Likarda
Likarda specializes in innovative cell therapy delivery, utilizing patented hydrogel technologies and Core-Shell Spherification to enhance therapeutic potency and effectiveness.
Services
Likarda specializes in the delivery of cell therapies using a customized platform that enhances their potency. The company has transitioned from contract research to innovating new encapsulation techniques for cell therapies. Likarda's services cater to various medical conditions, including brain diseases, liver failure, cancer, Crohn's disease, heart damage, bone disorders, and hormone disorders. The company offers solutions for the slow-release delivery of biologic therapies, ensuring that biologics remain at specific sites long enough to be effective.
Patented Technologies
Likarda has patented several formulation technologies for cell therapies, including a vast library of over 50 unique hydrogel formulations designed for microencapsulation. These hydrogels are used in Core-Shell Spherification (CSS), which leverages superior hydrogels with slower gelation rates compared to conventional alginate. The company provides both durable and degradable hydrogel options tailored for different therapeutic needs, such as cross-linked hyaluronic acid microbeads known as ViscoBeads.
Core-Shell Spherification (CSS)
Core-Shell Spherification (CSS) is a key development by Likarda that uses a variety of cross-linkable hydrogels to create microparticles with customizable shapes, sizes, stiffness, and diffusion characteristics. CSS technology allows encapsulated cell therapies to remain at the target location, shielded from the body's defense mechanisms. It also facilitates the use of otherwise unavailable hydrogels like hyaluronic acid and PEG-based hydrogels for encapsulation, providing versatile options for therapy delivery.
Innovative Cell Therapy Delivery
Likarda has developed methods to coat cells with inert hydrogels, protecting them from destruction and ensuring their retention in the target area within the body. This innovative technology has been demonstrated in animal studies, showing that encapsulated stem cells are more effective for treating conditions like osteoarthritis compared to stem cells alone. Likarda's encapsulation techniques have also succeeded in normalizing blood glucose levels in diabetic dogs using encapsulated insulin-producing cells, removing the need for insulin injections.
Products
Likarda offers products such as ViscoBeads, which are cross-linked microbeads made from hyaluronic acid used beyond just therapy delivery. The company also provides a slow-release delivery system for biologic therapies, aimed at maintaining the biologic agent at the target site long enough to act effectively. Likarda's encapsulated hydrogel microbeads are designed to prevent aggregation and precipitation of large molecules, extending the shelf-life and simplifying administration processes.