Patent ID: 8119357

Claim:
A method for determining a glycomolecule fingerprint for a glycomolecule having glycans that are difficult to access, the method comprising: providing a glycomolecule, wherein the glycomolecule has been modified by removal of a plurality of sialic acid residues, wherein less than all of the sialic acid residues have been removed from the glycomolecule, and desialylation is effected by reacting the glycomolecule with a sialidase such that the glycan is made accessible; adding the glycomolecule to a substrate comprising an array of a plurality of saccharide-binding agents; detecting glycomolecule bound to saccharide-binding agents in the plurality; and obtaining a fingerprint for the glycomolecule based on the binding of the glycomolecule to the saccharide-binding agents.