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(RTTNews) - Shares of MiNK Therapeutics Inc. (INKT) are up by 73% in the pre-market following the announcement of a strategic collaboration with C-Further, an international pediatric oncology consortium, to advance a PRAME-targeted iNKT cell therapy for children with cancer.

A New Approach for Pediatric Oncology

The collaboration will develop a TCR-engineered invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapy targeting PRAME (Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma), a tumor-associated antigen found across multiple pediatric and adult cancers but rarely in healthy tissues. PRAME is particularly relevant in pediatric sarcomas, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and medulloblastoma- areas where treatment options remain limited and relapse outcomes are poor.

MiNK's iNKT platform offers an off-the-shelf, allogeneic therapy derived from healthy donors. Unlike traditional cell therapies that require patient-specific manufacturing and lengthy preparation, iNKT cells can be produced in advance, cryopreserved, and delivered quickly without HLA matching or toxic chemotherapy. This approach may enable faster treatment, improved tolerability, and broader access for children with aggressive cancers.

Strategic and Financial Terms

Under the agreement, MiNK will receive approximately $1.1 million in non-dilutive funding to support IND-enabling development, with milestone-based payments tied to scientific progress. The deal also includes a double-digit share of downstream commercial revenues, reflecting MiNK's proprietary platform and its role in enabling next-generation cell therapies.

The collaboration is non-exclusive, allowing MiNK to continue advancing its iNKT platform independently while pursuing other tumor antigen targets. Investigators at the University of Southampton will lead comparative preclinical studies to nominate a lead candidate for first-in-human trials in children.

Jennifer Buell, President and CEO of MiNK Therapeutics, said the selection of MiNK's program by C-Further underscores the maturity of its iNKT platform and its potential to address unmet needs in pediatric oncology. C-Further leaders emphasized the consortium's mission to accelerate innovative, well-tolerated therapies tailored for children, moving beyond the repurposing of adult treatments.

The company implemented a 1-for-10 reverse stock split on January 27, 2025.

INKT closed Monday's trading at $10.45, up 1.65%. In the pre-market the stock is up by 83%, at $19.23.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.