METHOD AND ASSAY FOR GLYCOSYLATION PATTERN DETECTION RELATED TO CELL STATE

A method and assay for characterizing populations of cells according to their glycosylation pattern, particularly for distinguishing between cell populations, through binding of at least one saccharide binding agent. In preferred embodiments the present invention able to determine the state of stem cell (i.e. differentiated or undifferentiated) and/or the state of a cancer cell, for example with regard to malignancy. Preferably the present invention is also able to determine whether a patient is likely to respond to a drug according to the glycosylation pattern of a sample of cancer cells taken from the patient (or alternatively examined while in the patient, as described in greater detail below). Also optionally, it may be used to analyze a cell population before and after treatment with a drug for example.