David J. Triggle is a Professor for Pharmacy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA, where he is investigating drug-receptor interactions and has specialized in ion channel pharmacology. He is the author of several books, has contributed around 350 papers, chapters and reviews, and has presented over 1,000 lectures worldwide. David Rampe is currently head of the Safety Pharmacology Department at Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals in Bridgewater, NJ, USA. Over the past 17 years he has worked in both the discovery and development areas of the pharmaceutical industry. Wei Zheng is a Group Leader at the NIH Chemical Genomics Center. He was previously a Group Leader at Merck's centralized screening center. Over the past 12 years he has being working in the area of assay development and high throughput screening. Murali Gopalakrishnan is a Project Leader in the Neuroscience Research Division of Abbott Laboratories, Illinois, USA. Over the past 12 years he has been engaged in various drug discovery programs in the areas of central nervous system, urology and pain.

Edited by the most prominent person in the field and top researchers at US pharmaceutical companies, this is a unique resource for drug developers and physiologists seeking a molecular-level understanding of ion channel pharmacology.

IntroductionStructure and Function of Ion ChannelsDrug Interaction at Ion ChannelsAssay TechnologiesBinding StudiesIon FluxesFluorescence StudiesPatch ClampingCalcium ChannelsOverviewT-type ChannelsL-type ChannelsN-type ChannelsSodium ChannelsOverviewChannel Subtype SelectivityPotassium ChannelsOverviewKv1.3Kv1.5Ca-activated channelsK(ATP)KCNQGenetic and Acquired ChannelopathiesOverviewHERGLong QT SyndromeSafety Issues in Ion Channel Drug Development

Edited by the most prominent person in the field and top researchers at US pharmaceutical companies, this is a unique resource for drug developers and physiologists seeking a molecular-level understanding of ion channel pharmacology.After an introduction to the topic, the authors evaluate the structure and function of ion channels, as well as related drug interaction. A section on assay technologies is followed by a section each on calcium, sodium and potassium channels. Further chapters cover genetic and acquired channelopathies, before the book closes with a look at safety issues in ion channel drug development.For medicinal and pharmaceutical chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists and those working in the pharmaceutical industry.