Ion Channel Assay Services
Ion channels are critical molecular targets for therapeutic development and safety pharmacology. This diverse protein class includes over 400 identified subunits that assemble in essentially combinatorial configurations, creating tremendous structural and functional diversity. Ion channel modulators are pursued across multiple therapeutic areas including pain, CNS disorders, cardiac arrhythmias, and metabolic disease.
Reaction Biology offers ion channel screening services spanning early hit identification through IND-enabling safety assessment. Our capabilities include binding assays for rapid liability flagging, manual patch clamp for high-fidelity electrophysiology, CiPA-compliant ion channel panels for regulatory submissions, and FLIPR-based functional assays for higher throughput applications.
Methods
Ion channel screening methods include:
- hERG binding assay — fluorescence polarization format for early cardiac liability triage
- Manual patch clamp — whole-cell voltage clamp with gigaohm seal quality; IND-enabling data for hERG, Nav1.5, Cav1.2
- CiPA ion channel panel — hERG, Nav1.5, and Cav1.2 tested under CiPA-compliant conditions
- FLIPR-based functional assays — calcium flux and membrane potential readouts for GABA(A), nAChR, and other ligand-gated channels
- Cardiac safety assessment — tiered proarrhythmic risk evaluation from ion channel binding through Purkinje fiber action potential and Langendorff isolated heart ECG
Additional ion channel targets available via our partner network. Contact us for pain-related assays including Nav1.7, Nav1.8, Nav1.9, P2X, and NMDA receptors.