University of Chicago Trial Shows Promising Results for Type 1 Diabetes Treatment
A University of Chicago clinical trial showed that all 10 initial participants achieved insulin independence within four weeks of receiving a new treatment combining donor islet cell transplants with an anti-rejection drug called tegoprubart. Researchers say the results are the most promising seen in type 1 diabetes treatment in decades. The drug's maker plans to meet with the FDA later this year about a path to market.
A clinical trial at the University of Chicago has produced results that researchers are calling the most promising advance in type 1 diabetes treatment in decades, with all 10 initial participants achieving full insulin independence within four weeks of treatment.
The participants had lived with type 1 diabetes for an average of 33 years before enrolling in the trial. All achieved nondiabetic bloodwork and stopped needing insulin injections within four weeks of receiving the treatment, which pairs donor islet cell transplants with a new anti-rejection drug called tegoprubart, made by Eledon Pharmaceuticals.
Islet cell transplants have been studied for years as a potential treatment for type 1 diabetes, but previous approaches required patients to take powerful immunosuppressant drugs that often caused serious side effects and sometimes damaged the transplanted cells. Tegoprubart works differently, protecting the islet cells without broadly suppressing the immune system.
"It protects islet cells without suppressing your immune system as a whole," one researcher explained. That distinction is significant because it means patients may be able to maintain the benefits of the transplant without the long-term risks associated with traditional immunosuppression.
Eledon Pharmaceuticals said it plans to meet with the Food and Drug Administration later this year to discuss a potential path to market for tegoprubart. The company will need to conduct larger trials before the treatment can be approved for widespread use.
Type 1 diabetes affects approximately 2 million Americans and requires daily insulin management. Unlike type 2 diabetes, it is an autoimmune condition in which the body destroys the cells that produce insulin.
The trial results were reported by Woman's World on May 12, 2026, and have drawn significant attention from the diabetes research community.
