Designing Next-generation Therapies for Ion Channelopathies

Every breath, each heartbeat, and every thought begin as electrical impulses generated by ion flux across neuron and muscle cell membranes through protein conduits known as ion channels. Aberrant function of these molecules results in a debilitating class of diseases known as ion channelopathies.  The associated clinical phenotypes are far ranging, including cardiac arrhythmias, seizures and sudden death, but there are few effective treatment strategies.

We use state-of-the-art protein engineering methodologies to devise a new class of synthetic ion channel “actuators,” that precisely tune ion channel function and localization. The ultimate goal is to develop new and effective therapeutic approaches for difficult to treat ion channelopathies.