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The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2025/26: Ion channels
Stephen P H Alexander1, Jörg Striessnig2, Alasdair J Gibb3
1Division of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
British Journal of Pharmacology
|December 29, 2025
Summary
The Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 offers a comprehensive overview of drug targets and their interactions. This biennial publication provides expert-curated recommendations for pharmacological tools, serving as a stable, citable record of drug target information.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
- Biomedical Sciences
Background:
- The British Journal of Pharmacology publishes biennial editions of the Concise Guide to Pharmacology.
- The guide presents a comparative overview of drug target families and their pharmacology.
- It is a condensed version of the comprehensive online database at www.guidetopharmacology.org.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a clear, accessible, and well-structured summary of human drug targets and their interactions.
- To offer expert-curated recommendations for selective pharmacological tools.
- To serve as a permanent, citable, point-in-time record of pharmacological information.
Main Methods:
- Summarization of key pharmacological properties for approximately 1900 human drug targets.
- Inclusion of nearly 7000 interactions involving around 4400 ligands.
- Expert curation of 'Gold Standard' selective pharmacological tools.
Main Results:
- The 2025/26 edition covers six major pharmacological target classes: ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes, and transporters.
- It includes official International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR) classification and nomenclature where applicable.
- Provides concise summaries, information on pharmacological tools, key references, and further reading suggestions for each target family.
Conclusions:
- The Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 is a valuable resource for researchers and scientists in pharmacology and related fields.
- It serves as an essential reference for understanding drug targets and selecting appropriate pharmacological tools.
- The guide complements the online database by providing a stable, citable snapshot of current pharmacological knowledge.
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