Methods to introduce highly phosphorylated mannopyranosyl oligosaccharide
derivatives containing mannose 6-phosphate (M6P), or other oligosaccharides bearing
other terminal hexoses, to carbonyl groups on oxidized glycans of glycoproteins
while retaining their biological activity are described. The methods are useful
for modifying glycoproteins, including those produced by recombinant protein expression
systems, to increase uptake by cell surface receptor-mediated mechanisms, thus
improving their therapeutic efficacy in a variety of applications.