Introduction: L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is one of the amino acid transporters. It is overexpressed in various types of cancer cells, while it is produced restrictedly in normal tissues.
Areas covered: We discuss its characteristics in cancer cells compared with normal cells. We also mention the current applications to target LAT1 for anticancer therapy focusing on prognostic biomarkers, radio-labeled tumor imaging reagents, amino acid-stapled prodrugs, LAT1-mediated enhanced transport of anticancer drugs and LAT1 inhibitors.
Expert opinion: LAT1 can be a versatile target to promisingly develop transporter-based drugs with enhanced drug delivery potential for anticancer therapy.
Keywords: L-type amino acid transporter 1; anticancer drug; cancer; inhibitor; prodrug; prognostic biomarker; tumor imaging.