Bioengineers develop artificial chip for testing how drugs interact with ion channels
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - 06:30
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) -- Ion channels, proteins embedded in cell membranes, are central to many of the human body's physiological processes, including cardiac activity. For this reason, they are also important targets for cardiac drugs. But unanticipated interactions between drugs and ion channels can have catastrophic effects, potentially leading to cardiac arrhythmia and death.