MiNK Therapeutics

What MiNK Therapeutics does

MiNK Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing allogeneic, off-the-shelf invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapies for cancer and immune-mediated diseases. Founded in 2017 and listed on NASDAQ under ticker INKT, the company operates as an affiliate of Agenus Inc., with corporate headquarters in New York and a research and discovery center in Cambridge, UK. Its lead candidate, agenT-797, is a native (non-engineered) iNKT cell product evaluated across multiple indications including solid tumors (gastroesophageal, gastric, testicular cancers), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). The pipeline additionally includes engineered products such as MiNK-215 (IL-15 armored FAP-targeting CAR-iNKT for MSS colorectal cancer), PRAME-TCR iNKT (pediatric cancers, partnered with C-Further), and MiNK-413 (BCMA CAR-iNKT for multiple myeloma), supported by two in-house discovery platforms — CARDIS (CAR discovery) and a bispecific iNKT cell engager platform.

The company's proprietary manufacturing process achieves ~99% purity and supports scaling beyond 10,000 doses per year, with dosing demonstrated up to 1×10^9 cells/dose without neurotoxicity or cytokine release syndrome. AgenT-797 is administered without lymphodepletion and can be multi-dosed, and the platform exhibits context-dependent immune modulation — the same unmodified donor batch drives pro-inflammatory TH1 responses in cancer and anti-inflammatory TH2 responses in ARDS without genetic engineering. MiNK is pre-revenue and funds development through equity raises (including a $5.8M private placement in May 2024 and ATM facility drawdowns in 2025), non-dilutive grants (NIAID, C-Further), and shared services via parent Agenus. With 11–50 employees, an enterprise value of roughly $48M, a 2025 net loss of $12.5M, and a $9.5M cash position at end of Q1 2026, the company is dependent on continued capital markets access to fund its Phase 2 programs.

Name

MiNK Therapeutics

Legal name

MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://minktherapeutics.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MiNK Therapeutics is a pre-revenue, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing allogeneic, off-the-shelf iNKT cell therapies for solid tumors, ARDS, and other immune-mediated diseases, operating as an affiliate of Agenus Inc. on NASDAQ (INKT).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Therapy Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

NK Cell Therapies (HLAAABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies (HLAAABAC), Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK)

Keywords

• Allogeneic cell therapy
• INKT cell therapy
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Cell therapy platform

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical development: MiNK Therapeutics is a pre-revenue clinical-stage company developing allogeneic iNKT cell therapies. Revenue generation is expected through potential future product sales following regulatory approval, as well as partnership and licensing revenues from collaborations. Current collaborations (C-Further) include non-dilutive funding and downstream commercial revenue participation.
2. Partnership and collaboration revenues: Non-dilutive funding from collaborations (C-Further: ~$1.1 million for pediatric cancer program) plus double-digit share of downstream commercial revenues from PRAME-targeted iNKT cell therapy. Additional collaboration with Agenus on combination therapy programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MiNK Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing off-the-shelf allogeneic invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cell therapies for cancer and immune-mediated diseases. Its lead product candidate agenT-797 is being evaluated in Phase 2 trials across solid tumors (gastroesophageal, testicular, gastric cancer), acute lung injury/ARDS, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and graft-versus-host disease. The pipeline also includes engineered CAR-iNKT candidates (MiNK-215 for MSS colorectal cancer, MiNK-413 for multiple myeloma) and a PRAME-targeted TCR-iNKT therapy for pediatric cancers, supported by proprietary CARDIS CAR discovery and bispecific iNKT engager platforms.

