INKT News & Events

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.

MiNK Therapeutics announced the upcoming initiation of a Phase 1, investigator-sponsored clinical trial evaluating its lead therapy, agenT-797, in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The trial, led by Hongtao Liu, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, with co-investigator Kalyan Nadiminti, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of agenT-797 in reducing graft-versus-host disease, relapse, and other post-transplant complications in patients with high-risk leukemias and other blood cancers. Two complementary public-private funding awards support the advancement of agenT-797 development in HSCT and GvHD. First, an NIH STTR grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supports MiNK and the University of Wisconsin-Madison team to develop and evaluate agenT-797 in preclinical models. Second, a philanthropic clinical grant, the Mary Gooze Clinical Trial Award to the University of Wisconsin-Madison directly funds enrollment, immune monitoring, and operations for the Phase 1. Together, these awards enable the simultaneous execution of translational and clinical studies of iNKTs in GvHD prevention.

MiNK Therapeutics announced the publication of new preclinical data for MiNK-215, a novel, next-generation FAP-targeting, IL-15-enhanced CAR-iNKT therapy. The manuscript, titled The allogeneic FAP-CAR-IL15 iNKT therapy MiNK-215 remodels the tumor stroma to enhance antitumor immunity", is now available on Cancer Immunology Research website. "The findings published today underscore the real potential of MiNK-215 to reshape how we treat solid tumors that have resisted immunotherapy for decades. By dismantling the fibroblast barriers that shield these cancers and activating multiple arms of the immune system, MiNK-215 goes beyond traditional checkpoint approaches. As an allogeneic, off-the-shelf therapy, it represents a meaningful step toward delivering scalable, immediate immune engagement for patients who currently have few effective options," said Jennifer Buell, PhD, President and CEO of MiNK Therapeutics.