The GibsonGroup, as part of a large BBSRC/Innovate funded collaboration have published their latest results into using nanomaterials to probe glycan-binding events. In this collaborative work, a combined chemical and enzymatic synthetic route was exploited to generate glycans which could be attached to nanoparticles for glycan/lectin screening - a platform technology developed by the GibsonGroup. Using this approach, it was shown that selective addition of fluorine atoms allow selective binding of galectins which is not possible using natural disaccharides, and may offer a route for targeting therapies and diagnostics. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SC05360K