Diagram 1. Adapted from Glycobiology. 2008 Aug;18(8):569

The root of structural glycobiology is the interaction between protein(lectin) and carbohydrates.
The ideal technique for the analysisof these interactionsis NMR. However, due to the large
amount of material needed and the expensive instrumentationrequired, this technique is very
unpractical for the typical glycobiologist.