Eledon Pharmaceuticals Announces Use of Tegoprubart in First-ever Transplant of Genetically Modified Kidney from a Pig to a Human
March 21 2024 - 10:31AM
Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Eledon”) (NASDAQ: ELDN) today
announced that tegoprubart, the company’s investigational
anti-CD40L antibody, was used as a component of the
immunosuppressive treatment regimen following the first-ever
transplant of a kidney from a genetically modified pig to a human.
The procedure was completed on March 16, 2024, at Massachusetts
General Hospital on a 62-year-old man living with end-stage kidney
disease.
“This first-ever kidney xenotransplant marks a pivotal moment
for the transplant community and provides hope that this option may
one day help solve the current shortage of available organs,” said
David-Alexandre C. Gros, M.D., Eledon Chief Executive Officer.
“Eledon has now participated in both heart and kidney
xenotransplant procedures, further demonstrating tegoprubart’s
broad potential in transplant. We are thankful to the patient, the
entire medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital, and our
partner eGenesis for the privilege to participate in this landmark
procedure as we work to achieve our goal of developing tegoprubart
as a new and better immunosuppressive option for transplant
patients.”
Tegoprubart is being administered to the patient
investigationally as part of a regimen designed to suppress the
immune system and prevent the body from rejecting the transplanted
pig organ. Tegoprubart has been observed to be safe and
well-tolerated in multiple studies and in multiple indications,
including for the prevention of rejection following kidney
transplantation.
“It is exciting to see the clinical application of
xenotransplantation to a patient with end stage renal disease,”
said Andrew Adams, MD, PhD, Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery,
University of Minnesota. “Based on all of the studies performed in
preclinical models to date, it is clear that therapies targeting
CD40L, like tegoprubart, are critical to controlling the immune
response to the xenograft, potentially leading to superior
long-term outcomes compared to other immunosuppressive therapies.
CD40L sits at the interface of the adaptive and innate immune
responses which may explain why therapies designed to block it have
such potent effects in xenotransplantation.”
“This procedure represents a significant milestone in the
transplantation field and a promising step to address a medical
crisis: the worldwide shortage of available organs,” said Leonardo
V. Riella, MD, PhD, Medical Director for Kidney Transplantation at
Massachusetts General Hospital. “Xenotransplantation represents a
unique approach with the potential to provide patients with
additional options to access life-saving treatments in a timely
manner. We commend the courage of our patient and the skill of the
entire team involved in the operation, and I look forward to
continued advancements in research with the hope that we can make
this novel treatment option available to more patients in the
future.”
Multiple clinical and preclinical research efforts are currently
underway to evaluate the ability of tegoprubart to reduce the risk
of rejection in organ transplant. Eledon is advancing preclinical
studies in which tegoprubart is being used as a part of the
immunosuppression regimen designed to reduce the risk of rejection
in nonhuman primate recipients in xenotransplant procedures. In
parallel, Eledon is running two global clinical studies evaluating
tegoprubart for the prevention of organ rejection in persons
receiving a de novo kidney transplant. The company recently
presented results from 11 participants enrolled in its ongoing
Phase 1b kidney transplantation study, which demonstrated that
tegoprubart, as part of a calcineurin inhibitor free
immunosuppressive regimen, was generally safe and well tolerated
and both successfully prevented rejection as well as permitted
above historical average post-transplant kidney function. The
company’s Phase 2 BESTOW study, assessing tegoprubart head-to-head
with tacrolimus for the prevention of rejection in kidney
transplantation, is currently recruiting participants, and plans to
complete enrollment at the end of 2024.
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, 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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Investor Contact:
Stephen JasperGilmartin Group(858) 525
2047stephen@gilmartinir.com
Media Contact:
Jenna UrbanBerry & Company Public Relations(212) 253
8881jurban@berrypr.com
Source: Eledon Pharmaceuticals
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