Staying the Course: Sitting Down With Mike Cooke

AmacaThera Co-Founder and CEO Mike Cooke reflects on the long road from academic discovery to a potential new treatment for post-operative pain

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Mike Cooke moved from a planned academic career to cofound AmacaThera after his PhD work led to a Toronto research position.
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AmacaThera’s injectable hydrogel is shear-thinning and gels at body temperature, helping keep drugs localized at the injection site.
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After consulting about 100 surgeons and anesthesiologists in 2014, AmacaThera focused on nonopioid management of postoperative pain.
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AmacaThera’s lead program, AMT-143, combines its hydrogel with an anesthetic; the company completed 2 Phase I studies and is preparing a Phase II study with Pacira.
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Cooke said opioids may still be needed after major surgery, while localized anesthetics could manage pain and potentially avoid opioids after some procedures.

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