Special Issue "Ion Channel Inhibiting Marine Toxins"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Peter C. Ruben
Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Website: http://www.sfu.ca/bpk/faculty_directory/ruben.html
E-Mail: pruben@sfu.ca
Phone: +1 778 782 3497
Fax: +1 778 782 3040
Interests: voltage-gated ion channels; toxins; evolution

Dear Colleagues,

Ion channels are important targets for therapeutic drugs. A wide range of diseases and disorders stem from ion channel dysfunction. The oceans are a source of toxins that have effects known to inhibit ion channels; many more drugs of therapeutic significance may yet be found within the oceans’ depths. Some marine toxins are already recognized for their great potential to treat, for example, neuropathic pain through their inhibition and blockade of voltage-gated ion channels. As more marine toxins become purified and tested for their effects on ion channels, more applications will inevitably be discovered that have important medical ramifications.
This special issue of Marine Drugs is dedicated to toxins that inhibit ion channels, and seeks to emphasize the importance of channel-inhibiting toxins as potential therapeutic agents and as research tools. It is my honor to serve as Guest Editor for this special issue, and to invite scientists to report recent advances or review the recent literature on the full spectrum of research questions associated with toxins that inhibit ion channels. I eagerly anticipate working with you towards a successful special issue of Marine Drugs focused upon channel-inhibiting marine toxins. On behalf of the journal, I hope this special issue becomes a vehicle for the latest developments in this exciting and important research area.

Dr. Peter C. Ruben
Guest Editor

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs).

• voltage-gated ion channels
• ligand-gated ion channels
• receptors
• blockade
• inhibition
• marine toxins
• venom
• antagonist