Channelome

Functional studies

Structure and function of membrane channels are closely linked, but perhaps the most famous work studying the structure of ion channels is the paper by Doyle et al. 1998, which led to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Roderick MacKinnon. Abnormalities of channel structure consequently result in their physiological mis-function. Channelomic studies include the systematic study of diseases resulting from such mis-functions. Such a disease is termed a channelopathy. In addition, channelomic studies screen potential drugs for their effectiveness at channelopathies, by examining the binding affinities of candidate drug compounds.