The FATP2 axis in cancer: Structural informatics and implications for drug discovery

Dysregulated fatty acid (FA) metabolism sustains tumour growth and metastasis, yet effective therapeutic interventions remain elusive. Fatty acid transport protein 2 (FATP2/SLC27A2) has emerged as a pivotal metabolic gatekeeper, coordinating the uptake and activation of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). Despite its established role in driving tumour-associated immune suppression and metabolic dependencies, FATP2-directed drug discovery is limited by the lack of high-resolution structural information. This review integrates recent biological insights with computational and structural informatics, assessing reported chemotypes against available homology and AlphaFold-derived models to propose a rational, structure-based framework for next-generation FATP2 inhibitor design and prioritization.