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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Author Spotlight: Expression and Purification of Human Solute Carrier Transporters Using Codon-Optimized Genes
Published on: September 29, 2023
SLC transporters as therapeutic targets: emerging opportunities
Lawrence Lin1, Sook Wah Yee1, Richard B Kim2
1Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.
Abstract:
Solute carrier (SLC) transporters - a family of more than 300 membrane-bound proteins that facilitate the transport of a wide array of substrates across biological membranes - have important roles in physiological processes ranging from the cellular uptake of nutrients to the absorption of drugs and other xenobiotics. Several classes of marketed drugs target well-known SLC transporters, such as neurotransmitter transporters, and human genetic studies have provided powerful insight into the roles of more-recently characterized SLC transporters in both rare and common diseases, indicating a wealth of new therapeutic opportunities. This Review summarizes knowledge on the roles of SLC transporters in human disease, describes strategies to target such transporters, and highlights current and investigational drugs that modulate SLC transporters, as well as promising drug targets.
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