The TenZero Story

Following a serious spinal cord injury, most patients develop severe neuropathic pain in areas of their bodies in which they have no sensation. This pain results from electrical hyperactivity within a specific area of the spinal cord – the dorsal root entry zone or DREZ – and can be excruciating, often 9 or 10 on a zero-to-10 scale. 

For more than 30 years, neurosurgeon and TenZero founder Dr. Scott Falci has treated patients surgically, identifying hyperactive tissue within the DREZ and ablating it. For approximately 85% of patients treated with this surgery, the result has been virtually complete relief from pain.

With the advent of proteomic technology, Dr. Falci and the TenZero team were able to ask what makes this electrically hyperactive tissue different: what is causing the pain? Working with SomaLogic's SomaScan 5K array, which measures more than 5,000 proteins in a single sample, the TenZero team has identified proteins that may play a causal role in neuropathic pain. These proteins are potential targets for next-generation drugs and biologics for neuropathic pain without the risk of addiction - and limited effectiveness - of current options. 

Our ultimate goal is to take even the most challenging, level-ten pain and drive toward zero.