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Evidence: MediumPeptideNot FDA ApprovedSea anemone toxin analogue (ShK-186)Kv1.3 channel blockerOne small human trial

Dalazatide

ShK-186, a sea anemone toxin redesigned to quiet the memory T cells behind autoimmune disease, tested once in psoriasis

Dalazatide is a synthetic peptide built from ShK, a toxin of the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. It blocks Kv1.3, a potassium channel that chronically activated memory T cells rely on, while leaving most other immune cells alone. In rats it eased models of multiple sclerosis, arthritis and asthma, and in a four-week phase 1b trial in 24 adults with plaque psoriasis the higher dose reduced skin scores. Tingling and numbness were common. No trial has been published since, and it is not approved anywhere.

Used in human trials: 30–60 mcg, twice weekly, nine doses, subcutaneous (Studied dose) Details ↓

At a Glance Read Research →
Overview

What is it?

Immune T cells come in several kinds. Effector memory T cells are the ones that have met an antigen before and react fast and hard; in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis they keep attacking the body's own tissue. When these cells are switched on they rely on a potassium channel called Kv1.3 to keep calcium flowing in, and they carry far more Kv1.3 than resting or naive T cells do. Blocking Kv1.3 can therefore damp the troublemaking cells while sparing much of the rest of the immune system.

ShK, a toxin of the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus, is a potent blocker of Kv1.3. ShK-186 is a synthetic analogue of it developed as a treatment for autoimmune disease, and it now carries the name dalazatide. In rats and monkeys it is absorbed slowly from under the skin and binds the channel for a long time, so one dose every two to five days worked as well as daily dosing in rat models of multiple sclerosis, arthritis and skin inflammation. In other rat and mouse studies it reduced airway inflammation in an asthma model and, unexpectedly, weight gain and fatty liver on a rich diet.

Dalazatide has one published human trial. In 2017 its developer, Kineta, reported a randomised phase 1b study in 24 adults with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis who received 30 or 60 micrograms or placebo by injection under the skin twice a week, nine doses over four weeks. Nine of ten patients on the higher dose had a lower psoriasis score at day 32, and blood markers of inflammation and T-cell activation fell. Temporary mild numbness and tingling in the hands, feet or around the mouth were very common, including on placebo for numbness. The trial was small and short, and the authors asked for larger, longer studies.

Laboratory studies with blood from people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a form of vasculitis, found that dalazatide reduced inflammatory signals from their memory T cells and antibody production by their B cells. A healthy-volunteer dose study is registered as completed but has not been published in PubMed, and no trial has been registered since 2014. Dalazatide is not approved, and anything sold under its name outside a trial is not the clinical product.

Structured data

At a Glance

Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.

ClassA synthetic peptide inhibitor of the Kv1.3 potassium channel (ShK-186), studied in plaque psoriasis.
FormulaC184H296N57O55PS7
Molecular weight4442 g/mol
Half-lifeNot reported in people; slow absorption, days of exposure in monkeys
Studied dose30–60 mcg (twice weekly, nine doses, subcutaneous)
US statusNot FDA Approved
Evidence levelMedium
Last reviewed2026-10-29

Educational information, not medical advice. The doses on this page come from approved labels, published studies and, where no study exists, amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.

Evidence

Published Research

These are the studies of dalazatide (ShK-186) read from their PubMed abstracts on October 29, 2026: the one human trial, three studies of patients' blood cells or cultured cells, four in rats, mice or monkeys and a review. Papers on other ShK analogues are not carded.

Human2017

Phase 1b in plaque psoriasis

Twenty-four adults with mild to moderate psoriasis were randomised 5:5:2 to 30 or 60 micrograms or placebo under the skin twice weekly, nine doses. Nine of ten on 60 micrograms improved their PASI score by day 32, a significant mean fall. Mild temporary numbness (85% vs 75% placebo) and tingling (70% vs 25%) were the commonest events; inflammatory markers and T-cell activation markers fell.

PMID: 28723914
Animal2012

Why infrequent doses work

In rats and monkeys, ShK-186 left the injection site slowly and kept blood levels above its channel-blocking concentration for up to seven days in monkeys. Brief exposure of human blood cells suppressed cytokine responses for a long time, and in rat models of skin inflammation, multiple sclerosis and arthritis one dose every two to five days matched daily dosing.

PMID: 22637724
In Vitro2024

Vasculitis patients' T cells

Blood from 27 people with granulomatosis with polyangiitis in remission and 16 controls was treated in the laboratory. ShK-186 cut interferon gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-4, IL-17 and IL-21 in helper T cells, mainly in effector memory cells, down to the levels seen in healthy controls.

PMID: 37086441
In Vitro2017

Vasculitis patients' B cells

In blood cells from 33 patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis and 17 controls, ShK-186 lowered total and disease-specific (PR3-ANCA) antibody production and the release of TNF-alpha, IL-2 and interferon gamma by B cells, shifting the balance towards regulatory B cells.

PMID: 29018452
Animal2014

An asthma model in rats

Many T cells in the airways of people with asthma carried high Kv1.3, and ShK-186 blocked allergen activation of patients' blood T cells. In rats sensitised to ovalbumin it reduced airway over-reactivity, inflammatory cells and the Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-5, and raised IL-10.

PMID: 24644290
Animal2013

Obesity and insulin resistance in mice

In mice on a high-fat, high-fructose diet, ShK-186 reduced weight gain, body fat and fatty liver and improved blood sugar, cholesterol and insulin sensitivity, partly by activating brown fat; it did not change weight on normal chow.

