Day One

• Revealing how ion channel behavior in human nociceptors differs from animal models and recombinant systems used in early discovery
• Interpreting state dependent and activity dependent pharmacology to avoid false confidence from simplified assay readouts
• Improving early development decisions by aligning electrophysiology data with native human neuronal function

• Revealing how neuronal and skeletal muscle sodium channel isoforms are differentially expressed across cardiac tissues beyond the canonical NaV1.5 paradigm
• Demonstrating how disease remodeling and pharmacological perturbation alter sodium channel composition to influence cardiac arrhythmia risk
• Applying protein engineering and ion channel pharmacology approaches to improve safety assessment for next-generation voltage-gated sodium channel therapeutics

• Defining how Kv7 activators modulate voltage-gated potassium channels to improve mechanistic understanding of ion channel pharmacology
• Revealing how membrane lipid composition influences drug activity, specificity, and channel regulation across Kv7 subtypes
• Applying molecular-level insights to understand selectivity, potency, and efficacy of potassium channel targeted therapeutics for epilepsy and pain disorders

Join our speed networking session tailored for ion channel professionals, to connect with fellow industry peers to facilitate rapid yet meaningful exchanges of insights and expertise. Elevate your networking experience during this session designed for impactful connections within the space.

• Exploring the transformative role of automated electrophysiology platforms in high-throughput ion channel screening for drug discovery 
• Detailing the application of these technologies in early safety profiling to efficiently detect cardiotoxic and neurotoxic risks, with a goal to minimizing late-stage attrition 
• Discussing strategic screening approaches to identify potent, selective, and safe modulators, enhancing mechanistic understanding and expediting therapeutic development 

• Clarifying target rationale for lysosomal ion channels implicated in neurodegenerative disease to support early investment decisions
• Integrating electrophysiology, functional cell assays & chemistry iteration to progress intracellular channel hits toward development candidates
• Managing assay design & mechanistic uncertainty when optimizing compounds against non‑plasma membrane ion channels
• Achieving high brain penetrance while maintaining potency

• Clarifying target rationale for lysosomal ion channels implicated in neurodegenerative disease to support early investment decisions 
• Integrating electrophysiology, functional cell assays & chemistry iteration to progress intracellular channel hits toward development candidates 
• Managing assay design & mechanistic uncertainty when optimizing compounds against non‑plasma membrane ion channels 
• Achieving high brain penetrance while maintaining potency 

• Scaffold proteins interact with ion channels to regulate neuronal activity
• Short lipidated peptides (SLiPs) can be engineered to disrupt pathological complexes between scaffold proteins and ion channels
• MM-3001 is a fast-onset, long-acting, investigational SLiP for the treatment of chronic pain

• Targeting the CRMP2–SUMOylation pathway to indirectly regulate NaV1.7 surface expression and DRG excitability  
• Demonstrating a differentiated strategy to overcome the clinical limitations of direct NaV1.7 pore blockers  
• Advancing small molecules against the CRMP2–SUMO interface toward first-in-human development through NIH collaboration 

• Demonstrating how targeted ion channel modulation can treat clinically relevant phenotypes through integrated electrophysiology, behavioral and bioinformatics approaches 
• Focusing on translational measures to evaluate the potential for disease modification with Nav1.1 modulation 
• Highlighting a multi-layered preclinical strategy to evaluate target biology and therapeutic potential prior to clinical development

Take this opportunity to showcase your latest research and innovations with your peers and understand the strategies of your fellow ion channel experts. Visit the website for the full T&Cs of submitting a poster

Ion channel programs continue to face high attrition due to poor translation from preclinical models into humans. This workshop focuses on how to design more predictive strategies using human relevant models, biomarkers and early clinical insight. 

• Understanding why ion channel programs fail in translation & what improves human predictability 
• Leveraging human iPSC models, organoids & new approach methodologies to strengthen translational relevance 
• Designing assay cascades that connect in vitro, in vivo & human biology to support progression decisions 
• Identifying biomarkers for target engagement, patient stratification & early clinical readouts