Recent advances in electrophysiology-based screening technology and the impact upon ion channel discovery research

Ion channels are recognised as an increasingly tractable class of targets for the discovery and development of new drugs, with a diverse range of ion channel proteins now implicated across a wide variety of disease states and potential therapeutic applications. Whilst the field now ranks as one of the most dynamic fields for drug discovery research, it has historically been regarded by many researchers as a class of proteins associated with numerous technical challenges. Recent advances in our understanding of molecular biology and the increasing acceptance of electrophysiology-based screening methodology mean that ion channels are rapidly progressing towards universal acceptance as worthy and approachable targets for drug discovery. This chapter will outline the commercially available electrophysiology-based screening technologies and give an overview of the range of options for progressing pharmaceutical research and development against this important target class.