Success Story:LiberaCell™Extending the Life of Fresh Cells

Cells suspended under microscope

Challenge

For cell therapies to reach patients, they must survive the complex logistics of manufacturing, storage, and global transport. Unlike traditional drugs, many cell types are fragile and difficult to cryopreserve. Shipping in liquid nitrogen is expensive, risky, and operationally complex. Fresh cells, meanwhile, often lose viability within days, creating a bottleneck that limits both clinical studies and large-scale therapeutic deployment.

Solution

In partnership with the Gates Foundation, Likarda developed LiberaCell™, a hydrogel microbead system designed to protect fresh cells during storage and shipment. LiberaCell™ creates a supportive environment that maintains cell viability and metabolic activity without the need for media exchanges or ultra-cold conditions.

Chart A: Unencapsulated cell recovery drops below 60% , while LiberaCell™ encapsulation peaks above 120% and stays near 100%.
A. Cell Recovery: Encapsulated cells with LiberaCell™ demonstrated consistently higher recovery compared to unencapsulated controls, maintaining near-baseline levels through 3 weeks of storage.
Chart B: Cell viability declines for both, but LiberaCell maintains higher viability than unenc encapsulated cells after 21 days.
B. Cell Viability: Both encapsulated and unencapsulated groups showed high viability across the study period, confirming that LiberaCell™ preservation does not compromise cell health.
Chart C: LiberaCell boosts cell metabolism, peaking at day 9 , while unencapsulated cell metabolism plummets to near zero.
C. Metabolic Activity: A striking difference emerged in metabolic function: unencapsulated cells declined sharply over 21 days, while LiberaCell™ encapsulated cells sustained robust metabolic activity throughout the storage window.

Testing & Results

  • Extended Stability at 4 °C

    Encapsulated cells maintained high viability and metabolic activity for over 3 weeks at refrigerator temperature, while unencapsulated controls showed steep declines.

  • Room Temperature Resilience

    Remarkably, LiberaCell™ beads provided similar protection for up to 3 weeks at ambient conditions, further expanding flexibility in shipping and clinical use

  • Enhanced Recovery

    In head-to-head studies, LiberaCell™ improved cell recovery, metabolic activity, and protein production compared to unencapsulated cells across both 4 °C and room temperature conditions.

  • Milestones Achieved

    Viability above 70% and metabolic activity within 30% of baseline were maintained for 2 months after encapsulation in ongoing studies.

    • Outcome

    By eliminating the need for constant liquid nitrogen replenishment or specialized media handling, LiberaCell™ provides a reliable, cost-efficient logistics solution for fresh cells. This breakthrough simplifies shipping, reduces costs, and expands the feasible time window for transporting sensitive therapeutic cells to sites worldwide.

    Impact

    With LiberaCell™, cell therapies can now travel farther and arrive stronger. This capability removes a critical barrier to global access, enabling researchers, clinicians, and patients to benefit from next-generation cell therapies without being limited by fragile supply chains. For partners, it offers a scalable logistics solution that unlocks new possibilities in clinical development and commercial distribution.

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    LiberaCell™
    Cryopreservation system for live cell therapies.
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