Modelling drug binding to biological ion channels

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In biological systems ion channel proteins sit in cell membranes and selectively allow the passage of particular types of ions, creating currents. Ion currents are important for many biological processes, for instance: regulating ionic concentrations within cells; passing signals (such as nerve impulses); or coordinating contraction of muscle (skeletal muscle and also the heart, diaphragm, gut, uterus etc.). We have been developing novel experimental designs to provide more information about how drugs bind to ion channels from experiments that are possible to do on automated machines. This project will involve computational biophysical modelling (efficient numerical solution of nonlinear ODE systems); the application of statistical techniques to quantify our uncertainty in model parameters and model equations/structure; and some wet-lab laboratory electrophysiology experiments. We will design more information-rich experiments to reduce our uncertainty in the models we develop and work closely with labs to test out experiments we design and improve them.