Patent ID: 6979547

Claim:
A method of identifying an ion channel blocker for a voltage-sensitive potassium, sodium, or calcium channel, said method comprising: (a) providing a functional voltage-sensitive potassium, sodium, or calcium channel having an external vestibule portion, wherein said external vestibule portion is the portion of the channel located between an S5 transmembrane and pore forming region of the channel or between the pore forming region and an S6 transmembrane of the channels; (b) identifying a compound that binds to the external vestibule portion; and (c) determining whether the compound identified in step (b) inhibits transport through the channel, thereby identifying, as an ion channel blocker for the channel, an antibody, binding portion of the antibody, probe, or ligand which inhibits ion transport through the channel by binding to the external vestibule portion of the channel.