Chemical compounds enter or leave cells mainly via membrane transport proteins, such as ion channel proteins and ATP-powered ion pumps (ATPases). Membrane transporters play a crucial role in various cellular functions, including intracellular homeostasis, signal transduction, cell metabolism, energy transduction and recognition process in the immune system.
They are classified as:
- Voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs): mediate the influx of ions (Ca2+, Na+, K+) in response to membrane depolarization
- Ligand-gated or chemically-gated ion channels: open when a chemical ligand such as a neurotransmitter binds to the protein
- Mechanically-gated ion channels: open in response to physical deformation of the receptor, as in sensory receptors of touch and pressure
- Ion pumps: critical membrane proteins that carry out active transport by using cellular energy (ATP) to “pump” the ions against their concentration gradient.
Ion channels are important molecular targets in drug development, and their modulators are an extremely successful drug class. Several marketed drugs, specifically targeting ion channels (amlodipine, zolpidem, alprazolam, repaglinide, nateglinide, etc.), have generated substantial revenues.
Life Chemicals has designed its proprietary Ion Channel Compound Libraries of structurally diverse screening compounds for discovery of novel ion channel ligands. Potential small-molecule ion channel modulators were selected by both ligand-based and receptor-based approaches.
The compound selection can be customized based on your requirements, cherry picking is available.
Please, contact us at orders@lifechemicals.com for any additional information and price quotations.
For a pre plated set based on this Screening Library, please explore our Pre-plated Focused Libraries.