noncovalent interactions between complex carbohydrates and proteins drive many fundamental processes within biological systems , including human immunity . in this report we aimed to investigate the potential of mannose - containing glycopolymers to interact with human dc - sign and the ability of these glycopolymers to inhibit the interactions between dc - sign and the hiv envelope glycoprotein gp120 . 
 we used a library of glycopolymers that are prepared via combination of copper - mediated living radical polymerization and azidealkyne [ 3 + 2 ] huisgen cycloaddition reaction . 
 we demonstrate that a relatively simple glycopolymer can effectively prevent the interactions between a human dendritic cell associated lectin ( dc - sign ) and the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120 . 
 this approach may give rise to novel insights into the mechanisms of hiv infection and provide potential new therapeutics .