MiNK Therapeutics, Inc. announced the presentation of new data from five presentations at the 2022 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a powerful subset of T cells which act as master regulator of immune response, making them an ideal immunotherapy. MiNK has developed off-the-shelf, allogeneic iNKT (allo-iNKT) cell therapeutic candidates, agenT-797, in its native form or engineered for super targeting of a broad spectrum of diseases, including in solid cancers and viral diseases of the lung.

Allogeneic unmodified iNKTs (agenT-797) show reductions in target and non-target lesions or disease stabilization in patients with solid tumor cancers when administered alone [27%] and in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®) or nivolumab (OPDIVO®) [66%]. Phase 1 data show early signals of activity with disease stabilization in patients refractory to standard of care and those who have progressed on KEYTRUDA or OPDIVO. agenT-797 preferentially kills tumor-promoting M2 macrophages while preserving pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages associated with anti-tumor responses.

agenT-797 can be dosed up to 1000x106 cells without lymphodepletion showing no signs of neurotoxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS grade = 3). Allo-iNKTs show signals of durable disease stabilization and modulation of M-spike protein seen in heavily pre-treated r/r multiple myeloma patients (2/8) after =6 prior lines of therapy. agenT-797 shows 70% survival in severe viral ARDS compared to site reference controls (~10%); potential for a variant agnostic approach to infections.

In Phase 1/2 study, agenT-797 shows survival of 70% in mechanically ventilated patients compared to ~10% in a comparative case control population. Increased 90-day survival in a subgroup of patients on respiratory bypass (ECMO) of 75% compared to 30% in a comparative cohort with median survival of 119.5 vs 47 days. agenT-797 demonstrates a favorable safety profile.

Only 1 grade =3 treatment related adverse event and no CRS was observed. agenT-797 treatment was associated with a reduction in secondary infections, including reduced incidence of pneumonia at the highest dose level, a driver of ICU mortality. MiNK's FAP-CAR-iNKT therapeutic candidate, MiNK-215, demonstrates robust efficacy in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) preclinical models, promoting curative responses, eliminating tumor burden in the lungs, and enhancing tumor specific CD8+ T cell infiltration through tumor stroma.

FAP-CAR-iNKT demonstrates a drastic increase of CD8+ T cells infiltrating the tumor and significantly increased tumor killing compared to T cells in murine models. MiNK-215 shows robust preclinical efficacy towards tumor expressing FAP (FAP+ cancer model), underscoring potential to target FAP+ tumors. MiNK-413 is a differentiated allogeneic IL-15-armored-BCMA-CAR-iNKT therapeutic candidate, a next generation approach designed to overcome the limitations of current autologous cell therapies.

MiNK-413 demonstrates superior tumor clearance in a systemic multiple myeloma models, compared to control BCMA-CAR. Armoring MiNK-413 with soluble IL-15 enables prolonged persistence, which may translate to increased durability in patients. MiNK-413 has the potential to target a broader population of patients with multiple myeloma.

MiNK's proprietary CARDIS platform enables high-throughput rapid selection and optimization of functional CARs, like MiNK-413 (IL-15-armored-BCMA-CAR-iNKT) and MiNK-215 (FAP-CAR-iNKT). Allo-iNKTs (agenT-797) reinvigorate partially exhausted T cells and improve effector functions within the tumor microenvironment; critical mechanisms in rescuing PD-1 refractory tumors. In addition to their direct anti-tumor activity, allogeneic iNKT cells (agenT-797) improve immune effector function of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.

agenT-797 restores the cytotoxic capacity, activation, and cytokine production of partially exhausted T cells. agenT-797 preferentially kills tumor-promoting M2 macrophages while preserving pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages associated with anti-tumor responses. agenT-797 activates dendritic cells, which can promote activation of T cells through enhanced antigen presentation.