Company: INKT
Filing Date: 2025-03-18
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-041379
Chunk: 15

Company: MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-18
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 15
---
 in solid tumors. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of TCR-based therapies against novel targets in T cells, iNKT cells, and other modalities, potentially offering new therapeutic approaches for diverse cancer indications. In September 2021,we entered into an Intellectual Property Assignment and License Agreement with Agenus (the “Agenus License Agreement”), which provides us with access to Agenus therapeutic candidates and adjuvants for use in our development activities, subject to rights retained by Agenus. We continue to explore further potential collaborations with third parties, either to bring in access to products or expertise to advance the development and further differentiate of our pipeline. Furthermore, if therapeutics areas of interest reveal themselves beyond our core areas of focus we may look to partner with appropriately qualified partners. 

Our Approach to Cell Therapy – iNKT Cells 

Engineered CAR-T cells have revolutionized treatment for B-cell malignancies but face significant practical, logistical, and toxicity limitations, prompting interest in alternative immune cells like NK cells, γδ T cells, and macrophages. Our approach harnesses iNKT cells, a unique subset combining durable memory of adaptive immunity with rapid cytolytic features of innate immunity, offering advantages over conventional therapies. 

Mechanistically, we have observed that agenT-797: 

 3

•Homes to tumors; 

•Activates dendritic cells (signalers that help the immune system recognize tumor cells);

•Kills M2 macrophages (immunosuppressive cells that constrain the body’s ability to fight tumors);

•Restores tumor killing capacity of exhausted T cells;

•Persists beyond our measurement period of 35 days;

•Are activated by CD1d, the key ligand for the invariant TCR, and by stress ligands for potent tumor killing; 

•Can secrete a wide array of inflammatory cytokines to clear infections and tumors; 

•Recruit and activate NK and T cells to regulate the immune response; and 

•Dampen inflammatory donor T cell activity to naturally suppress GvHD. 

Our iNKT cells use an invariant TCR α-chain to recognize glycolipid antigens presented by the monomorphic CD1d molecule, supporting direct tumor killing and broad immune activation within the tumor microenvironment ("TME"). Clinically, higher iNKT cell presence correlates with improved cancer prognosis and reduced GvHD risk post-transplantation. 

Key Features of iNKT Cells 

Combine Features of Innate and Adaptive