Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery : Read the whole editorial

Ion channels have long been pillars of modern pharmacology, but most of the attention has remained on the plasma membrane. Now, this new editorial explores how cutting-edge tools are finally giving researchers access to ion channels within organelles, particularly lysosomes, mitochondria, the Endoplasmic Reticulum, and others, ushering in a new era of organelle-targeted drug discovery.

This article, co-authored by Oria’s CEO Alexandre Santinho, outlines how recent breakthroughs in automated electrophysiology are enabling direct, high-throughput screening of intracellular ion channels that were previously considered technically inaccessible.

Key Highlights from the Paper

• Lysosomal ion channels like TRPML1 and TMEM175 are now recognized as central to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and mucolipidosis IV.
• Lysopatch and SSME platforms are now capable of studying ion transport directly from native lysosomes, without artificial enlargement or complex manual methods.
• Drug developers are increasingly turning to intracellular targets, with companies like Tenvie, Lysoway, and others making significant investments in lysosomal therapeutics.
• Novel channels in other organelles, like MCU and mPTP in mitochondria or IP3Rs in the ER, are expanding the field even further.

Why Does It Matter for Drug Discovery

Over 90% of cellular membranes are located inside the cell, and most small-molecule drugs are membrane-permeable. By accessing organellar ion channels, we unlock a massive pool of new druggable targets, many of which are highly disease-relevant and currently underexplored.

With increasing clinical interest, lysosomal and mitochondrial ion channels are already part of active therapeutic pipelines. Yet, traditional methods have been slow, low-throughput, and technically limited.

Now, thanks to tools like automated patch clamp (APC) and solid-supported membrane electrophysiology (SSME), and innovations in organelle preparation, these barriers are being removed.

Oria's Contribution

At Oria Bioscience, we are proud to support this growing field by delivering ready-to-use organellar preparations, including lysosomes and mitochondria, tailored for compatibility with modern electrophysiological platforms.

By streamlining access to high-quality organelles, we help research labs and biotech teams study native ion channel function without the need for complex in-house isolation protocols. This work is at the core of our mission to empower organelle-level drug discovery and drive the development of next-generation therapeutics.

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