CONTEXT

Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins essential to many biological processes such as cell adhesion and especially infections where said lectins are used as a link between bacteria or viruses and a host organism. Indeed, due to their carbohydrate-binding property, lectins naturally attach to cells’ glycolipids and glycoproteins. This property allows then bacteria or viruses to infect a host organism through the binding of their surface lectins to host organism carbohydrates.

The detection of bacterial or viral lectins is therefore an opportunity for medical staff to diagnose an early stage of infection. There is currently a need for fast diagnostic methods as the detection of such infections is currently achieved through culture-based techniques or through molecular biology techniques known to be slower.

In the present technology, it has been shown that the detection of lectins is made possible through the use of carbon nanostructure biosensor detecting any biomolecular interactions on its surface.

The invention aims therefore at providing a new diagnostic method faster than current methods through the association of the indirect diagnostic of infections based on the detection of cell surface lectins and the sensitivity of biosensors such as electronic devices containing carbon nanostructures. .