Likarda taps CCT to tackle cell therapy logistics

The agreement will combine cell therapy and large molecule biologics delivery firm Likarda’s Core-Shell Spherification (CSS) hydrogel technology with CCT’s cold chain product solutions to advance transportation and storage of biological materials and therapies.

“We will be working with CCT in a collaborative effort to deliver logistics and storage solutions to their clients,” Stella Vnook, CEO, Likarda, told BioProcess Insider.

“Likarda's extensive know-how in creating hydrogels for shipping and storage will revolutionize the cell therapy shipping industry, allowing the movement of cells across international lines often without needing to freeze the cells in advance. This means that the number of therapeutic cells that make it to the patient will be increased and at a reduced cost.”

The firm said that for long-distance shipping, cells are cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. Ice crystals can damage cell membranes, leading to cell death during freezing and thawing, but Likarda's hydrogels create a physical barrier against ice crystal formation and mechanical impacts during shipping.

By eliminating the need for liquid nitrogen, CSS reduces shipping and storage costs for cell therapies, allowing for simpler cold chain logistics, such as using dry ice or cool packs. Consequently, cells have a higher survival rate during shipping, ensuring more healthy cells reach the clinic for patient administration.

“Liquid nitrogen is expensive and dangerous and the yield of certain cells after cryopreservation can be poor. It is far better to avoid liquid nitrogen if possible. However, before our technology, there was no way to avoid cryopreservation for shipping cells long distances,” Vnook added.

“CCT’s thermal shipping solutions are specialized packages that meet the thermal requirements for cell therapies. Adding our hydrogels to CCT’s thermal shipping packaging will improve the quality of the cell therapy when it arrives at its final destination.”

The financials of this partnership have not been disclosed.