Core-Shell Spherification® (CSS®)

Core-Shell Spherification® (CSS®) is Likarda’s proprietary platform technology for encapsulating cells, peptides, proteins, antibodies, and scaffolds in injectable hydrogel microbeads.

Unlike traditional encapsulation methods, CSS® combines your therapeutic with a liquid hydrogel that crosslinks into stable, precision-formed beads—tailored to your target site, release profile, and clinical need.

This flexible, modular system gives researchers and developers control over microbead size, degradation rate, and therapeutic loading—unlocking new delivery options for both cell-based and large/small molecule therapies. It can also turn slow-gelling biomaterials into injectable, targeted, long-acting delivery systems.

Microscopy of Likarda's Core Shell Spherification® (CSS®) technology in action.
Microscopy showing immune rejection of encapsulated cells.
Standard Encapsulation – Immune Rejection
Encapsulated cells surrounded by fibrotic tissue, showing dense collagen deposition and loss of therapeutic viability due to the foreign body response.
Microscopy of cells encapsulated with Likarda's CSS® hydrogel with minimal immune infiltration.
CSS® Encapsulation – Protected Delivery
Cells encapsulated in CSS® hydrogel remain viable with minimal immune infiltration. The surrounding tissue shows healthy integration without fibrosis, demonstrating sustained protection and function

A Truly Customized Therapy Delivery System

Traditional delivery systems face major limitations—poor retention, immune rejection, burst release, cold-chain burden, and hard-to-scale manufacturing.

CSS® takes advantage of the well-established chemistry of hydrogels to create novel combinations of backbone chemistry and crosslinkers. The platform can generate microparticles in a variety of shapes, sizes, stiffness, and diffusion characteristics while maintaining complete control over the process.

The CSS® Promise:
Protect • Localize • Extend • Scale

  • Protect: Immune-shielding, biocompatible hydrogels reduce rejection.
  • Localize: Keep cells, proteins, or biologics at the site of action.
  • Extend: Tunable release profiles from days to months.
  • Scale: GMP-ready processes with a clear automation pathway.

How it works

Select

Active ingredient (cell, biologic, peptide)

Formulate

AI-guided recipes from proprietary data

Encapsulate

Microencapsulation via our CSS instrument

Deliver

Targeted injection: subQ, intratumoral, or oral (future)

Release

Controlled, durable delivery

Why CSS® is Different

  • Customizable

    Shell thickness, pore size, modulus, degradation

  • Compatible

    Peptides, mAbs, fusion proteins, live cells

  • Durable release

    Sustained profiles (days → months)

  • Biocompatibility focus

    Materials & crosslinking optimized to minimize foreign-body response

  • Manufacturability

    Closed-system processing; scale-out now, EncapSure™ automation (2026) for scale-up

Frequently Asked Questions

CSS® Applications

Circular line illustrations highlighting microscopic cell photography and a person working in a lab.

CSS® Feasibility Studies

Quickly assess the compatibility of CSS® with your therapeutic with a low-lift feasibility program. Tailored formulations, bead sizes, and release kinetics evaluated in weeks, not months.

Start a Feasibility Study