- 12-patient cohort fully enrolled with an average time since transplant of approximately 8 months
- 100% insulin independence achieved in 10 patients who are over 4 weeks post-transplant
- No signs of graft rejection or de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies
- Tegoprubart continues to demonstrate a favorable safety and tolerability profile
IRVINE, Calif, March 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Eledon") (NASDAQ: ELDN) today announced updated results from an investigator-initiated trial conducted at the University of Chicago Medicine Transplant Institute and presented by Piotr Witkowski, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Pancreas and Islet Transplant Program at UChicago Medicine, at the Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) conference, held March 11-14, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain.
The investigator-initiated pilot study enrolled 12 adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes undergoing allogeneic islet transplantation at UChicago Medicine. Patients had a median duration of diabetes of approximately 33 years and mean hemoglobin A1C ("HbA1C") of approximately 8.0% prior to transplantation. Participants received tegoprubart, Eledon's anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody, as part of a calcineurin inhibitor-free immunosuppression regimen.
The data demonstrated rapid improvement in glycemic control following islet transplantation, with stable islet graft function observed across the cohort. All 10 patients who were more than four weeks post-transplant achieved both insulin independence and a most recent HbA1c below 6.0%, with a mean most recent HbA1c across the 10 patients of approximately 5.35%. Tegoprubart-based immunosuppression was generally well tolerated with reported post-transplant immunosuppression-related adverse events successfully treated by lowering the mycophenolic acid dose, if necessary. There were no rejection episodes, and no patients developed de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies. Additionally, no evidence of nephrotoxicity, hypertension or neurotoxicity, which are commonly associated with tacrolimus-based immunosuppression regimens, was observed. These findings further support the potential of CD40L blockade to enable effective islet graft protection while avoiding the toxicities of calcineurin inhibitors.
"T1D patients have been waiting decades for a potential functional cure, and it is very encouraging to see meaningful progress in that direction through the emerging promise of tegoprubart," said David-Alexandre C. Gros, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Eledon. "These latest findings support the potential of tegoprubart to enable effective islet graft protection while avoiding the toxicities often associated with calcineurin inhibitors, and potentially enable access to islet cell transplantation for individuals living with T1D. We are proud to contribute to these important ongoing research efforts and support the work of Dr. Witkowski and the team at UChicago Medicine. We also look forward to working closely with the FDA towards our goal of receiving regulatory guidance on a path to market for tegoprubart in islet cell transplantation later this year."
"Breakthrough T1D is proud to fund the University of Chicago's clinical trial testing tegoprubart as a novel immunosuppression alternative for use in islet cell transplants and we are very encouraged by the early data," said Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., CEO of Breakthrough T1D. "It is exciting to see islet transplant recipients in this trial who no longer need to administer insulin and who are experiencing fewer side effects than with traditional immunosuppressive regimens."
This UChicago Medicine-initiated clinical trial is funded by Breakthrough T1D, with initial support from The Cure Alliance. Breakthrough T1D has also committed to fund a second study evaluating tegoprubart as part of a calcineurin inhibitor-free immunosuppression drug regimen to prevent islet transplant rejection in individuals with T1D and chronic kidney disease.
About Islet Transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes
Pancreatic islet transplantation is a minimally invasive procedure developed to provide blood glucose control for subjects with type 1 diabetes and minimize or eliminate dependence on insulin. During the procedure, pancreatic islets containing insulin-producing beta cells are isolated from the pancreas of a deceased organ donor and infused through a small catheter into the patient's liver. The islet cells lodge in small blood vessels in the liver and release insulin. After the procedure, subjects remain on immunosuppression therapy to prevent transplant rejection.
About Eledon Pharmaceuticals and tegoprubart
Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company that is developing immune-modulating therapies for the management and treatment of life-threatening conditions. The Company's lead investigational product is tegoprubart, an anti-CD40L antibody with high affinity for the CD40 Ligand, a well-validated biological target that has broad therapeutic potential. The central role of CD40L signaling in both adaptive and innate immune cell activation and function positions it as an attractive target for non-lymphocyte depleting, immunomodulatory therapeutic intervention. The Company is building upon a deep historical knowledge of anti-CD40 Ligand biology to conduct preclinical and clinical studies in kidney allograft transplantation, xenotransplantation, islet cell transplantation, liver allograft transplantation and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Eledon is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.eledon.com.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Any statements about the company's planned clinical trials, the development of product candidates, expected or future results of tegoprubart trials and its ability to prevent rejection in connection with islet cell transplantation, as well as other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "estimates," "intends," "predicts," "projects," "targets," "looks forward," "could," "may," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including: risks relating to the safety and efficacy of our drug candidates; risks relating to clinical development timelines, including interactions with regulators and clinical sites, as well as patient enrollment; and risks relating to costs of clinical trials and the sufficiency of the company's capital resources to fund planned clinical trials. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results to differ significantly from the forward-looking statements contained herein, are discussed in our quarterly 10-Q, annual 10-K, and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which can be found at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and not of any future date, and the company expressly disclaims any intent to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Investor Contact:
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Gilmartin Group
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Media Contact:
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Source: Eledon Pharmaceuticals
