Reliable, high throughput KV7 assays are important because KV7 ion channels play a key role in regulating neuronal excitability, which is closely linked to both pain signalling and seizure activity.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterised by recurrent, unprovoked seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can vary widely in severity and presentation, ranging from brief lapses in awareness to widespread convulsions.
At a cellular level, epilepsy is often associated with an imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. Ion channels are central to this process because they regulate the movement of ions across cell membranes and therefore control neuronal excitability and signalling. Alterations in ion channel function can disrupt normal electrical activity and increase the likelihood of seizure generation.
Many forms of epilepsy are now recognised as channelopathies, meaning they are linked to mutations or dysfunction in ion channel genes. Research into voltage gated sodium, potassium and calcium ion channels has therefore become an important area of epilepsy research and drug discovery.
Reliable, high throughput KV7 assays are important because KV7 ion channels play a key role in regulating neuronal excitability, which is closely linked to both pain signalling and seizure activity.
Kv7 ion channels are highly relevant to epilepsy because they are voltage gated potassium ion channels that help regulate neuronal excitability and suppress excessive electrical firing in the brain.