RYR2 as new target for antiarrhythmic therapy: Harnessing the power of existing chemical entities for drug discovery

The intracellular calcium release channel ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) plays an essential role in the cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. Hyperactive RyR2 calcium channels caused by gain-of-function mutations or posttranslational modifications in structural heart disease have been linked to atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. We review new RyR2 inhibitors and their use as antiarrhythmic drugs in animal models of ventricular arrhythmias.