An early phase study of Kv1.3 channel-blocking ShK analog (ShK-186/dalazatide) in humans has demonstrated safety, supported by multiple pre-clinical studies showing safety and efficacy of Kv1.3 blockers in models of systemic autoimmunity, obesity, CNS demyelinating disorders, and neurodegeneration [15, 18, 28, 42–44], suggesting that rapid translation of Kv1.3 blockers to ischemic stroke is feasible [45]. This evidence concerns the gene SHPK and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.