Targeting Oligosaccharides and Glycoconjugates Using Superselective Binding Scaffolds

Recognition of oligosaccharides is associated with very limited specificity due to their strong solvation in water and the high degree of subtle structural variations between them. Here, oligosaccharide recognition sites are created on material surfaces with unmatched, binary on–off binding behavior, sharply discriminating a target oligosaccharide over closely related carbohydrate structures. The basis for the superselective binding behavior relies on the highly efficient generation of a pure, high order complex of the oligosaccharide target with synthetic carbohydrate receptor sites, in which the spatial arrangement of the multiple receptors in the complex is preserved upon material surface incorporation. The synthetic binding scaffolds can easily be tailored to recognize different oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates, opening up a realm of possibilities for their use in a wide field of applications, ranging from life sciences to diagnostics.
A unique modular, synthetic strategy allows for the creation of artificial binding sites with precise spatial positioning of multiple carbohydrate receptors, enabling the remarkable ability to distinguish a target oligosaccharide over closely related carbohydrate structures. The synthetic binding scaffolds can easily be tailored to bind not only specifically oligosaccharides in free form but also when they are linked to proteins as glycoconjugates.