Rapid Progression in Ion Channel Drug Discovery are Expected

BioSeeker Group has studied new progress in ion channel drug discovery. Several factors point towards a fast development in this field. Increased knowledge of novel targets in combination with a strong progress in drug discovery technologies has strongly contributed to this fast development. Resulting in a variety of commercial opportunities.

(PRWEB) May 13, 2004 -- Ion channels play a significant role in a great number of cell types and occur as large families of related genes with cell-specific expression patterns. Considering the access to the human genome, progress in transcription profiling revealing the tissue specific distributions of ion channels, they will play a much more important role as therapeutic drug targets in the future. Dysfunction of ion channels is related with many common diseases, such as cardiac arrhythmias, diabetes, hypertension, angina pectoris and epilepsy.

One of the main obstacles for the drug discovery companies has been to screen for compounds interacting with ion channels in an efficient way. Moreover, the last two years have resulted in important developments of the current screening techniques, and as a result it is possible that we will witness a breakthrough for the ion channel drug discovery companies in the next century.

BioSeeker Group has analyzed the technical development of ion channel drug screening techniques such as ion- flux-, patch-clamping, patch-on-a-chip and high-throughput assays. Moreover, an in-depth review of the current targets and drugs in ion channel R&D in both pre-clinical and clinical developmental stage has been analyzed.

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