When developing potential new drugs, pharmaceutical companies need to know how effectively they act on their target cells. Approximately 60% of drugs work on cell membrane proteins, which include ion channels. Ion channels are particularly important in epilepsy, because it is the movement of ions through them that creates electrical signals in neurons. Too much of this electrical activity can lead to seizures.

The effectiveness of a drug is often gauged by measuring the activity of individual ion channels after its administration. Scientists currently do this using electrodes to examine whole cells, but measurements taken in this way include the activity of several / all of the types of ion channel present in the cell, not just specific channels. In addition, this method can be expensive, contributing to higher drug costs.

Researchers at the University of Southampton and Birkbeck College, University of London, are developing a new technology, which they hope will allow more efficient testing of new drugs.

The team will produce an array of artificial cell membranes, each containing different, known ion channels. They will then use this platform to test the effect of drugs on each of the ion channels. Talking about the benefits of this technology, Dr Maurits de Planque, from the School of Electronics and Computer Sciences (ECS), at the University of Southampton said, "By putting the ion channel into an artificial membrane, we only have one type of channel, no living cells and a relatively inexpensive method for testing for several of these types of channels at once."

The project, known as the Bilayer Platform project, has been awarded a £1.2 grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. It will take just over three years and could potentially benefit both the public and private sector industries. For people with epilepsy, or any other condition that requires long-term drug treatment, the lower costs could mean drugs become available on the NHS when they wouldn't previously have been. In addition, this technology could facilitate future research into epilepsy, chronic pain and types of heart disease.

We look forward to the results of this study

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