Company: INKT
Filing Date: 2025-03-18
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-041379
Chunk: 16

Company: MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-18
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 16
---
 Immunity 

iNKT cells uniquely combine TCR-mediated and NK-receptor-mediated mechanisms, enabling direct tumor targeting and powerful orchestration of the immune response within the TME. They directly eliminate immunosuppressive myeloid cells and activate NK and T cells, setting them apart from other innate lymphocytes. 

Potent Anti-Tumor Activity 

iNKT cells are primarily tissue-resident, ideal for homing in on solid tumors. They express an invariant TCR recognizing CD1d, a molecule widely expressed on tumors. This recognition enables rapid cytokine release and potent tumor-killing activity. Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate iNKT cells’ ability to home directly to tumors, target diverse ligands (CD1d, NKG2D), and effectively modify the TME. 

Naturally Suited for Allogeneic Therapy 

iNKT cells inherently suppress GvHD, eliminating the need for gene editing and reducing associated toxicity. Higher iNKT cell counts after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation correlate with decreased GvHD risk. 

Enhanced Tolerability 

iNKT cells’ tissue-resident properties may enable better engraftment with reduced or no lymphodepletion, improving patient quality of life and maintaining a healthier immune system, vital for long-term cancer control. 

Scalable and Efficient Manufacturing 

Our proprietary process allows exponential expansion (>10,000-fold) of iNKT cells while preserving their full functional capabilities, immunomodulatory effects, and metabolic fitness, providing a scalable therapeutic solution. 

Our iNKT Cell Platform 

Our platform leverages the unique therapeutic features of native iNKT cells and advanced manufacturing and engineering capabilities, enabling us to produce highly pure, scalable, and off-the-shelf allogeneic therapies for global patient populations. Allogeneic iNKT cell therapies, derived from healthy donors, have the potential to rapidly treat patients upon diagnosis, enhance response rates and durability, broaden treatment indications, improve tolerability without the need for lymphodepletion, and achieve cost-effective scalability.

 4

Key Platform Elements: 

Novel Cell Type Bridging Innate and Adaptive Immunity: We utilize iNKT cells, uniquely positioned to bridge innate and adaptive immune responses, offering powerful tumor-killing properties of NK cells combined with durable memory capabilities of T cells, along with the ability to reshape the tumor microenvironment.

Broad Therapeutic Applications: Our pipeline includes both native and engineered iNKT cell therapies targeting multiple indications across oncology and immune-mediated