As part of the the LabTube meets series of interviews Marc Rogers, Metrion Biosciences CSO, outlines the benefits of targeting ion channels for pain and some of the hurdles in developing successful ion channel modulators.

Ion channels play a key role in regulating resting membrane potential and cell excitability and are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention.

Thallium (Tl+) flux assays, which measure the flow of Tl+ through potassium channels, offer a high throughput method for the identification of potassium channel activators.

Rogers, M. MedNous, November-December 2019. Article published in the November-December 2019 edition of ‘MedNous’, a publication of Evernow Publishing Ltd.

Recent work by FDA and HESI CiPA working groups indicate that in vitro hERG, Nav1.5 and Cav1.2 potency data in addition to dynamic hERG kinetic data is required to accurately predict proarrhythmic risk.

Cardiac toxicity remains the leading cause of new drug safety side-effects. Current preclinical cardiac safety assays rely on in vitro cell-based ion channel assays and ex vivo and in vivo animal models. These assays provide an indication of acute risk but they do not always predict the effect of chronic compound exposure, as recently seen with oncology drugs.

Metrion Biosciences is a UK based CRO, located at Granta Park in Cambridge. Our team has substantial expertise in providing research services to deliver preclinical and clinical stage drug candidates, and has a proven track record of providing high quality drug discovery services to our customers for ion channel targets on a fee-for-service or collaboration basis. The Metrion team takes pride in providing a knowledgeable, collaborative and flexible service to all customers, whether for small stand alone projects or fully integrated drug discovery programmes.

Ion channels represent 15 – 20% of historic drug approvals and recent drug discovery projects. Many ion channel families (Nav, Cav, TRPx and GABA) are validated as therapeutic targets based on human genetics, animal models and selective pharmacology. However, ion channels are challenging targets requiring expert target class knowledge and specialised screening technology such as automated patch-clamp (APC) electrophysiology.

Domainex and Metrion Biosciences have formed an alliance to identify new chemical hits against ion-channel targets. Key to this collaboration are Domainex’s experience in hit identification and Metrion Bioscience’s expertise in ion channel screening and pharmacology.

Meents, J.E.; Bressan, E.; Sontag, S.; Foerster, A.; Hautvast, P.; Rösseler, C.; Hampl, M.; Schüler, H.; Goetzke, R.; Le TKC.; Kleggetveit, I.P.; Le Cann, K.; Kerth, C.; Rush, A.M.; Rogers, M.; Kohl, Z.; Schmelz, M.; Wagner, W.; Jørum, E.; Namer, B.; Winner, B.; Zenke, M.; Lampert, A. PAIN, March 22, 2019.

Presentation from Metrion Biosciences’ external speaker series, Professor Nikita Gamper, University of Leeds, 5th February 2019.