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INKT US Equity

MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.Health Care · Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) · CIK 1840229 · FY ends Dec 31
$11.13
-0.87 (-7.25%)
USD · as of 2026-08-19 · marketstack

INKT · 10-K · period ended 2025-12-31

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filed 2026-03-31 · EDGAR original ↗

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10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025

OR

Commission File Number 001-40908

MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 212-994-8250

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class TradingSymbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share INKT Nasdaq Capital Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 30, 2025, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was: $10.9 million.

The number of shares of Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of March 27, 2026 was 4,965,858.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement relating to the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which the registrant intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.

Table of Contents

Page

PART I 1

Item 1. Business 1

Item 1A. Risk Factors 17

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 68

Item 1C. Cybersecurity 68

Item 2. Properties 68

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 68

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 68

Item 6. Reserved 69

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 75

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 76

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 94

Item 9B. Other Information 94

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 94

PART III 95

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 95

Item 11. Executive Compensation 95

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 95

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 96

i

Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K and other written and oral statements we make from time to time contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 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. Forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including without limitation statements regarding our business strategy, our research and development, our product development efforts, our ability to commercialize our product candidates, 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, anticipated sources of funds as well as our plans, objectives, expectations, and intentions. Words such as “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “future” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

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, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The risks identified in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including, without limitation, the risks set forth in Part I-Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We encourage you to read those descriptions carefully. Such statements should be evaluated in light of all the information contained in this document.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

MiNK Therapeutics, Inc. (“we,” “our,” or “MiNK”) is focused on developing innovative treatments for cancer and immune-mediated diseases using allogeneic, ex-vivo expanded invariant natural killer T ("iNKT") cells. Amid a broader industry renaissance in innate immunity—highlighted by surging investment and clinical activity in NK, γδ T, and iNKT-based therapies—iNKT cells represent a distinct T cell (“T”) population that uniquely bridges innate and adaptive immunity. They combine durable memory responses characteristic of adaptive T cells with rapid, MHC-independent rapid cytolytic capabilities of natural killer ("NK") cells. This dual functionality enables direct tumor killing via CD1d and stress ligands, potent orchestration of the tumor microenvironment through activation of dendritic cells and NK cells, elimination of immunosuppressive myeloid populations, and restoration of exhausted T-cell function—all while naturally suppressing graft-versus-host disease ("GvHD"). This unique combination positions iNKT cells as an optimal platform for allogeneic therapy, given their natural homing capabilities, tumor clearance potential, and efficacy against infected cells.

Our approach includes advancing both native and engineered iNKT cell therapies, leveraging a pipeline composed of wholly owned or exclusively licensed assets. Additionally, we have developed a proprietary personalized neoantigen library to facilitate personalized T Cell Receptor ("TCR") development. This library enables us to identify patient-specific tumor neoantigens, which we use to create highly tailored TCR-based therapies. By harnessing these personalized neoantigen libraries, we aim to enhance precision, efficacy, and overall therapeutic outcomes for patients with various cancers and immune-mediated diseases. Our goal is to discover, develop and commercialize novel allogeneic, off-the-shelf, iNKT cell therapies to treat cancer and other immune-mediated diseases with high unmet need. We are employing iNKT cells in their native form, through our lead program agenT-797, in diseases where iNKT cells have demonstrated activity and accelerated approval pathways exist. These indications include but are not limited critical pulmonary immune failure (including severe hypoxemic respiratory failure / pneumonia), GvHD, solid tumor cancers, and other severe immune-related diseases. Our discovery efforts are focused applying our proprietary technologies to build a broad pipeline of engineered iNKT cells, including CRs, CAR-iNKTs (such as MiNK-215 (FAP-CAR-iNKT) and MiNK-413 (BCMA-CAR-iNKT)), and INKT cell engager technology.

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The following table summarizes our current product development pipeline:

Agenus Inc, therapeutic candidates botensilimab (BOT, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4) and balstilimab (BAL, anti-PD-1).

Our most advanced product candidate, agenT-797, is an off-the-shelf, allogeneic, native iNKT cell therapy. Having treated nearly 100 patients with agenT-797 across oncology and critical pulmonary immune failure, we have generated mechanistic and clinical insights that support continued development of our iNKT platform beyond oncology into pulmonary diseases and auto-immune diseases, including in graft-versus-host disease prevention.

Under the leadership of Dr. Terese C. Hammond, our Head of Inflammatory and Pulmonary Diseases, we are advancing a differentiated franchise in critical pulmonary immune failure with agenT-797, our off-the-shelf, allogeneic iNKT cell therapy.

