The Li lab studies ion channels to understand their roles in membrane excitability and transport in variety of biological systems. We combine various tools including biochemical, molecular and electrophysiological techniques to investigate the mechanisms of action that govern ion channel gating and coupling with signaling pathways. By studying mutant proteins we seek to understand major disease conditions, such as epilepsies, pain and long QT syndrome, that are caused by altered activity of ion channels. Heavily relying on high throughput screens including automated electrophysiology, we search for active small chemical drugs that modulate ion channel activities and apply them to the development of treatments for human diseases.