MiNK Therapeutics Announces Strategic Collaboration with C-Further
MiNK Therapeutics announced a strategic collaboration with C-Further, an international pediatric oncology therapeutics consortium enabled by Cancer Research Horizons, LifeArc and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, to develop a PRAME-targeted TCR-engineered iNKT cell therapy for pediatric cancers. The collaboration between MiNK Therapeutics and C-Further will advance a T cell receptor-engineered invariant natural killer T cell therapy targeting PRAME, a tumor-associated antigen highly expressed across multiple pediatric and adult malignancies with limited expression in healthy tissues. By combining PRAME-specific antigen recognition with MiNK's iNKT cell platform, the program seeks to harness the biology of iNKT cells-immune effectors that bridge innate and adaptive immunity-to enable precise tumor targeting while also activating coordinated immune responses within the tumor microenvironment. Under the agreement, the MiNK program will receive approximately $1.1M in non-dilutive, aggregate funding to support IND-enabling development of its PRAME-TCR-iNKT asset, advancing the program through preclinical candidate nomination and key translational milestones, with payments tied to the completion of defined scientific milestones. The agreement also includes a double-digit share of downstream commercial revenues, reflecting the company's proprietary iNKT platform and its role in enabling next-generation TCR-based cellular therapies aligned with the objectives of the C-Further program. Importantly, the collaboration is non-exclusive, preserving MiNK's ability to continue advancing its iNKT platform independently and to pursue tumor antigen targets across oncology indications and partnerships. Under the collaboration, MiNK will serve as the lead industry partner, contributing its iNKT platform, engineering capabilities, and translational development expertise. Investigators at the University of Southampton will support independent, comparative preclinical studies to evaluate anti-tumor activity, persistence, and safety across multiple pediatric cancer models, including patient-derived tumor systems with the goal of nominating a single lead clinical candidate for advancement toward first-in-human studies in children.
