Zurich-based NewcelX Ltd. (Nasdaq: NCEL) and Irvine, California-based Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ELDN) have entered a collaborative research agreement to evaluate a combination strategy pairing NewcelX’s NCEL-101, a stem cell derived islet therapy, with Eledon’s tegoprubart (AT-1501), an anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody designed to modulate T-cell-mediated immune activation. The aim is to evaluate the pairing as a durable, immune-protected islet replacement and potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes. No financial terms linked to the deal were disclosed.
The agreement is structured as a research collaboration rather than a traditional licensing arrangement. Eledon contributes clinical transplant data generated from over 100 patients treated with tegoprubart across kidney, heart, and diabetes-related transplant settings under multiple US FDA-cleared Investigational New Drug applications. NewcelX contributes NCEL-101, its lead program built on a human pluripotent stem cell platform and designed as a scalable, off-the-shelf cell replacement therapy intended to restore endogenous insulin production.
Deal context
NCEL-101 is a stem cell-derived islet cell therapy that aims to replace pancreatic β-cells destroyed by the autoimmune process underlying type 1 diabetes. Rather than targeting a single molecular pathway, the therapy delivers functional insulin-producing cells to restore glycemic control. Tegoprubart is a next-generation monoclonal antibody that binds CD40 ligand (CD40L/CD154), blocking its interaction with CD40 on antigen-presenting cells and thereby inhibiting downstream T-cell activation. Earlier-generation anti-CD40L antibodies were associated with thromboembolic complications; tegoprubart was designed to mitigate that risk. The rationale for the NewcelX collaboration is that pairing cell replacement with targeted immune modulation could promote durable islet graft survival without the broad immunosuppression typically required in transplant settings.