First Refractory Gastric Cancer Patient Dosed in Phase 2 Trial with Novel Combination of MiNK’s Allogeneic INKT Cell Therapy and Agenus’ Botensilimab and Balstilimab

• Dr. Yelena Janjigian, Chief of GI Cancers, Leads Investigator Sponsored Study at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  
• Trial is Supported by Stand Up To Cancer as Part of an Initiative to Find Treatments for the ~70% of Gastroesophageal Cancer (GEC) Patients for Whom Current Treatments Don't Work
• Randomized Phase 2 Represents First Novel Combination of Allogeneic Cell Therapy with BOT/BAL Through Collaboration of Agenus and MiNK
  

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 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 first patient dosed in a Phase 2 investigator sponsored study for agenT-797 in second line gastroesophageal cancer, led by Dr. Yelena Janjigian at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The trial builds upon findings from MiNK’s recently published clinical trial (Carneiro et al. 2024 Oncogene) demonstrating that agenT-797 appears to overcome resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors, with durable disease stabilization and a confirmed response in chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 refractory gastric cancer.

“This study is an important step in new treatment combinations to improve outcomes for patients with refractory gastric cancers, an incurable disease with limited response to available therapies,” said Dr. Yelena Janjigian, Chief Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "AgenT-797, an off-the-shelf iNKT cell-based therapy, has shown the capacity to target cancerous cells in diseased tissues and is compatible with immune checkpoint inhibitors. This study builds upon the promising outcomes observed with iNKTs in gastric cancer and with botensilimab/balstilimab in GI cancers. By harnessing the immune-enhancing potential of agenT-797, we aspire to improve outcomes for a greater number of patients facing challenging GI cancers."

This Phase 2 Study will evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of the combination of agenT-797 (iNKT cells), botensilimab, a novel fc-enhanced CTLA-4 inhibitor, plus balstilimab (anti-PD-1) with ramucirumab and paclitaxel for patients with previously treated, advanced esophageal, gastric, or gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. The study aims to enroll around 38 patients with advanced, unresectable, or metastatic forms of these cancers who have experienced disease progression after initial treatment.