Improving Existing Therapies
Improving Effects on Joint Integrity
Autologous stem cells have been used for decades to clinically treat joint pain but with mixed results. In fact, after numerous clinical trials, there is still no FDA approved cell therapy for osteoarthritis.
Likarda conducted animal studies demonstrating that stem cells injected directly into an osteoarthritic knee were inferior in their effect on the joint integrity and proteoglycan levels compared to the same number of cells first encapsulated in one of Likarda’s controlled release hydrogel formulations. Instead of 3 injection every 2 weeks (the typical stem cell protocol now), a single injection of cells in a hydrogel that degraded over a 6-week period resulted in healthy joints without signs of osteoarthritis.
Stand Alone Stem Cells vs Encapsulated Stem Cells
Stem Cells Only
Encapsulated Stem Cells
The osteoarthritic joint on the left received stem cells alone. The osteoarthritic joint on the right received the same number of stem cells encapsulated in a Likarda formulation. The joint that received the encapsulated cells had a greater effect and returned the joint to its non-arthritic condition.