MiNK Therapeutics Announces Preclinical Activity Of MiNK-215 Against Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases At AACR

Author: Benzinga Newsdesk | April 08, 2024 12:01pm

• MiNK-215 eliminated MSS colorectal cancer liver metastases in human organoid models
  
   
• MiNK-215 exhibits potent anti-tumor activity through multiple mechanisms including immune activation
  
   

NEW YORK, April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MiNK Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:INKT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery, development, and commercialization of allogeneic, off-the-shelf, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapies to treat cancer and other immune-mediated diseases, today announced the presentation of data from MiNK-215, an investigational IL-15 armored fibroblast activation protein (FAP) targeting CAR-iNKT cell therapy, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Meeting in San Diego, CA.

"MiNK-215 represents a novel cellular therapeutic to overcome the limitations of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. The data presented at AACR demonstrate MiNK-215's potential to effectively combat colorectal liver metastases, offering hope for patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options," said Dr. Jennifer Buell, President and Chief Executive Officer at MiNK. "Furthermore, these results accentuate MiNK-215's versatility and synergistic potential when paired with immunotherapies such as Agenus' botensilimab and balstilimab. This collaboration holds promise in bolstering the anti-tumor response, particularly in the formidable realm of microsatellite stable colorectal cancer."

Liver mets have limited the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with mismatch repair proficient/microsatellite-stable (pMMR/MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC). MiNK's innovative iNKT cell therapy, MiNK-215, has shown the ability to remodel the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment within the liver. Human organoid models of CRC with liver metastases revealed that MiNK-215 exhibits potent anti-tumor activity through multiple mechanisms that include:

• Tumor stroma remodeling: MiNK-215 effectively remodels the tumor stroma, the supportive tissue surrounding the tumor to create a more favorable environment for immune cell infiltration and activity.
• Immune activation: By reprogramming the tumor microenvironment (TME), MiNK-215 reduces the presence of immune-suppressive FAP expressing stellate cells and CXCL-12 expressing cells.
• Enhanced tumor killing: MiNK-215 recruits tumor-reactive T cells, pivotal in mounting an effective immune response against the tumor, ultimately leading to enhanced tumor eradication.
  
   

Presentation Details:

Abstract Title: MiNK-215, an IL-15 armored FAP-targeting CAR iNKT cell therapy, effectively treats human organoid models of treatment-refractory MSS colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases

Abstract Number: 1331

Presenting Author: Shanmugarajan Krishnan

Session: CAR-NK, NK Engagers, and NK Modulators

Presentation Session Date and Time: Monday April 8, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PST

Data presented at the conference is available to view in the publications section of the MiNK website https://minktherapeutics.com/publications/.

Posted In: INKT