US Patent 7364919 - Nanoparticles with carbohydrate ligands

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7364919.html

Biopolymers can be broadly classified into three groups - proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. While proteins and nucleic acids have been studied extensively, carbohydrates have been less well studied due to their complex construction in cells. This patent from Midatech teaches the use of nanoparticles to facilitate examination of these biopolymers. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanoparticle comprising a core of metal atoms covalently linked to at least 20 ligands, wherein the nanoparticle has more than one species of ligand immobilized thereon and wherein at least one of the species of ligand comprises a carbohydrate group.