Nobel Prize winner supports new book publication: water channels as targets for drug discovery
8 December 2015
Prof. Angela Casini from Cardiff School of Chemistry announces the publication of a new pioneering book, “Aquaporins in Health and Disease: New Molecular Targets for Drug Discovery” that she is coediting with Prof. Graça Soveral (University of Lisbon) and Prof. Søren Nielsen (Aalborg University) for CRC press (Taylor & Francis Group).
Aquaporins are fascinating membrane proteins responsible for the highly selective transport of water in every cell and tissue. Because of their fundamental role in life, the understanding of their function and regulation is essential. The group of Prof. Casini has recently identified gold compounds as potent and selective inhibitors of this family of membrane proteins, with various potential applications as therapeutic agents and in imaging.
Angela Casini says: “This book marks an important step of our research in the field of metal-based inhibitors of water channels, and it represents the recognition of our recent work on this topic. Most importantly, it opens up new frontiers and applications of inorganic chemistry within physiology and biological chemistry, to study the mechanisms of diseases, including cancers amongst others.”
The 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Peter Agre, contributed to the book, writing the preface. Prof. Casini is planning to organize a symposium at Cardiff University School of Chemistry, where an international group of contributors at the forefront of the field will present the state-of-the art research on aquaporins and highlight their various roles in biological systems.