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Updated: May 17, 2026

Crystal Structure of the N-terminal Domain of Ryanodine Receptor from Plutella xylostella
Published on: November 30, 2018
Ryanodine receptor patents
Alexander Kushnir1, Andrew R Marks
1Department of Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1400 Pelham ParkwaySouth, New York, NY 10461, USA.
Abstract:
Research over the past two decades has implicated dysfunction of the ryanodine receptor (RyR), a Ca(2+) release channel on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) required for excitation-contraction (EC) coupling, in the pathogenesis of cardiac and skeletal myopathies. These discoveries have led to the development of novel drugs, screening tools, and research methods. The patents associated with these advances tell the story of the initial discovery of RyRs as a target for plant alkaloids, to their central role in cardiac and skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling, and ongoing clinical trials with a novel class of drugs called RycalsTM that inhibit pathological intracellular Ca(2+) leak. Additionally, these patents highlight questions, controversies, and future directions of the RyR field.
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