PMID: 23729813
Animal2008

Watching memory T cells in inflamed skin

Imaging in living tissue showed that ShK-186 suppressed a delayed-type skin reaction and stopped effector memory T cells enlarging and moving in inflamed tissue, while naive and central memory T cells in lymph nodes were unaffected. It also treated a rat model of multiple sclerosis.

PMID: 18835197
In Vitro2026

Macrophages in a fatty-liver model

In a mouse study of diet-induced steatohepatitis, reducing liver Kv1.3 eased liver injury; in cultured mouse macrophages, ShK-186 reduced cytokine release and migration after a bacterial stimulus by lowering PI3K/AKT signalling.

PMID: 41964679
Review2012

From sea anemone toxin to drug candidate

A review of the ion channels that drive lymphocyte activation and of how ShK-186 was developed from ShK as a candidate treatment for autoimmune disease, written as first human trials were being planned.

PMID: 21867724
Safety

Side Effects & Contraindications

Reported Side Effects

From the one human trial (24 patients, four weeks).

● Temporary mild numbness of the hands, feet or around the mouth: 85% on dalazatide, 75% on placebo
● Temporary mild tingling (paraesthesia): 70% on dalazatide, 25% on placebo
● The trial was described as generally well tolerated; it was too small and short to detect rare or long-term effects

Contraindications & Cautions

No product label exists. These cautions follow from the evidence.

● Not approved for psoriasis or any other condition
● It suppresses part of the immune system, with unknown effects on infection risk over longer use
● The numbness and tingling seen in the trial were temporary, but their cause was not established
● Any product sold under this name has unknown identity, purity and sterility
● Tested athletes: see the Sport (WADA) row in the table below
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

?What is dalazatide?

ShK-186, a synthetic peptide modelled on a sea anemone toxin. It blocks the Kv1.3 potassium channel that chronically activated memory T cells depend on.

?Has it been tested in people?

In one published trial: 24 adults with plaque psoriasis received 30 or 60 micrograms or placebo twice weekly for four weeks. Skin scores improved at the higher dose. A healthy-volunteer study is registered as completed but its results are not in PubMed.

?What are the side effects?

In the psoriasis trial, temporary mild numbness and tingling in the hands, feet or around the mouth were very common. Long-term safety is unknown.

?Is it approved or still in development?

It is not approved anywhere, and no trial has been registered since the two phase 1 studies of 2013 to 2015.

Bibliography

References

  1. [other] PubChem CID 86278334, Dalazatide: formula C184H296N57O55PS7, molecular weight 4442. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/86278334
  2. [clinical-trial] Tarcha EJ, et al. "Safety and pharmacodynamics of dalazatide, a Kv1.3 channel inhibitor, in the treatment of plaque psoriasis: A randomized phase 1b trial." PLoS One, 2017;12(7):e0180762. PMID: 28723914.
  3. [pubmed] Tarcha EJ, et al. "Durable pharmacological responses from the peptide ShK-186, a specific Kv1.3 channel inhibitor that suppresses T cell mediators of autoimmune disease." J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 2012;342(3):642-53. PMID: 22637724.
  4. [pubmed] Lintermans LL, et al. "Kv1.3 blockade by ShK186 modulates CD4+ effector memory T-cell activity of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis." Rheumatology (Oxford), 2024;63(1):198-208. PMID: 37086441.
  5. [pubmed] Land J, et al. "Kv1.3 Channel Blockade Modulates the Effector Function of B Cells in Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis." Front Immunol, 2017;8:1205. PMID: 29018452.
  6. [pubmed] Koshy S, et al. "Blocking KV1.3 channels inhibits Th2 lymphocyte function and treats a rat model of asthma." J Biol Chem, 2014;289(18):12623-32. PMID: 24644290.
  7. [pubmed] Upadhyay SK, et al. "Selective Kv1.3 channel blocker as therapeutic for obesity and insulin resistance." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2013;110(24):E2239-48. PMID: 23729813.
  8. [pubmed] Matheu MP, et al. "Imaging of effector memory T cells during a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction and suppression by Kv1.3 channel block." Immunity, 2008;29(4):602-14. PMID: 18835197.
  9. [pubmed] Ke T, et al. "Kv1.3 regulates macrophage immune function through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to alleviate metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis." J Mol Med (Berl), 2026;104(1). PMID: 41964679.
  10. [review] Chi V, et al. "Development of a sea anemone toxin as an immunomodulator for therapy of autoimmune diseases." Toxicon, 2012;59(4):529-46. PMID: 21867724.
  11. [registry] ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, read October 28, 2026: NCT02446340 (phase 1, healthy volunteers, completed) and NCT02435342 (phase 1, plaque psoriasis, completed).
  12. [other] ChEMBL CHEMBL4297738, dalazatide (synonyms include ShK-186): maximum clinical phase 2 in the ChEMBL molecule record, read October 2, 2026 (the Registry's ChEMBL harvest). https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembl/compound_report_card/CHEMBL4297738/

Sources & Citations

Studies were read from their PubMed records on October 29, 2026. Formula from PubChem CID 86278334; trials from ClinicalTrials.gov; status from Drugs@FDA and the EMA medicines list, searched October 28, 2026. Grey Peptides sells nothing and links to no vendor.

Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making health decisions.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-29