Computational Biochemistry

配体门控离子通道(LGICs)允许离子通过生物膜，与人类健康密切相关。尽管许多LGIC被认为是有吸引力的药物靶点，但就其功能以及对健康和疾病的影响而言，许多LGIC尚未得到很好的了解。为了设计更好的药物，马斯加德·S博士采用计算化学的方法来了解两种LGIC的基本激活和调节机制，即酸敏感离子通道和兰尼定受体。这一认识将改善治疗包括心脏病、慢性疼痛障碍和精神障碍在内的各种疾病的前景。

Ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) allow the flux of ions across biological membranes and are implicated in human health. Despite being considered as attractive pharmaceutical targets, many LGICs are not yet well understood in terms of their function and impact on health and disease. With the goal of designing better drugs, Dr. Musgaard¿s approach is to use computational chemistry methods to understand the fundamental activation and regulation mechanisms of two LGICs, namely acid-sensing ion channels and ryanodine receptors. This understanding will improve the prospects of treating a myriad of conditions including heart disease, chronic pain disorders and psychiatric disorders.