Carbohydrate arrays as tools for the glycomics revolution

Determining the roles of carbohydrates in cell biology is hindered by the tremendous efforts that must be taken either to synthesize carbohydrates chemically or to isolate them from natural sources. Several platforms have been developed to study glycobiology. These platforms include the covalent and non-covalent immobilization of carbohydrates on microtiter plates, nitrocellulose membranes, coated slides, glass slides, gold surfaces and microspheres. Each platform has both positive and negative attributes for studying carbohydrate biology, such as flexibility and the amount of material required for study. Here we discuss these techniques with the goal of developing a ‘gold standard’ in the field of glycomics.