Ion Channel Research
Electric currents are responsible for central, vital functions in the human body. The heartbeat, muscle movements and brain activity, for example, would not be possible without electric stimuli. The body is controlled through electric signals by means of ion channels, microscopic membrane pores that act like electric switches, switching certain currents in cells off and on. These currents are generated by the flux of special, charged particles known as ions. A particular ion channel is always responsible for regulating the concentration of certain ions, such as potassium, calcium or sodium ions. One of the most important ion channels is the hERG potassium channel, which plays a crucial role in regulating the cardiac rhythm.
The role of ion channel research is to investigate the chemical substance-mediated effects at cell level generated by the activation of ion channels. Even a small number of molecules can have a significant effect if these bind to the ion channels and influence their function. For this reason, ion channel research has become an important branch of pharmacological research: The development of drugs that work by changing the way ion channels function is a highly promising field.
The only method for taking high-resolution, real-time measurements of ion channels is the patch clamp method. In its conventional form, this method requires laborious, manual process stages. flyion provides the pharmaceutical and biotech industry with automated, high-throughput methods that deliver superlative-quality data and thus play a key role in rationalizing ion channel screening.