The diverse signaling mechanisms that occur between carbohydrates and binding proteins (lectins) are fundamental to a wide range of biological processes. The binding strength between discrete carbohydrate molecules and lectin subunits is, however, surprisingly weak (Kd ～ 10~(-3) – 10~(-6) M). This weakness may be greatly enhanced by multivalency (the presentation of many copies of the same sugar) – resulting in increased binding efficacy - a phenomenon known as the cluster glycoside effect. Consequently, the preparation of multivalent carbohydrates which aim to mimic, inhibit or enhance natural carbohydrate-protein binding events is an increasingly active field of research. The polymerisation of carbohydrate-bearing monomers is one such methodology that can be used to prepare multivalent glycopolymers.
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