his deep knowledge of the science, success in securing funding and experience leading our company's research efforts, John will drive the vision of SiteOne. We are creating a robust pipeline of potent and highly selective drug candidates targeting voltage-gated sodium ion channels that show vast potential for treating a wide array of disorders involving hypersensitivity of the nervous system."

Dr. Mulcahy was previously the vice president of research at SiteOne. He is the co-inventor and has co-authored the core patents and publications of the company's technology platform. In addition, Dr. Mulcahy has secured and served as Principal Investigator on multiple grants from the US Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health. Dr. Mulcahy earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University and his B.A. in Chemistry, Physics, and Classics from Harvard University. 

"Our approach, which leverages high quality structural information on the voltage-gated sodium channel and targets specific molecular differences between isoforms, has transformative potential for the treatment of common and rare neurological disorders," said Dr. Mulcahy. "While industry has struggled to develop drugs that selectively engage sodium channels for the past 20 years, recent advances in our understanding of sodium channel structure and pharmacology have enabled discovery of drug candidates with exquisite subtype specificity. With our lead drug candidate, ST-2427, a novel non-opioid analgesic, headed toward clinical trials and additional novel therapeutics in the pipeline to treat chronic cough and ocular discomfort, I look forward to leading SiteOne."

Clinical trials for ST-2427, which selectively blocks sodium channel NaV1.7 to inhibit pain signals, will start later this year. By interfering with pain signals in the peripheral nervous system, ST-2427 seeks to avoid the significant side effects and addiction potential of opioid pain medications. Another SiteOne drug candidate, ST-2578, for ocular surface discomfort, is undergoing IND-enabling studies.

About SiteOne Therapeutics
SiteOne Therapeutics is a private biopharmaceutical company advancing novel therapeutics to treat hyperexcitability and hypersensitivity disorders. Since its inception, SiteOne has been dedicated to developing novel pain therapeutics to treat acute and chronic pain safely, effectively, and efficiently without the significant addiction potential and side effects of opioids. The company is also advancing additional novel drug candidates that exhibit precise selectivity for individual sodium channel subtypes to treat hypersensitivity disorders of both the peripheral and central nervous systems. SiteOne's therapeutic candidates are highly selective sodium ion channel modulators. For more information, visit www.siteonetherapeutics.com

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Russo Partners, LLC
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Evan Wicker, Ph.D.
Russo Partners, LLC
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212-845-4235

SOURCE SiteOne Therapeutics Inc.