Ertel S I, Ertel E A
Sundgau Medical Writers, Habsheim, France.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 1997 Feb;18(2):37-42. doi: 10.1016/s0165-6147(96)01021-8.
Although progress in our understanding of T channels and their physiological role has been slower than with other Ca2+ channels, it was clear during this two-day workshop that interest and research in the field remain very intense. Advances have been hampered by many factors: small current amplitude, lack of pharmacological tools, apparent heterogeneity, and lack of a cloned channel. Nevertheless, many interesting roles for T channels have been described, which point to a generally subtle modulatory action. Furthermore, recent results suggest that the above barriers might soon be abolished: new pharmacological tools (mibefradil and newer generation compounds) with T-channel selectivity are being developed and many groups claim to be close to cloning a T channel.
