Channelopathies Group

We currently express five different types of ion channels in four different types of cells, but are almost always ready to try new combinations.

Our work touches on epilepsy, migraine, ataxias, and myotonias - roughly speaking inherited paroxysmal disorders of the nervous system - diseases where patients go along fine until *something* triggers an attack of symptoms, a seizure, headache or episode of weakness.

Current channels in our freezers: sodium channels, potassium channels, chloride channels, NMDA receptors and calcium channels.

The group is located in The Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, and is a part of the Paroxysmal Disorders Research group, the MRC Centre for Neuromuscular disease, and spans the departments of Clinical and experimental epilepsy and Molecular neuroscience.

On a day-to-day basis the group is led by Stephanie Schorge the Pewterers Fellow.

Stephanie Schorge, the current Pewterers Fellow, is the day-to-day supervisor of the Channelopathies group. Her current research revolves around a long-standing interest in the importance of RNA processing, particularly alternative splicing, in regulating ion channel biophysics.

The work has evolved from a PhD project, supervised by Diane Lipscombe at Brown University, focused on the role of RNA processing (splicing and regulated degradation) in controlling calcium channel function. She spent five years investigating the subunit composition and single channel gating behavior of NMDA receptors with David Colquhoun, in the Pharmacology Department at UCL.

After moving to IoN she worked with Dimitri Kullmann for a year on characterizing mutations in potassium and sodium channels linked to human neurological disorders. This position led to her current fellowship investigating how alternative splicing regulates sodium channel function in humans.

Learn more about Stephanie (link)

Leopard photo?