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Commentary Open Access
Volume 1 | Issue 3 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.33696/Signaling.1.016

Kv1.3 Potassium Channels: Promising Therapeutic Targets in Hematological Malignancies

  • 1Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Freiburg University Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
  • 2Institute for Clinical Neuroimmunology, Ludwigs-Maximilians-University (LMU), Munich, Germany
  • 3Institute of Medical and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GC-I3), Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
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Corresponding Author

Ursula Bommhardt, Ursula.Bommhardt@med.ovgu.de

Received Date: July 10, 2020

Accepted Date: July 30, 2020

Abstract

Voltage-gated Kv1.3 potassium channels control the membrane potential, cellular activation and cell death. Kv1.3 channels have been extensively studied in autoimmune disorders and are promising drug targets for the treatment of solid cancer. However, licensed drugs for specific inhibition of Kv1.3 channels in vivo are not available. Here, we give a short overview of the main characteristics of Kv1.3 channels and then focus on recent advances in the use of Kv1.3 blockers in the treatment of hematological malignancies, proposing memantine as a valuable Kv1.3 channel inhibitor for clinical application.

Keywords

Kv1.3 channel, Lymphoid leukemia, Myeloid leukemia, Memantine, Cell death

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