MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2025

Overview

MiNK Therapeutics, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” or “Company” ) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery, development and manufacturing of allogeneic, off-the-shelf invariant natural killer T (“iNKT”) cell therapies to treat cancer and other immune-mediated diseases. iNKT cells are a distinct T cell population that combine durable memory responses with the rapid cytolytic features of natural killer (“NK”) cells. iNKT cells offer distinct therapeutic advantages as a platform for allogeneic therapy in that the cells naturally home to tissues, aid clearance of tumors and infected cells and suppress Graft versus Host Disease (“GvHD”). Our proprietary platform is designed to facilitate scalable and reproducible manufacturing for off-the-shelf delivery. As such, we believe that our approach represents a highly versatile application for therapeutic development in cancer and immune diseases. We are leveraging our platform and manufacturing capabilities to develop a wholly owned or exclusively licensed pipeline of both native and engineered iNKT cells.

Our business activities include product research and development, manufacturing, regulatory and clinical development, corporate finance, and support of our collaborations. To be successful, our product candidates require clinical trials and approvals from regulatory agencies, as well as acceptance in the marketplace. We are a party to an Amended and Restated Intercompany Services Agreement and an Intellectual Property Assignment and License Agreement with Agenus Inc. ("Agenus"). Under the Amended and Restated Intercompany Services Agreement, Agenus provides us with certain general and administrative support, including, without limitation, financial, facilities management, human resources and information technology administrative support, and we and Agenus provide each other with certain research and development services and other support services, including legal and regulatory support. We are also entitled to use Agenus’ business offices and laboratory space and equipment in exchange for us contributing a proportionate payment for the use of such facilities and equipment, and we will be covered by certain Agenus insurance policies, subject to certain conditions, including us paying the cost of such coverage. Under the Intellectual Property Assignment and License Agreement, Agenus exclusively assigned patent rights and know-how related to our technology to us. We also have a field-limited exclusive license under certain Agenus patents and know-how; and we retain the rights to expand a proprietary pipeline of products and technologies.

Our most advanced product candidate, agenT-797, is an off-the-shelf, allogeneic, native iNKT cell therapy. iNKTs are a potent class of immune cells and serve as master regulators of immune response, possessing the killing power of NK cells and the memory of T-cells. Our proprietary manufacturing platform enables the infusion of these cells in billion-fold quantities, equipping the immune system to combat cancer and other life-threatening diseases. We have successfully established and launched in-house iNKT cell manufacturing and product release capacity, capable of supplying over 5,000 doses annually through a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”)-cleared, scalable, fully closed, and automated process.

Our clinical development of agenT-797 is advancing in multiple therapeutic areas of significant unmet needs. These include a Phase 2 trial in 2L gastric cancer and viral acute respiratory distress syndrome (“ARDS”) in populations of patients where there are critical gaps in current treatment options.

In solid cancers, we completed a Phase 1 clinical trial of agenT-797 in solid tumor cancers, both as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors pembrolizumab and nivolumab. The trial demonstrated durable clinical benefits with a tolerable safety profile across various heavily pre-treated solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”), testicular cancer, and gastric cancer. Notably, the median progression-free survival exceeded six months, with approximately 30% of patients experiencing durable disease stabilization, even in cancers refractory to prior therapies such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab. Building on these results, a randomized, Phase 2 investigator-sponsored trial led by Dr. Yelena Janjigian at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is actively enrolling. This trial aims to evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of the combination of agenT-797, botensilimab (a novel Fc-enhanced CTLA-4 inhibitor), balstilimab (anti-PD-1), ramucirumab, and paclitaxel in patients with previously treated, advanced esophageal, gastric, or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. The study, which is expected to enroll approximately 38 patients with advanced, unresectable, or metastatic forms of these cancers, is a priority program for us. Encouraging activity was observed with agenT-797 in both monotherapy and combination settings, with durable responses and disease stabilization, as presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (“AACR”) and more recently at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (“SITC”) conference in November 2023.

