Ionic channels in biological membranes: natural nanotubes described by the drift-diffusion equations

Abstract

Ionic channels are proteins with a hole down their middle, natural nanotubes of great biological importance because they regulate many activities of cells in health and disease. Ionic channels have simple structure and obey the familiar drift-diffusion equations of semiconductor physics. It seems likely that higher resolution theories of computational electronics (e.g., Monte Carlo simulations) will reveal even more about how channels, and perhaps other proteins, function. Thus, the study of channels is a promising area for interdisciplinary investigation.