Likarda and The Tiny Cargo Company Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Next-Generation Delivery of Biologics, Peptides and Small Molecules

Collaboration to combine hydrogel encapsulation and vesicle-based technologies to improve stability, localization, and controlled release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. and ROANOKE, Va., April 7, 2026 Likarda, Inc., a leader in hydrogel-based drug delivery technologies, today announced a strategic partnership with Tiny Cargo, an innovator in extracellular vesicle (EV) delivery systems. The collaboration will focus on advancing the delivery of biologics and small molecules by integrating Likarda's Core-Shell Spherification® (CSS®) platform with Tiny Cargo's vesicle-based technologies.

The partnership is designed to address key challenges in drug delivery, including poor stability, rapid clearance, and lack of localization, by combining hydrogel-based encapsulation for controlled release and localization with vesicle-mediated transport for enhanced delivery and uptake.

"By combining hydrogel encapsulation with vesicle-based delivery, this partnership unlocks new possibilities to enhance stability, localization, and therapeutic performance across biologics, peptides, and small molecules."

"Partnering with Tiny Cargo allows us to extend the impact of our CSS® platform providing the technology to deliver small, unstable or soluble drugs including peptides and small molecules," said Lisa Stehno-Bittel, Founder and President of Likarda. "Our technology is uniquely designed to encapsulate and retain a wide range of therapeutics within a protective hydrogel matrix, enabling controlled release and improved localization. When combined with vesicle-based delivery, this creates powerful new opportunities to enhance stability, bioavailability, and overall therapeutic performance."

Under the collaboration, the companies have evaluated the encapsulation and delivery of vesicle-associated and free-form therapeutics across multiple applications with an emphasis on extended-release formulations, improved bioavailability, and targeted delivery. Initial efforts focused on feasibility studies, with the goal of advancing to scalable, clinically relevant delivery solutions.

"We are excited to collaborate with Likarda to expand the capabilities of our delivery platform beyond traditional approaches," said Alan Gourdie, CEO of Tiny Cargo. "Likarda's hydrogel technology combined with Tiny Cargos milk EV delivery technology provides a powerful way to control release kinetics and enhance retention, absorption and targeting of drugs, creating new opportunities to improve the performance of biologics, peptide and small molecule therapeutics, unlocking a new sector of extended-release applications for Tiny Cargo's milk EV technology."

This partnership reflects a broader industry trend toward enhancing therapeutic performance through advanced delivery systems, enabling companies to extend product lifecycles, improve patient outcomes and unlock new clinical applications without modifying the active ingredient itself.

Both companies are actively supporting customers through small feasibility studies to generate initial data and demonstrate performance. Interested collaborators are encouraged to connect with us to explore how we can support your programs.

About Likarda

Likarda is a biotechnology company advancing next-generation delivery technologies for cell therapies, biologics, and other complex medicines. Our mission is to improve therapeutic performance and enable more durable, patient-friendly treatment options for chronic and life-threatening diseases. At the core of our platform is Core-Shell Spherification® (CSS®), an innovative hydrogel-based encapsulation technology that surrounds cells, proteins, and other biomolecules with a protective, biocompatible shell. This barrier helps maintain viability, enhances stability, reduces degradation, and enables precise, localized delivery within the body.

CSS® is fully customizable, offering tunable degradation, controlled release, cryopreservation advantages, and compatibility with GMP manufacturing workflows. Together, these capabilities help partners overcome critical challenges in drug delivery, manufacturing, and logistics.