With our partners Iceni Diagnostics, we have been exploring lateral flow diagnostics (LFDs), and in particular replacing the need for antibodies with glycans and polymers. We have previously demonstrated that glycans can be used for detection, and in a flow-through device but we had not constructed a complete device with glycans on the stationary phase (the paper) AND mobile phase (gold nanoparticles). Our latest work, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, shows a proof of concept that a 'lateral flow glyco assay', where only glycans are used for detection is possible. We fine-tune the polymer linkers and nanoparticle size, showing how these can modulate the signal outputs, without needing to tune the 'binder' (the glycan) - this is a significant benefit, when trying to ensure devices are selective. We show this using two lectins (carbohydrate binding proteins) and assemble complete devices for lectin detection. We think this has huge potential spanning pandemic preparedness to tools for fundamental glycoscience.

Read the paper here

Lateral Flow Glyco-Assays for the Rapid and Low-Cost Detection of Lectins - Polymeric Linkers and Particle Engineering are Essential for Selectivity and Performance