Materials and methods for studying and modulating the interaction of carbohydrate-containing moieties with other species are described, in particular, small particles, e.g. clusters of metal or semiconductor atoms, which can be employed as a substrate for immobilising a plurality of ligands comprising carbohydrate groups. These “nanoparticles” can then be used to study carbohydrate mediated interactions, e.g. with other carbohydrates or proteins, and as therapeutics and diagnostic reagents.
1. A nanoparticle comprising a core of metal atoms and/or semiconductor atoms covalently linked to at least one species of ligand, wherein the core of the nanoparticle is covalently linked to at least 20 ligands that each independently comprise a carbohydrate group.
2. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the core is covalently linked to at least 50 ligands that each independently comprise a carbohydrate group.
3. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the core of the nanoparticle has a mean diameter between 0.5 and 100nm.
4. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the metallic core comprises Au, Ag or Cu.
5. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the core comprises an atom which is NMR active.
6. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the core includes an atom which is capable of detection using surface plasmon resonance.
7. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the ligands further comprise a label.
8. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the metallic core is an alloy selected from Au/Ag, Au/Cu, Au/Ag/Cu, Au/Pt, Au/Pd or Au/Ag/Cu/Pd.
9. The nanoparticle of claim 4 , wherein metallic core comprises between about 100 and 500 Au atoms.
10. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the ligands further comprise a peptide, a protein domain, a nucleic acid segment or a fluorescent group.
11. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein ligand comprises a polysaccharide, an oligosaccharide or a monosaccharide group.
12. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the ligand comprises a glycanoconjugate.
13. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the ligand is linked to the metallic core via a sulphide group.
14. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle is water soluble.
15. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle has more than one species of ligand immobilized thereon.
16. The nanoparticle of claim 15 , wherein a further species of ligand comprises a peptide ligand, a protein domain ligand, a nucleic acid ligand or a fluorescent group ligand.
17. The nanoparticle of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle further comprises a fluorescent label, an isotopic label, a NMR active atom, or a quantum dot.