EQGen Biomedical develops EQSTEM®, an off‑the‑shelf stem cell therapy that uses a proprietary integrin α10β1‑selected mesenchymal stem cell population to bind damaged cartilage and promote regeneration.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Equine osteoarthritis causes chronic joint pain, reduced range of motion, and loss of performance, and existing treatments focus only on symptom relief without restoring damaged cartilage.
Solution
EQGen Biomedical offers an off‑the‑shelf stem cell therapy (EQSTEM®) that is ready to use without harvesting autologous tissue or on‑site preparation. The product uses a proprietary integrin α10β1‑selected mesenchymal stem cell population that adheres preferentially to damaged cartilage and subchondral bone, promoting chondrogenic differentiation and immunomodulation. Preclinical and early clinical studies in horses have demonstrated reduced cartilage degradation, decreased pain, and detectable cells on the cartilage surface weeks after injection. By delivering a disease‑modifying biologic, the therapy aims to reverse the progression of osteoarthritis rather than merely alleviating symptoms. The off‑the‑shelf format provides a cost‑effective, scalable solution for veterinary practices.
Target Audience
Primary customers are equine and companion‑animal veterinarians seeking a regenerative, disease‑modifying treatment for joint disease, as well as veterinary clinics and specialty hospitals that manage osteoarthritis cases.
Features
- Proprietary integrin α10β1 selection yields a highly pure multipotent MSC population with superior cartilage‑binding affinity
- Ready‑to‑use formulation eliminates the need for blood or tissue harvest and on‑site cell processing
- Demonstrated in‑vitro chondrogenic differentiation and in‑vivo reduction of cartilage damage and joint pain in equine models
- Applicable to multiple species (equine, canine, camelid) under a single manufacturing platform
- Patented technology licensed from Xintela AB, ensuring exclusive commercial rights