Targeting voltage sensing for drug development (2017-2019)
Abstract
Voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs) respond to changes in the cellular membrane potential to generate electrical signals. They are one of the largest classes of signal transduction molecules and are implicated in a multitude of diseases and disorders. Drug discovery programs targeting VGICs have to date proven very challenging with current drugs targeting less than 10 of the known ion channels. I have developed a unique approach to study the structure and function VGICs using advanced methods in solution-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Through this fellowship I will establish a VGIC drug discovery platform that will produce drug leads for the development of safer analgesics for treatment of chronic pain.
