Microarray-based technology for glycomics analysis

In the post-genomic era, glycomics (the functional study of carbohydrates in living organisms) has come into the forefront of biological research because the interactions of glycoconjugates with proteins not only occur widely in biological processes of cells but also initiate infection of host cells by bacteria and viruses. Microarrays have been reportedly successful in carbohydrate-protein interaction as well as cellular surface glycan profiling. This review provides an overview of recent progress in the development of microarray-based techniques for glycomic studies. The fabrication, application and challenge/bottleneck of glycan/lectin microarrays have been summarized and discussed.