Adsorption or covalent binding of a lectin to a nanoparticle and their immobilization for biosensing: Is it a...

Lectin-based techniques for sensing have gained a great interest in the past decades thanks to the carbohydrate-recognizing and binding activities of lectins. Additionally, with the exponential rise of nanomaterial research, many scientists have associated nanoparticles to lectins as a way to increase the threshold sensitivity (limit of detection or quantification), due to the excellent detection properties of nanoparticles through various techniques (UV-Visible, SERS, EIS…). Since then, a great number of protocols have been described to synthesize nanoparticle-lectin sensing platforms, which can be defined as biosensors. Methods ranging from simple adsorption to more elaborate protocols involving a chemical modification of either the lectin or the nanoparticle are described across the scientific literature. In this review, the design of these biosensors, focusing on the different ways to functionalize the nanomaterials with the lectin will be discussed. Special attention on the characterization methods as well as a discussion on the performances is provided, with a comparison between each functionalization method. All of these points highlight the novelty of this work which separates itself from previous ones by delving into the design and characterization specificities as opposed to only discussing applications. Altogether, this review emphasizes on the need for proper design and characterization methods prior to biosensor use. As such, proper characterization will help to understand the association mechanisms better which will in turn, allow for lower detection thresholds of relevant pathogens.