Ion Channel Screening Services
From manual patch clamp to high throughput automated ion channel screening techniques, Creative Biolabs can test your product against a variety of ion channels and transporters. Our knowledgeable crew provides the most expert solutions and cutting-edge technologies to guarantee the advancement of our customers' studies.
Ion channels are a large family of proteins that span membranes and reduce the amount of free energy needed for ions to cross the plasma membrane. For neurons, heart, and muscle cells to operate properly, ionic flow through ion channels lays the groundwork for membrane excitability and neurotransmission. Depending on the evaluation criteria utilized, precise computation of the number of ion-channel drug targets and ion-channel targeted pharmaceuticals varies greatly. But according to a recent estimate, the top four gene families that are the targets of currently accessible medications are G-protein coupled receptors, nuclear receptors, ligand-gated and voltage-gated channels.
Fig.1. Ion channel. (Wikipedia)
High-throughput Platforms of Ion Channel Screening
High-throughput platforms use electrophysiological techniques to characterize chemical activity. For ion-channel screening, additional approaches including measuring ion flux and using fluorescent indicator dyes are frequently utilized, although electrophysiological methods that regulate the voltage of the cellular membrane have clear advantages. Voltage-gated channels benefit greatly from electrophysiological approaches since they allow for fine control of the channel's 'ligand'. Patch-clamp electrophysiology in mammalian cells or two-electrode voltage clamp in Xenopus oocytes has been the electrophysiologist's go-to test. These methods can only support the evaluation of a small number of chemicals because they are labor-intensive, need highly skilled personnel, and are exceedingly information-rich. As a result, ion-channel drug discovery programs now include higher-throughput techniques that leverage cell-based assays with membrane potential or Ca2+ sensitive dyes or ion-flux measurements as essential elements.
Fig.2. Manual electrophysiology. (Dunlop, 2008)
Applications of our Ion Channel Screening Services
Our ion channel screening service series uses atomic absorption spectroscopy to measure the concentrations of relevant intracellular and extracellular ions to identify the movements of ions through membrane proteins. This method is separate from and in addition to those that rely on voltage manipulation. Ion flux is a direct indicator of channel and transporter activity, making these assays more reliable and resistant to errors. It can be used for:
- Ion channels and transporters drug discovery
- Cardiac safety research
- Cancer biomarker research
- Stem cell research
Advantages of our Ion Channel Screening Services
- High throughput
- High sensitivity
- Low cost
- Small sample size
- Available for 96-/384-well microplate
- Widespread use: Ion channels and transporters for ions
Creative Biolabs has been long-devoted in ion channel drug screening. From experiment design to data analysis, we offer one-stop and step-to-step custom services to facilitate your project success. Please contact us for more details about our services.
Reference
- Dunlop, J.; et al. High-throughput electrophysiology: an emerging paradigm for ion-channel screening and physiology. Nature reviews Drug discovery. 2008, 7(4): 358-368.
