Massachusetts General Hospital made medical history with the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically-edited pig kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease. The transplant, which took place on Saturday, was made possible by Eledon Pharmaceuticals’ tegoprubart, an investigational anti-CD40L antibody that suppresses the patient’s immune system and prevents rejection of the transplanted organ. The Irvine-based biotech is developing tegoprubart to protect transplanted organs and reduce the risk of rejection. Eledon’s stock rose by over 12% following the announcement.
The successful transplant was the result of five years of research on xenotransplantation conducted by Mass General and eGenesis, the biotech company that provided the pig kidney. Without genetic modification, a pig kidney would be immediately rejected by a human recipient. The use of Eledon’s monoclonal antibody, tegoprubart, which targets the co-stimulatory CD40L pathway, played a crucial role in the success of the transplant. Eledon is currently evaluating tegoprubart in two clinical trials for kidney allotransplantation, and the company aims to develop it as a new and improved immunosuppressive option for transplant patients.
Eledon Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing tegoprubart as the standard of care for all transplantation types, including both human and non-human organ sources. The company is working to remove the toxicity associated with the current standard of care, tacrolimus, and develop a more potent drug for xenotransplantation. Eledon plans to provide more data on a Phase Ib study in kidney transplantation in June 2024 and is enrolling participants for its Phase II BESTOW study, which compares tegoprubart to tacrolimus. The company is also exploring the use of its anti-CD40L approach to target amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
