Multivalently engineered glyco-nanoplatforms for targeted therapy and diagnostics

Abstract

Glyco-nanoplatforms have emerged as powerful nanosystems that exploit glycan–lectin interactions for targeted therapy, diagnostics, and immunomodulation. By presenting glycans in multivalent architectures, glyco-nanoplatforms enhance binding affinity and specificity toward glycan-recognizing receptors on mammalian and bacterial cells. This perspective highlights recent advances in the design and synthesis of glyco-nanoplatforms across four key classes, including glyco-gold nanoparticles, glycopolymer-based nanoplatforms, glyco-functionalized quantum dots, and glycan-based magnetic nanocomposites. Through diverse synthetic strategies, structurally distinct glyco-nanoplatforms have been developed with improved binding affinities, stability, and biodistribution. Moreover, we further discuss their diverse biomedical applications in both mammalian and bacterial cells, ranging from targeted cancer therapy and biosensing to immunomodulation and antimicrobial treatment. Finally, we outline key challenges and provide an outlook on further directions in this field, aiming to unlock the therapeutic potential of the glyco-code.