Miss Sulin Liu

Small molecule drugs against Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) receptors are crucial pharmacological tools and therapeutics, but limited selectivity between receptor subtypes restricts their usefulness. This project aims to take advantage of the recent production of a catalogue of protein modulators called nanobodies which exhibit favourable selectivity profiles over conventional small molecules drugs for certain subtypes of GABA receptors. Nanobody modulators will be produced and purified and tested in physiological systems such as dorsal root ganglion to validate effects on endogenous GABA-A receptors by electrophysiology, and then trialled in vivo for biodistribution, ability to penetrate the blood brain barrier, and behavioural effects on pain sensation.