Product overview

MiNK Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing off-the-shelf allogeneic invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapies. The company's lead product agenT-797 is being advanced across multiple indications including solid tumors (gastroesophageal, gastric, testicular cancer), acute lung injury/ARDS, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The pipeline includes engineered products like MiNK-215 (FAP-targeting CAR-iNKT for colorectal cancer), PRAME-TCR iNKT (pediatric cancers), and MiNK-413 (BCMA CAR-iNKT for multiple myeloma). The company operates two technology platforms: CARDISTM for CAR discovery and a Bispecific iNKT Cell Engager Platform.agenT-797 is also being evaluated in combination with checkpoint inhibitors (botensilimab/balstilimab) for refractory gastroesophageal cancer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• agenT-797 Off-the-shelf allogeneic invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cell therapy evaluated across solid tumors (gastroesophageal, testicular, gastric cancer), acute lung injury/ARDS, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Demonstrates context-dependent immune responses — pro-inflammatory TH1 activation in cancer and anti-inflammatory TH2 in ARDS — from the same unmodified donor batch.
• MiNK-215 IL-15 armored FAP-targeting CAR iNKT cell therapy for solid tumors, being developed for treatment-refractory MSS colorectal cancer liver metastasis. Combines CAR targeting of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) with IL-15 armoring for enhanced persistence and anti-tumor activity.
• MiNK-413 Next-generation armored BCMA CAR iNKT product candidate for multiple myeloma, featuring an armored design for enhanced therapeutic potential.
• PRAME-TCR iNKT Cell Therapy PRAME-targeted TCR-engineered iNKT cell therapy developed for pediatric cancers including sarcomas, AML, and medulloblastoma, in collaboration with the C-Further consortium and University of Southampton.
• agenT-797 + Botensilimab + Balstilimab Combination Combination regimen evaluating agenT-797 with botensilimab (Fc-enhanced CTLA-4 inhibitor) and balstilimab (anti-PD-1) for PD-1 refractory gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, evaluated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% disease control rate in PD-1 refractory gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (Phase II)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• First Lviv Territorial Medical UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Clinical trial partnership for Phase 2 randomized trial (C-1300-02) evaluating agenT-797 in patients with severe acute lung injury meeting Global ARDS criteria. The first patient was dosed at this site in Lviv, Ukraine, in collaboration with UNBROKEN Ukraine, with authorization from Ukraine's Ministry of Health.
• UNBROKEN UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Partnership with UNBROKEN Ukraine for the Phase 2 ARDS trial (C-1300-02) of agenT-797 in acute lung injury. UNBROKEN Ukraine works in collaboration with First Lviv Territorial Medical Union, providing clinical trial support and authorization from Ukraine's Ministry of Health for the randomized Phase 2 study.
• Agenus Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Collaboration on combination therapy combining agenT-797 (MiNK's allo-iNKT cell therapy) with botensilimab (Fc-enhanced CTLA-4 inhibitor) and balstilimab (anti-PD-1) from Agenus. Phase 2 trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in PD-1 refractory gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma showed 77% disease control rate. Both companies presented data at AACR 2026. Agenus is preparing to file for approval of the combination in colorectal cancer.
• C-FurthercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026International pediatric oncology therapeutics consortium backed by Cancer Research Horizons, LifeArc, and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. MiNK received approximately $1.1 million in non-dilutive funding for IND-enabling development of a PRAME-targeted TCR-engineered iNKT cell therapy for pediatric cancers (sarcomas, AML, medulloblastoma). MiNK eligible for a double-digit share of downstream commercial revenues. Investigators at University of Southampton conduct preclinical studies. This is one of C-Further's first two therapeutic programs (CF-033).
• University of SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026Scientific collaborator with MiNK and C-Further for the PRAME-targeted TCR-engineered iNKT cell therapy for pediatric cancers. Investigators at the University of Southampton conduct independent preclinical studies across pediatric cancer models (sarcomas, AML, medulloblastoma) to evaluate anti-tumor activity and safety and to nominate a lead clinical candidate for first-in-human studies in children.
• University of WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2025NIAID grant collaboration with the University of Wisconsin to advance allogeneic iNKT cell therapy for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in stem cell transplant patients. NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) funding supports research into immune regulation to improve transplant outcomes.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights16 records

Direct peers

• Nkarta Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing off-the-shelf allogeneic NK cell therapies for cancer, including engineered CAR-NK programs. Closely comparable to MiNK in modality (innate-like cell therapy), off-the-shelf allogeneic positioning, and early clinical stage.
• Fate Therapeutics: Develops off-the-shelf iPSC-derived NK and T-cell therapies for cancer and immune disorders. Comparable to MiNK in pursuing allogeneic, ready-to-administer cell therapy platforms with engineered and native configurations.
• Allogene Therapeutics: Pioneer in allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy with multiple clinical-stage programs in hematologic malignancies. Directly comparable to MiNK in allogeneic cell therapy modality, though focused on CAR-T rather than iNKT.
• Atara Biotherapeutics: Develops off-the-shelf allogeneic T-cell and CAR-T therapies, including tabelecleucel for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease. Comparable to MiNK in allogeneic cell therapy modality and use of unmodified and engineered donor-derived T cells.
• Precision BioSciences: Clinical-stage gene editing company developing allogeneic CAR-T therapies using its ARCUS platform. Comparable to MiNK in allogeneic CAR-T development for oncology with an off-the-shelf manufacturing approach.
• Century Therapeutics: Develops off-the-shelf allogeneic iPSC-derived NK and T-cell therapies, including CAR-engineered variants. Comparable to MiNK in pursuing engineered allogeneic cell therapy products with a manufacturing-driven platform model.

Emerging players

• Caribou Biosciences: Clinical-stage biotech developing allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies using CRISPR genome editing. Comparable to MiNK in allogeneic CAR-T modality, with a similar early-clinical profile.
• Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Commercial-stage cell therapy company developing engineered TCR-T therapies for solid tumors. Comparable to MiNK in cell therapy for solid tumors with an engineered receptor (TCR or CAR) approach, though autologous rather than allogeneic.

Broad incumbents

• Agenus Inc. Parent company of MiNK and a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company with Fc-enhanced checkpoint antibodies (botensilimab, balstilimab) and bispecific antibody platforms. Comparable to MiNK as the combination partner and shared-CMC/infrastructure provider underpinning MiNK's combination programs.
• Iovance Biotherapeutics: Commercial-stage cell therapy company leading in tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for solid tumors. Comparable to MiNK as an established cell therapy competitor in solid tumor indications where MiNK is positioning agenT-797 and MiNK-215.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Agentus_CellTX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minktherapeutics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about MiNK Therapeutics