In inflammatory diseases, we have completed a phase 1 study of agenT-797 in viral ARDS, leveraging the unique anti-inflammatory properties of iNKT cells. Results from our Phase 1 study were published in Nature Communications and presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference over the past two years. We reported an encouraging survival benefit of 75%, compared to approximately 10-22% in an in-hospital control group and time-matched data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a cohort of 21 patients on mechanical ventilation, survival rates exceeded 70%, with an 80% survival rate among those on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In addition to a survival benefit, agenT-797 improved lung function and significantly reduced inflammation and secondary infections, which are major contributors to comorbidity and mortality in intensive care units. Given the lack of approved therapies for ARDS, we plan to advance agenT-797 in viral ARDS through strategic collaborations and non-dilutive external financing into a randomized Phase 2 trial.

Our pipeline is advancing next-generation allogeneic, engineered iNKT programs. Our two most advanced engineered programs are (1) MiNK-215, an IL-15 armored tumor stromal targeting FAP-CAR-iNKT and (2) MiNK-413, an IL-15 armored CAR-iNKT program targeting BCMA program. MiNK-413 has demonstrated tumor clearance and improved persistence in preclinical models, as well as manufacturing and logistical improvements over current BCMA cell therapies. MiNK-215 has demonstrated efficacy in NSCLC and melanoma preclinical models, promoting curative responses, eliminating tumor burden in the lungs, and enhancing tumor specific CD8+ T cell infiltration through tumor stroma. These data and programs were presented at AACR in 2024, International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in 2023, SITC in 2023, and the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy in 2023. Most recently, preclinical data from MiNK-215 in microsatellite stability colorectal cancer liver metastases were presented at AACR 2024. This presentation highlighted MiNK-215’s potent anti-tumor activity, immune activation, and tumor stroma remodeling against this difficult-to-treat solid tumor setting. Investigational new drug (“IND”) enabling activities are underway we expect to submit an IND to the FDA in 2025.

In December 2023, we announced a collaboration with ImmunoScape, Inc. ("ImmunoScape") to discover and develop next-generation T-cell receptor therapies against novel targets in solid tumors. We will combine our unique, proprietary library of T cell antigens with ImmunoScape’s platform for rapid discovery of novel T cell receptors. ImmunoScape’s unique Deep Immunomics platform enables high-throughput and sensitive screening of T cells against relevant tumor targets for the rapid discovery of rare, therapeutically-relevant T-cell receptors (“TCRs”). We have a proprietary library of phospho-peptide neoantigens derived from a wide range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. In this collaborative effort, ImmunoScape will leverage its capabilities in multiplex antigen screening and in-depth T cell profiling to identify relevant TCRs targeting the library of phospho-peptide antigens. We will further characterize these tumor-specific TCRs, leveraging our proprietary capabilities to analyze and select TCR candidates for optimal tumor targeting. Any intellectual property resulting from the arrangement would be jointly owned by the parties.

Historical Results of Operations

Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 Compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 2024

Research and development expense

Research and development (“R&D”) expense includes the costs associated with our internal research and development activities, including compensation and benefits, occupancy costs, manufacturing costs, costs of expert consultants, and administrative costs. R&D expense decreased 51% to $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 from $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. This decrease is primarily due to decreased costs associated with both the timing of our clinical trials and pre-clinical activities, and decreased personnel costs, primarily due to decreased headcount.

General and administrative expense

General and administrative (“G&A”) expense consists primarily of personnel costs, facility expenses, and professional fees. G&A expense was $1.3 million for both the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.

Interest income, net

Interest income decreased $3,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, from income of $17,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 to income of $14,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, primarily due to interest expense accrued under our related party note (the “Note”) partially offset by increased interest earned on our money market funds.

Research and Development Programs

R&D program costs include compensation and other direct costs plus an allocation of indirect costs, based on certain assumptions.

