ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Far-eastern blot

Okay kiddo, so you know how sometimes scientists want to look at different proteins and how they work in our body? They can do that using something called a western blot. But did you know that there's also something called a far-eastern blot?

A far-eastern blot is similar to a western blot, but instead of looking at proteins, it's used to look at sugars or carbohydrates. These sugars are important because they can affect how proteins work in our body.

To make a far-eastern blot, scientists first take the sugars they want to look at and stick them onto a special type of paper called a membrane. They then treat the membrane with a special solution that makes the sugars glow so that they can be seen under a special type of light.

Next, they take the proteins they want to test and put them on top of the membrane. The proteins will stick to the sugars that are already on the membrane.

After that, the scientists rinse the membrane to get rid of any excess proteins that didn't stick to the sugars. They then add a special type of antibody that will only stick to the proteins they're testing for.

Finally, they add another solution that will make a colored pattern appear on the membrane where the protein and antibody have stuck together. This pattern helps scientists see which proteins have stuck to which sugars on the membrane.

So that's what a far-eastern blot is, it's a way scientists can look at sugars and how they interact with proteins in our body. Cool, huh?