Content: Introduction : on ion channels / Murali Gopalakrishnan, David Rampe, David Triggle, Wei Zheng — The voltage-gated ion channel superfamily / William A. Catterall — State-dependent drug interactions with ion channels / Stefan I. McDonough, Bruce P. Bean — Assay technologies : techniques available for quantifying drug-channel interactions / Derek Leishman, Gareth Waldron — Overview of voltage-gated calcium channels / Clinton Doering, Gerald Zamponi — Drugs active at T-type Ca?? channels / Thomas M. Connolly, James C. Barrow — L-type calcium channels / David J. Triggle — N-type calcium channels — Molecular, biophysical and functional properties of voltage-gated sodium channels / Douglas S. Krafte, Mark Chapman, Ken McCormack — Small molecule blockers of voltage-gated sodium channels / Jesu?s E. Gonza?lez, Andreas P. Termin, Dean M. Wilson — Potassium channels : overview of molecular, biophysical and pharmacological properties / Murali Gopalakrishnan, Char-Chang Shieh, Jun Chen — Kv1.3 potassium channel : physiology, pharmacology and therapeutic indications / K. George Chandy, Heike Wulff, Christine Beeton, Peter A. Calabresi, George A. Gutman, Michael Pennington — Drugs active at kv1.5 potassium channels / Stefan Peukert, Heinz Go?gelein — Medicinal chemistry of Ca??-activated K? channel modulators / Sean C. Turner, Char-Chang Shieh — Drugs active at ATP-sensitive K? channels / William A. Carroll — Compounds that activate KCNQ(2-5) family of potassium ion channels / Grant McNaughton-Smith, Alan D. Wickenden — Inherited disorders of ion channels / Kate Bracey, Dennis Wray — Structural and ligand-based models for HERG and their application in medicinal chemistry / Yi Li, Giovanni Cianchetta, Roy J. Vaz — Ion channel safety issues in drug development / Armando A. Lagrutta, Joseph J. Salata