hERG Channel Facility

Prolongation of the QT interval and the onset of Torsades de pointes induced by drugs, have become the object of particular attention by the regulatory authorities. The International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) has published guidelines to identify the potential for delayed ventricular repolarization (QT interval prolongation) by human pharmaceuticals and their metabolites. The guideline on pre-clinical studies, ICH-S7B, suggests in vitro I_Kr evaluations through patch-clamp experiments using, for example, a hERG heterologous expression system.

At the University of Siena, a "hERG channel facility", directed by Dr. Simona Saponara and Dr. Fabio Fusi, is operating. It allows the study of the effects of new drugs on the I_Kr current recorded in HEK293 cells, which express the human K_V11.1 channel (hERG). This service, fee-paying (see attached flyer), is accessible to academics and non-academics, private or public.