Market reaction and headline results
Shares of Eledon Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ELDN) climbed 11.7% in premarket trading Monday following disclosure that an investigator-initiated type 1 diabetes study reported complete insulin independence among all 12 enrolled patients. The trial assessed tegoprubart, the company's investigational anti-CD40L antibody, as a component of a calcineurin inhibitor-free immunosuppression protocol used during allogeneic islet cell transplantation performed at the University of Chicago Medicine Transplant Institute.
Design and presentation
The study was investigator-initiated and focused on adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes who underwent allogeneic islet transplantation at UChicago Medicine. Results from the trial were presented at the American Diabetes Association 86th Scientific Sessions, held June 5-9, 2026. Funding for the study was provided by Breakthrough T1D with initial support from The Cure Alliance.
Clinical outcomes reported
All 12 patients achieved insulin independence, defined as no longer requiring exogenous insulin therapy. The cohort also reached hemoglobin A1C levels below 6.5%, with a mean most recent HbA1c of approximately 5.4% - an average improvement of approximately 2.6% from baseline.
Investigators reported stable islet graft function across the cohort over a median post-transplant follow-up of 8 months and a maximum follow-up of 22 months. No severe hypoglycemic episodes were observed after transplantation, in contrast to all enrolled patients having a history of recurrent severe hypoglycemic events prior to receiving transplants.
Patient characteristics and comparisons
The trial enrolled 12 adults with a median duration of diabetes of approximately 33 years and a mean pre-transplant HbA1c of approximately 8.0%. Investigators noted that post-transplant islet cell engraftment levels were higher with the tegoprubart-based immunosuppression regimen than those seen in historical patients at UChicago Medicine who were treated with a tacrolimus-based regimen.
There were no rejection episodes reported in the cohort, and no patients developed de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies during the reported follow-up period.
Implications highlighted by the investigators
The published results emphasize sustained graft function, meaningful glycemic control improvements and an absence of severe hypoglycemia after transplantation among the 12 study participants. The comparison with historical tacrolimus-based regimens at the same center was noted with respect to engraftment levels, and the absence of rejection or de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies was specifically reported for this cohort.