Sara LIIN - University of Linköping - Sweden

Abstract

The voltage-gated potassium (Kv) ion channel Kv7.1/KCNE1 plays an important role in tuning cardiac excitability. Loss of function of Kv7.1/KCNE1 is linked to conditions like Long QT Syndrome. Therefore, Kv7.1/KCNE1 has been highlighted as a promising new pharmacological target to treat specific cardiac arrhythmias. In this overall project, we aim to understand how the Kv7.1/KCNE1 channel is modulated by endogenous and synthetic ligands and how to utilize gained insights in rational drug development. We use electrophysiology techniques in combination with molecular dynamics simulations and synthetic chemistry to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying modulating effects. We anticipate that the molecular understanding of how ligands like steroid hormones and polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate the Kv7.1/KCNE1 channel will open new avenues for future risk assessment and development of more effective anti-arrhythmic drugs utilizing similar binding sites and mechanisms of action.

Biography

Sara Liin has a PhD in Neurobiology from 2011 and has performed subsequent postdoctoral training in the field of ion channel biophysics at University of Miami and Stockholm University. She started her independent lab at Linköping University, Sweden, in 2016, where she is now an Associate Professor. Her research focuses on how ion channels are regulated by drugs and endogenous compounds, and how inherited variations in ion channels affect their ability to conduct current. The hope is that this fundamental research will open new avenues for treatment of conditions such as cardiac arrhythmia and epilepsy.