EQGen Biomedical, Inc. a pioneering veterinary regenerative medicine company, is raising $17 million to drive equine clinical trials and launch programs for companion animals, including dogs, horses and other species. Funds will further develop proprietary stem cell therapies, expand research capabilities, and bring groundbreaking treatments closer to commercialization.

• US-based, global animal health company founded in 2024
• Proprietary, next-generation, intra-articular stem cell treatment for equines as a Disease Modifying Osteoarthritis Drug (DMOAD) to meet unmet medical need
• Demonstrated safety, tolerability, and efficacy in multiple preclinical equine studies
• Products designed to meet FDA and EMA regulatory approval with full indication to reverse the course of joint disease, not just mitigate symptoms
• Extensive, existing global IP portfolio

• Expected to extend this innovation to canines and camelids

• Concurrent canine product development will be initiated within this timeframe

• Seasoned leadership team with deep experience in commercialization of regenerative medicine products for equine and companion animal use

• Expected accelerated exit via veterinary pharma

• Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of lameness in >60% of equine patients

• Global veterinary regenerative medicine market valued at $550MM USD in 2022, projected to reach $1.3BN USD by 2030 with CAGR of 12.9%

• As cartilage has no or minimal ability for intrinsic repair, destruction within the joint cannot be reversed

• No Disease Modifying OA Drug (DMOAD) exists on the market

• Acquisition via veterinary pharma following Proof of Concept (POC) Phase 2 Trial in 2028/2029

• Current clinical management targets symptomatic pain relief and reduction of joint inflammation

• Existing medications, synthetic compounds, and autologous or other allogeneic biological treatments are inadequate with limited or no regenerative ability

• Solution is engineered as an FDA and EMA-approved DMOAD to reverse the course of OA progression in equine, canine and camelid patients

• Exclusive licensee of a proprietary, next-generation stem cell treatment for equine osteoarthritis and joint disease (EQSTEM® – Xintela AB, Sweden)

• Globally patented technology leverages a unique, proprietary method to purify multipotent cell populations using stem cell marker integrin α10β1

• Integrin α10β1 chondrocytes are cartilage-producing cells within the joint

• EQGen and Xintela are collaborating on clinical development and commercialization of the technology for the treatment of joint disease in equine, canine and camelid patients

• Integrin α10β1-selected stem cell populations show a superior ability to adhere to damaged cartilage and exposed subchondral bone in explants and reduction in lameness and joint pathology

• Xintela is advancing the same technology in parallel for human use

• Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) harvested from equine fatty tissues via lipoaspiration

• Integrin α10β1-selected MSCs are a homogeneous and consistent high-quality cell preparation

• An off-the-shelf, cost-effective stem cell product which eliminates the need for blood or tissue harvest from patients and requiring no product preparation

• Engineered as a true disease modifying drug to reverse the course of OA progression with formal FDA and EMA approval

• Shown to reduce lameness and improve cartilage and bone structure in equine OA preclinical studies

Integrin α10β1-selected stem cells fill a critical need within equine medical practice

• Proven platform technology in two species

• Engineered to reverse the course of joint disease, not just mitigate symptoms

• Off-the-shelf, ready to use allogeneic product eliminating need for tissue harvest from patient

• Competitively priced, cryopreserved intra-articular injection

• Signed the definitive Collaboration and License Agreement for the development of Xintela’s equine stem cell product EQSTEM® and other animal stem cell products in April 2025. EQGen receives exclusive, global rights to Xintela’s stem cell technology for the treatment of veterinary musculoskeletal indications

• Xintela and EQGen Biomedical will collaborate on product and process development as well as regulatory, clinical and commercial development of EQSTEM®, initially for the treatment of joint diseases in horses

• Secured Founder investment of $700k to fully fund equine product development by Xintela and near-term company operations (Scheele, Senner)

• Recruited Wendy Vaala VMD, dipACVIM to serve as Chief Veterinary Officer

• Q2/Q3 2025 progress for equine product development includes validation of lipoaspiration collection techniques and optimization of tissue preparation, cell growth and selection

• Secured protocol approval of expanded lipoaspiration feasibility and donor wellness study with University of Copenhagen for Q3/Q4 2025

• Discussion continues with select academic institutions and veterinary centers of excellence to collaborate on clinical trial and donor eligibility, including Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the University of Connecticut

Willem Scheele MD – Founder, President and Chief Medical Officer

Brings extensive clinical experience in the bone and cartilage field with 30+ years’ experience in global drug development and has more than 60+ publications in the field of Tissue Repair and CKD. Previously served as Honorary Consul for The Netherlands in New England and Chief Medical Officer at Imara Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA). Prior to joining Imara, held leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Eli Lilly and Company, Wyeth, and Pfizer.  Work spans clinical development, commercialization and distribution of musculoskeletal compounds indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis, fracture repair, collagenase tissue repair, and rare disease, resulting in multiple successful regulatory submissions, FDA Advisory Board meetings and marketing approvals. 

 Grant Senner, MD, DABRM – Founder & CEO

Tested physician executive and entrepreneur with 27+ years of corporate, legal, regulatory and financial expertise within the life science and healthcare sectors. Diverse background includes proficiency in clinical program development, biomedical technology, and commercialization spanning the private and academic sectors and brings proven success leading organizations of substantial complexity. Previously, served as Founder and CEO of several companies focused on human and veterinary regenerative medicine including Equus Innovations (Phoenix, AZ) which manufactures the RenoVō® equine and AlphaFlo® canine allografts. In this capacity, spearheaded the development, commercialization, and distribution of novel veterinary products with an exceptional reputation for safety and efficacy, and which have been used in over 30,000 horses and dogs to date.

Wendy Vaala, VMD, dipACVIM – Chief Veterinary Officer

Seasoned equine and companion animal global industry executive, clinician and former Director, Strategic Development and Innovation – Companion Animal and Equine, Merck Animal Health. Prior to time in industry, was an Assistant Professor in large animal medicine at New Bolton Center, specializing in internal medicine, equine neonatology and perinatology. Subsequently, served on the staff of Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center and BW Furlong and Associates in New Jersey, where she established foaling programs, NICUs, and referral services. Board Certified in large animal internal medicine and an active member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, is a distinguished lecturer for owners and veterinarians in North and South America, Australia, and Europe.

• Limited growth capital is available to accelerate equine product and clinical development and to permit concurrent development of canine and camelid products

• Inherent regulatory risks are associated with cellular-based drug products, particularly given recent developments with FDA

• Xintela may fail to advance the same technology for human use, leading to a negative perception on likelihood of success for veterinary applications

• Competitors may develop and market products with superior clinical performance at lower cost than our products

• Canine and camelid markets may take longer to develop than anticipated

• Private securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk – including the loss of the entire investment