Cantanhede, Portugal — October 29, 2026
Exogenus Therapeutics announced the launch of ExoCordOA, a five-year, €13 million Horizon Europe-funded consortium focused on advancing extracellular vesicle-enriched secretome therapies towards clinical application, initially targeting osteoarthritis. Led by Exogenus Therapeutics, the initiative brings together ten European and international organisations with expertise in biotechnology, clinical development, regulatory affairs, GMP manufacturing, medical imaging, academia and healthcare. The project will focus on advancing the company’s lead candidate, EXO-101, towards clinical validation as a potential disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD). Alongside clinical development, the consortium aims to address scientific, manufacturing, quality-control and regulatory challenges that have limited the translation of extracellular vesicle and secretome-based therapies into clinical practice.
EXO-101 Development Targets Osteoarthritis Disease Progression
A central objective of ExoCordOA is to support the Phase I and Phase II clinical development of EXO-101, Exogenus Therapeutics’ investigational secretome-based candidate for osteoarthritis. The programme is designed to explore its potential as a treatment that could modify the underlying disease process rather than only manage symptoms. Osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability worldwide, affecting approximately 8% of the global population, with prevalence expected to increase as populations age. The condition affects women disproportionately and can progressively damage joints, causing pain, stiffness and reduced mobility. Currently, there are no approved disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs, leaving patients largely dependent on symptom-relief strategies and, in advanced cases, joint replacement surgery. EXO-101 is being advanced as a potential approach to address this unmet medical need by investigating whether secretome-based therapy could slow or prevent disease progression. However, its clinical effectiveness and safety will need to be established through the planned clinical studies.
€13 Million Consortium Tackles Secretome Manufacturing and Regulatory Barriers
Beyond developing EXO-101, ExoCordOA will work to address broader challenges affecting the extracellular vesicle and secretome therapeutics field. These include variability in product characterisation, manufacturing consistency, quality control, analytical testing and regulatory requirements. The consortium aims to establish more standardised development approaches, strengthen analytical methods and improve potency assessment, which is essential for determining whether a biological product consistently delivers its intended activity. It will also work towards more robust GMP manufacturing processes and a clearer regulatory pathway to support the future development of secretome-based medicines. These activities are important because complex biological therapies require reliable production methods and reproducible quality standards before they can progress through clinical development and potential commercialisation. By combining expertise across biotechnology, manufacturing, clinical research and regulation, the project intends to create a framework that could support not only EXO-101 but also the wider development of next-generation regenerative and anti-inflammatory therapies in Europe.
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Ten Organisations Unite to Strengthen European Regenerative Medicine
The ExoCordOA consortium is coordinated by Exogenus Therapeutics and includes Lonza, Anthony Nolan, Eliquent Life Sciences, iLoF – Intelligent Lab on Fiber, Utrecht University, University Medical Center Utrecht, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Image Analysis Group and ReumaNederland. Each organisation contributes complementary capabilities across biotechnology, clinical and regulatory development, GMP manufacturing, medical imaging, academic research and healthcare. According to Joana Correia, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Exogenus Therapeutics, the project brings together the expertise required both to advance EXO-101 towards clinical validation and to address barriers affecting the broader secretome therapeutics sector. The initiative forms part of the European Commission’s wider effort to accelerate the clinical translation, standardisation and regulatory development of emerging secretome-based treatments through Horizon Europe funding. Over its five-year duration, ExoCordOA aims to strengthen Europe’s position in advanced regenerative medicine while generating the scientific, manufacturing and regulatory foundations needed for future clinical applications. The programme’s progress will be important in determining whether EXO-101 can advance as a potential treatment for osteoarthritis and whether the consortium’s standardisation work can help other secretome-based therapies move closer to clinical use.
Source: Exogenus Therapeutics Press release
