Islet transplant drug works
New research reports the drug tegoprubart enabled insulin independence and strong glycemic control in adults with long‑standing type 1 diabetes after islet transplantation, signaling progress in transplant support therapies. (hcplive.com)
The investigator‑initiated pilot at the University of Chicago Medicine enrolled 12 adults with long‑standing type 1 diabetes and a reported median diabetes duration of about 33 years. (theglobeandmail.com (theglobeandmail.com)) Data presented at the Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) meeting in Barcelona (March 11–14, 2026) showed that all 10 participants who were more than four weeks post‑transplant achieved insulin independence and had most recent HbA1c values below 6.0%, with a reported mean HbA1c of ≈5.35% across those 10 patients. (seekingalpha.com (seekingalpha.com)) Earlier, the company reported detailed outcomes from the first six subjects: three patients transplanted more than a year earlier remained insulin‑free, one patient sustained an HbA1c as low as 4.7% for more than 15 months, and two patients transplanted in July 2025 achieved insulin independence within about four weeks after a single infusion. (ir.eledon.com (ir.eledon.com)) Investigators reported no clinical rejection episodes, no emergence of de novo donor‑specific HLA antibodies, no thromboembolic events, and no kidney or neurologic toxicities attributed to the tegoprubart‑based regimen, and said tolerability issues were managed by adjusting mycophenolic acid dosing. (ir.eledon.com (ir.eledon.com)) Tegoprubart is a humanized anti‑CD40 ligand monoclonal antibody that served as the core of a calcineurin inhibitor–free immunosuppression regimen in the protocol, and the registered investigator‑initiated trial (NCT06305286) paired it with standard peritransplant agents such as ATG or basiliximab plus mycophenolate. (eledon.com (eledon.com)) (clinicaltrials.gov (clinicaltrials.gov)) Eledon said the updated dataset and the ATTD presentation will inform planned regulatory engagement with the FDA on a development pathway for tegoprubart in islet cell transplantation later in 2026 and support expanded evaluations, including a proposed study in type 1 diabetes with chronic kidney disease. (hcplive.com (hcplive.com))
