Targeting ION Channels with Biologics
Tristan Vaughan,
Vice President R&D, Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering,
MedImmune Ltd
Ion channels are complex integral membrane proteins that form a pore through which ions selectively pass down an electrochemical gradient and are present in all cell types. They are particularly prominent components of the nervous system where they can mediate transduction across synapses. Hence, certain channels potentially represent good drug targets, especially for alleviating pain. However, ion channels are arguably the most technically challenging class of proteins to target with a biologic due to their complex membrane-integrated structures , large size and multiple functional conformations. We will describe a novel approach to target such ion channels with antibody-based drugs and present a case study where functional channel-closing and modulating antibodies have been successfully identified to a ligand-gated ion channel.
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