By accurately defining the drug exposure levels that affect QRS duration, researchers can establish safety margins, prioritise lower-risk compounds, and reduce the chance of late-stage failures due to cardiac toxicity
Successful ion channel drug discovery depends on robust and reproducible assay performance.
Our scientists specialise in:
Every assay is tailored to the specific target biology and project requirements to ensure generation of high-confidence pharmacology data.
Automated electrophysiology screeningAutomated patch clamp technologies enable medium- to high-throughput ion channel screening while maintaining high-quality electrophysiological data.
Our automated electrophysiology services support:
We have extensive experience using the Sophion Qube automated electrophysiology platform to deliver robust and reproducible assays across a wide range of ion channel targets.
Figure 1. Example recording of hASIC1a inward current recorded on the Qube automated electrophysiology platform. Cells are held at -60 mV with ASIC1a activated by the addition of extracellular solution buffered to pH 6.3 (black trace). The effect of inhibitor, diminazene, at 100 nM and 30 µM on the inward current is displayed in the blue and red traces, respectively.
Figure 2. Diminazene concentration-response curve displaying an IC50 of 1.13 µM (pIC50 = 5.95).
Figure 3. The pIC50 values of the reference compound, diminazene, against ASIC1a included in the Qube experiments when supporting Medicinal Chemistry Hit-to-Lead activities.
Manual patch clamp electrophysiologyManual patch clamp remains the gold standard for detailed ion channel characterisation and complex pharmacological investigations.
Our experienced electrophysiologists use manual patch clamp approaches for:
These studies are particularly valuable during lead optimisation and translational pharmacology programmes where detailed mechanistic understanding is required.
Fluorescence-based ion channel assaysFluorescence-based assays provide efficient higher-throughput approaches for ion channel screening and profiling.
We develop and optimise assays including:
These platforms can provide effective screening solutions for large compound libraries and complement electrophysiology-based approaches during screening cascades.
We support early-stage screening programmes with robust assays designed to identify and confirm active compounds against ion channel targets.
Our rapid screening workflows generate high-quality SAR data to guide medicinal chemistry decision-making and accelerate progression of promising series.
Detailed electrophysiology and mechanistic pharmacology studies support optimisation of potency, selectivity and developability.
We provide ion channel safety profiling services, including hERG screening and selectivity assessment, to help identify potential liabilities early in development.
Our scientists conduct detailed biophysical and pharmacological investigations to characterise compound behaviour and support translational decision-making.
We support a broad range of ion channel families and therapeutic targets.
If your target is not listed, please contact us to discuss bespoke assay development options.
As a specialist ion channel CRO, our experienced ion channel scientists bring decades of industry expertise across assay development, electrophysiology, ion channel pharmacology and drug discovery support. We have extensive experience supporting programmes targeting voltage-gated, ligand-gated, TRP and ASIC ion channels across multiple therapeutic areas.
We combine robust assay design with rigorous quality control to generate reliable, reproducible ion channel pharmacology data. Our scientists develop and optimise assays to support consistent performance, reliable compound profiling and confident decision-making throughout drug discovery programmes.
Every programme is tailored to your scientific objectives, target biology, pharmacology and project timelines. We support a wide range of ion channel assay formats, screening strategies and mechanistic pharmacology studies.
We understand the importance of timely data generation during hit identification, hit-to-lead and lead optimisation programmes. Our workflows are designed to support efficient progression of ion channel drug discovery projects.
Our services span ion channel screening including high-throughput screening, neuroscience and cardiac safety to support progression through the discovery pipeline. This includes automated electrophysiology, manual patch clamp and fluorescence-based ion channel assay platforms. We also provide ready-to-go and customised cell lines engineered for reliable, reproducible screening success.
We provide access to commercially available compound libraries, including Assay.Works and Enamine collections, with freedom to operate to support ion channel screening and profiling programmes.
Automated patch clamp is an electrophysiology technique that enables higher-throughput measurement of ion channel activity while maintaining high-quality functional data. It is widely used in drug discovery screening and lead optimisation.
Electrophysiology directly measures ion channel currents and provides detailed functional data. Fluorescence assays are typically higher throughput but provide indirect measurements of ion channel activity.
Common ion channel targets include sodium (Nav), potassium (Kv), calcium (Cav), TRP, ASIC and ligand-gated ion channels such as GABA and NMDA receptors.
hERG screening assesses compound activity against the hERG potassium channel to identify potential cardiac safety liabilities during drug development.
Yes. We specialise in developing customised ion channel assays tailored to specific targets, pharmacology and project requirements.
By accurately defining the drug exposure levels that affect QRS duration, researchers can establish safety margins, prioritise lower-risk compounds, and reduce the chance of late-stage failures due to cardiac toxicity
By accurately defining the drug exposure levels that affect QRS duration, researchers can establish safety margins, prioritise lower-risk compounds, and reduce the chance of late-stage failures due to cardiac toxicity