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Protein / target

Voltage-dependent N-type calcium channel subunit alpha-1B

Encoded byCACNA1BQ00975Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
10
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

High voltage-gated calcium channel

Primary biology

Neuronal / synaptic signalling

Strongest disease association

Neurodevelopmental disorder with seizures and non-epileptic hyperkinetic movements

Via encoding gene CACNA1B · Genetic literature evidence · score 0.74

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCC) mediate the entry of calcium ions into excitable cells and are also involved in a variety of calcium-dependent processes, including muscle contraction, hormone or neurotransmitter release, gene expression, cell motility, cell division and cell death.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCC) mediate the entry of calcium ions into excitable cells and are also involved in a variety of calcium-dependent processes, including muscle contraction, hormone or neurotransmitter release, gene expression, cell motility, cell division and cell death. This alpha-1B subunit gives rise to N-type calcium currents. N-type calcium channels belong to the 'high-voltage activated' (HVA) group. They are involved in pain signaling (PubMed:25296916). Calcium channels containing alpha-1B subunit may play a role in directed migration of immature neurons. Mediates Ca(2+) release probability at hippocampal neuronal soma and synaptic terminals (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (15)

Domains & features

EF-hand

Gene Ontology

  • Cneuronal cell body
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Csynapse
  • Cvoltage-gated calcium channel complex
  • Famyloid-beta binding
  • FATP binding
  • Fcalcium ion binding
  • Fhigh voltage-gated calcium channel activity
  • Fvoltage-gated calcium channel activity
  • Pcalcium ion import across plasma membrane
  • Pchemical synaptic transmission
  • Pmodulation of chemical synaptic transmission

2339 aa · 262 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Synaptic signallingGO · ReactomeCell migrationUniProt
View supporting evidence

Synaptic signalling

  • ·synapse
  • ·chemical synaptic transmission
  • ·modulation of chemical synaptic transmission
  • ·Presynaptic depolarization and calcium channel opening

Cell migration

  • ·Voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCC) mediate the entry of calcium ions into excitab…
View underlying pathways (1)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

CACNB3CACNA2…STX1ACACNB1CALM3CACNA1ECACNA1ACALM1CACNA2…CALM2CACNA1B

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Approved medicines with mapped indications

4 medicines · 10 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Anxiety Disorders1 medicine
Fever1 medicine
Fibromyalgia1 medicine
Neuralgia1 medicine
Neuralgia, Postherpetic1 medicine
Pain1 medicine
Restless Legs Syndrome1 medicine
Spinal Cord Injuries1 medicine

10 medicines meet Open Targets' target-level approved-medicine definition; the 4 shown here are those on this page with a canonical approved disease indication in the graph. Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

4

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

Levetiracetam
Narrow target profileApprovedBlocker

Voltage-gated N-type calcium channel alpha-1B subunit blocker

Indicated for Epilepsy, Seizures

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

ziconotide
Narrow target profileApprovedBlocker

Voltage-gated N-type calcium channel alpha-1B subunit blocker

Indicated for Fever, Pain

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

gabapentin
ApprovedModulator

Voltage-gated calcium channel modulator

Indicated for Epilepsy, Neuralgia, Postherpetic, Restless Legs Syndrome, Seizures

Acts on a complex — shared with CACNB4, CACNG4, CACNG3 +22 more · 1 of 26 recorded protein targets — broad pharmacology

pregabalin
ApprovedModulator

Voltage-gated calcium channel modulator

Indicated for Anxiety Disorders, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia

Acts on a complex — shared with CACNB4, CACNG4, CACNG3 +22 more · 1 of 26 recorded protein targets — broad pharmacology

ChEMBL mechanism, action type, target identity and approved indications. Open Targets clinical status.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene CACNA1B

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene CACNA1B that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Epilepsy
0.75Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.61

Neuralgia
0.74Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.60

Neurodevelopmental disorder with seizures and non-epileptic hyperkinetic movements
0.74Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.70

View evidence synthesis (3)
EpilepsyWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.600.91
Clinical98%Literature2%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 2 independent evidence families

NeuralgiaModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.590.90
Clinical100%Literature0%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 2 independent evidence families

Neurodevelopmental disorder with seizures and non-epileptic hyperkinetic movementsModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.620.86
Genetic100%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.70 · 1 independent evidence family · 1 not counted as duplicate

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Neurodevelopmental disorder with seizures and non-epileptic hyperkinetic movements0.70
Epilepsy0.61
Neuralgia0.60

Drug development

17 compounds recorded · 10 approved · 6 in clinical development · 1 earlier-stage

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 4 drugs that target this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (4 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
LEVETIRACETAMApproval
ZICONOTIDEApproval
PHLOROGLUCINOLApproval
PREGABALINApproval
ELPETRIGINEPhase 1
BEPRIDILApproval
SULOCTIDILApproval
GABAPENTIN ENACARBILApproval
ATAGABALINPhase 2
ZICONOTIDE ACETATEApproval

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesStrong

Approved Drug and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (go cc high conf and uniprot sigp or tmhmm) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (database ubiquitination and half-life data) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Other modalitiesStrong

Approved Drug support this modality.

View underlying tractability evidence (10)
SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule BinderOC · Approved Drug

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · via gabapentin · NCT05921604

RECRUITING · via gabapentin · NCT04724252

COMPLETED · via gabapentin · NCT03472521

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

12

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for 3 drugs that target this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Label change2026-09-11

    Label change: GABAPENTIN (ANDA090705)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via gabapentin

  2. Label change2026-08-25

    Label change: GABAPENTIN (ANDA216492)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via gabapentin

  3. Regulatory approval2026-08-06

    Approval: LEVETIRACETAM (ANDA208458)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Levetiracetam

  4. Regulatory approval2026-06-23

    Approval: GABAPENTIN (ANDA203611)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via gabapentin

  5. Regulatory approval2026-04-30

    Approval: PREGABALIN (ANDA219593)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via pregabalin

  6. New publication2024-02-14
    Antiepileptic Strategies for Patients with Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors.

    Current treatment options in oncology · 2024 · 9 citations · Europe PMC · via Levetiracetam

  7. Safety communication2022-04-19

    Drug Safety Update: Pregabalin (Lyrica): findings of safety study on risks during pregnancy

    mhra · safety · mhra · via pregabalin

  8. New publication2021-11-01
    Effect of Levetiracetam on Cognition in Patients With Alzheimer Disease With and Without Epileptiform Activity: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

    JAMA neurology · 2021 · 224 citations · Europe PMC · via Levetiracetam

  9. Safety communication2021-02-18

    Drug Safety Update: Pregabalin (Lyrica): reports of severe respiratory depression

    mhra · safety · mhra · via pregabalin

  10. Safety communication2017-10-26

    Drug Safety Update: Gabapentin (Neurontin): risk of severe respiratory depression

    mhra · safety · mhra · via gabapentin

  11. New publication2014-04-14
    Prevention and management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in survivors of adult cancers: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline.

    Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2014 · 831 citations · Europe PMC · via gabapentin

  12. New publication2012-02-29
    A proof-of-concept randomized controlled study of gabapentin: effects on cannabis use, withdrawal and executive function deficits in cannabis-dependent adults.

    Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2012 · 132 citations · Europe PMC · via gabapentin

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.