Our product candidates are in various stages of development and significant additional expenditures will be required if we start new clinical trials, encounter delays in our programs, apply for regulatory approvals, continue development of our technologies, expand our operations and/or bring our product candidates to market. The total cost of any particular clinical trial is dependent on a number of factors such as trial design, length of the trial, number of clinical sites, number of patients and trial sponsorship. The process of obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals for new products is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. Because of the current stage of our product candidates, among other factors, we are unable to reliably estimate the cost of completing our research and development programs or the timing for bringing such programs to various markets or substantial partnering or out-licensing arrangements, and, therefore, when, if ever, material cash inflows are likely to commence.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have incurred annual operating losses since inception in 2017, and we had an accumulated deficit of $146.9 million as of March 31, 2025. We expect to incur losses over the next several years as we continue development of our technologies and product candidates, manage our regulatory processes, initiate and continue clinical trials, and prepare for potential commercialization of products.

We have a Note outstanding as of March 31, 2025 of $5.0 million in principal plus accrued and unpaid interest of approximately $104,000. The Note provides that we will pay Agenus on request the principal amount outstanding, together with any unpaid interest, on or after January 1, 2026. In the event of a qualified financing event, as described in the Note, at Agenus’ election, we must pay the principal amount outstanding and any unpaid interest, either in full or in the form of equity securities.

In May 2024, we entered into a stock purchase agreement with an investor, pursuant to which we issued and sold an aggregate of 464,000 shares of common stock, at a purchase price of $12.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.8 million.

Our cash and cash equivalents balance as of March 31, 2025 was $3.2 million. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents balance, plus anticipated funding, will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements for more than one year from when these financial statements were issued. Because the completion of anticipated funding is not entirely within our control, we are required to disclose that substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date of filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The financial statements have been prepared on a basis that assumes we will continue as a going concern and which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the ordinary course of business.

Management continually monitors the Company's liquidity position and adjusts spending as needed in order to preserve liquidity. To support our liquidity requirements we will require additional funding. Potential sources of additional funding include: (1) seeking strategic partnerships and collaborations, as well as out-licensing opportunities, for our portfolio programs and product candidates, (2) exploring avenues for securing non-dilutive financing, such as grants, collaborations, and providing fee-based services to strengthen our balance sheet, and (3) potential of equity or debt financing options.

Net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 was $1.3 million and $2.5 million, respectively. Our future ability to generate cash from operations will depend on achieving regulatory approval and market acceptance of our product candidates, and our ability to enter into collaborations.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other written and oral statements we make from time to time contain certain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). You can identify these forward-looking statements by the fact they use words such as “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will,” “potential,” “opportunity,” and “future,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. You can also identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from current expectations. These statements relate to, among other things, our business strategy, our research and development, our product development efforts, our ability to develop, including our ability to develop and obtain licensure of agenT-797, MiNK-215, and MiNK-413, our prospects for initiating partnerships or collaborations, the timing of the introduction of products, the effect of new accounting pronouncements, uncertainty regarding our future operating results and our profitability, our cash runway and anticipated sources of funds as well as our plans, objectives, expectations, and intentions.

More detailed descriptions of these risks and uncertainties and other risks and uncertainties applicable to our business that we believe could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements are included in in Part I-Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. We encourage you to read those descriptions carefully. Although we believe we have been prudent in our plans and assumptions, no assurance can be given that any goal or plan set forth in forward-looking statements can be achieved. We caution investors not to place significant reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this document; such statements need to be evaluated in light of all the information contained in this document. Furthermore, the statements speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements.

JOBS Act

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies, including reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements, exemption from the requirements to hold non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation and golden parachute payments and exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting.

We may take advantage of these exemptions until the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company earlier if we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue, we have more than $700.0 million in market value of our stock held by non-affiliates (and we have been a public company for at least 12 months and have filed one annual report on Form 10-K) or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt securities over a three-year period. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we are permitted, and intend, to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available exemptions.

In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected not to “opt out” of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we will adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard and will do so until such time that we either (i) irrevocably elect to “opt out” of such extended transition period or (ii) no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. Therefore, the reported results of operations contained in our consolidated financial statements may not be directly comparable to those of other public companies.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Based on this evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and our Principal Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective and were designed to ensure that information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. It should be noted that any system of controls is designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurances that the system will achieve its stated goals under all reasonably foreseeable circumstances. Our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have each concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report are effective at a level that provides such reasonable assurances.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2025 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Our results of operations and financial condition are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. There have been no material changes to the risk factors described in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" of our 2024 Form 10-K.