Cryo-EM Workflows Guide Drug Discovery for Intractable Targets

Ion channels are important clinical targets that play a central role in cellular excitability, and dysfunctions are associated with several neurological disorders such as Epilepsy, Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic inflammatory pain. Thus, developing a molecular-level understanding of ion channel function that involves stimuli sensing, channel gating, ionic selectivity, and drug recognition and modulation will drive the development of novel treatment options for related pathophysiological conditions.

Cryo-EM has become a valuable tool in structure-based drug design to elucidate structure-activity relationships of intractable targets such as ion channels, transporters, receptors, and membrane–protein complexes at resolutions that can reveal binding pockets of small molecules and makes it easier to unambiguously assign binding mode of small molecules into their biological targets.

In this GEN webinar, our expert panelists will discuss the most recent data on how cryo-EM-enabled structural insights are guiding the development of novel strategies for rational drug design in serotonin (3A) receptors and glycine receptors.

A live Q&A session followed the presentation, offering a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.