Transport proteins are the gate-keepers of our cells, effectively controlling the flow of nutrients and other molecules across the cell membrane. With over 400 members, solute carriers represent the largest class of transport proteins. Yet although they have been implicated in diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to schizophrenia, solute carriers have never been studied in detail.
The ReSOLUTE project aims to change that, by intensifying research in, and advancing our knowledge of, the solute carrier family. Specifically, the project partners plan to deliver practical research tools, protocols, databases and platforms on solute carriers. The project’s open access ethos means the results will be of benefit to researchers in universities as well as small and large biotech companies worldwide. Ultimately, the project results will aid in the identification of solute carriers that could be used as either drug targets or as pathways for enabling the transport of medicines into specific tissues.