The dissection of glycan-protein interactions is essential for their use in diagnostics, therapy and other biomedical areas. We have established an approach based on polymer-stabilised gold nanoparticles which enables easy conjugation of glycans, followed by rapid evaluation of protein binding. The polymer tethers, connecting the gold to the glycan are crucial to ensure colloidal stability and to simplify the synthesis/purification steps.<br/>Using this nanoparticle platform, the ability of the SARS-COV-2 spike protein to bind sialic acids is demonstrated. Guided by this interaction, a lateral-flow glyco-assay was established as an alternative to more traditional antibody-based systems. Using purified spike protein and a lentiviral model, it was shown that a ‘pregnancy test’-style assay can be established to detect the spike protein. Prototype devices were fabricated and used with primary clinical swabs from COVID screening, and the device was shown to be capable of discriminating between COVID positive/negative patients. This shows that glycans could be exploited for rapid testing of emerging/existing pathogens.

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 with polymer-stabilized glycosylated nanoparticles and exploitation in a prototype lateral flow glyco-diagnostic tool

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.