Eledon Pharmaceuticals

The current iteration of the company was formed in 2020 through the acquisition of Anelixis Therapeutics. This deal was spearheaded by David-Alexandre C. Gros, M.D., who has served as CEO since September 2020, and Steven Perrin, Ph.D., the founder and former CEO of Anelixis, who now serves as Eledon's President and Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Gros brings extensive experience from leadership roles at Sanofi, Neurocrine Biosciences, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, along with a background in investment banking and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins. Dr. Perrin is the inventor of Eledon's lead product candidate and previously led the world's largest ALS drug development program at the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

Eledon's business model is centered on the research and development of its pipeline, funded by capital raises and structured around strategic partnerships and clinical trials to gain regulatory approval. As a clinical-stage entity, it does not yet generate revenue from product sales. The company's core focus is on modulating the immune system by targeting the CD40 Ligand (CD40L) pathway, a critical component in immune system activation. This approach is intended to provide a safer, non-lymphocyte depleting immunomodulatory therapy.

The company's lead investigational product is tegoprubart (formerly AT-1501), an anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody. Tegoprubart is being developed to prevent organ rejection in patients undergoing kidney, liver, and islet cell transplantation. It has been used investigationally in groundbreaking xenotransplantation procedures, including the first-ever transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a human in March 2024 and a similar heart transplant in September 2023. Clinical trials are underway to compare tegoprubart against the current standard of care, with topline results from the Phase 2 BESTOW trial anticipated in November 2025. The therapy is also being explored for treating autoimmune diseases like lupus nephritis and for slowing the progression of ALS.