Building on the foundational Phase 1/2 data published in Nature Communications in February 2024 — which demonstrated >70% 30-day survival (80% in the veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (“VV-ECMO”) subgroup) in mechanically ventilated patients with severe viral ARDS versus ~10% in contemporaneous controls — we are now advancing agenT-797 in a randomized Phase 2 adaptive, placebo-controlled trial in patients with severe pneumonia and moderate-to-severe hypoxemic acute respiratory failure ("AHRF"). Our published results highlighted rapid inflammation resolution, rescue of exhausted T cells, and reduced secondary infections, supporting the broad therapeutic potential of iNKT cells in life-threatening respiratory conditions, including interstitial lung disease ("ILD").

In cancer, our Phase 1 clinical trial enrolled 34 patients evaluating agenT-797 in refractory solid tumor cancers, as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors, pembrolizumab and nivolumab. Updated data presented at SITC 2025 demonstrated durable clinical activity, including complete remissions and long-term survivors (>2–3+ years) in heavily pretreated, checkpoint-refractory cancers such as metastatic testicular cancer, gastric cancer, thymoma, cholangiocarcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and adenoid cystic carcinoma, with median overall survival of approximately 23 months in combination with anti-PD-1. These data showed that agenT-797, both as monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 agents, produced meaningful disease control in the majority of heavily pretreated patients, including reductions in target and non-target lesions and prolonged disease stabilization. A detailed case report describing a durable confirmed partial response (42% tumor reduction with progression-free survival exceeding nine months) in a patient with chemotherapy- and PD-1-refractory gastric cancer following a single infusion of agenT-797 was published in Oncogene in January 2024 (Hadfield et al., 2024). Subsequently, a separate case report published in Oncogene in 2025 described a complete clinical, radiologic, and biochemical remission in a patient with heavily pretreated metastatic testicular (germ cell) cancer following a single infusion of agenT-797 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy; the patient remains without evidence of

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disease more than two years post-treatment (Garmezy et al., 2025). AgenT-797 also exhibited long-term persistence in peripheral blood (detected up to 6 months post-infusion), independent of HLA matching and without the need for lymphodepletion.

Building on these encouraging results, a Phase 2 investigator-sponsored trial led by Dr. Yelena Janjigian at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was initiated, with the first patient dosed in February 2024. This study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of agenT-797 in combination with Agenus Inc.’s ("Agenus") botensilimab (an Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 inhibitor) and balstilimab (anti-PD-1), together with ramucirumab and paclitaxel, in patients with previously treated, advanced esophageal, gastric, or gastro-esophageal junction ("GEJ") adenocarcinoma. Early translational data from the first patients in the ongoing Phase 2 combination study were presented at the inaugural AACR Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy (AACR IO) meeting in 2025. These data demonstrated that addition of agenT-797 to botensilimab and balstilimab drove robust immune activation, including elevated interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels, rapid tumor infiltration, CD8+ T-cell activation, and immune reprogramming in patients with PD-1-refractory gastroesophageal cancers. Additional data are expected in early 2026.

In addition, we are advancing a pipeline of next-generation allogeneic, engineered iNKT programs. Our two most advanced preclinical engineered programs are (1) MiNK-413, an IL-15 armored CAR-iNKT program targeting B cell maturation antigen ("BCMA"), and (2) MiNK-215, an IL-15 armored tumor stromal targeting FAP-CAR-iNKT 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 reported therapeutic activity in non-small cell lung cancer models, which resulted in substantial tumor elimination and improved survival compared to T cells alone. MiNK has presented data that showcased MiNK-215’s activity in preclinical colorectal cancer models. In human organoid models of CRC with liver metastases, MiNK-215 potently enhanced tumor killing by T cells and was associated with depletion of immune suppressive FAP-expressing stellate cells and increased CD8+ T cell infiltration. Investigational new drug application (“IND”) enabling studies for MiNK-215 are underway.

With our vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities and experienced team, we are accelerating the development of accessible, off-the-shelf iNKT-based therapies with transformative potential across oncology, critical pulmonary immune failure, and GvHD.

Our Strategy

Our goal is to discover, develop and commercialize novel allogeneic, off-the-shelf, iNKT cell therapies to treat cancer and other immune-mediated diseases with high unmet needs. We believe that allogeneic iNKT cells exhibit highly adaptable properties for broad therapeutic development, and we plan to achieve our goal by executing a strategy with the following key elements:

Expand into immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases: Leverage clinical and translational insights from our Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (“ARDS”) program to advance agenT-797 in severe pulmonary conditions, including acute respiratory failure, and in immune-mediated diseases such as GvHD.

Advance agenT-797 across oncology indications: Progress agenT-797, our native allogeneic iNKT cell therapy, in solid tumors as both a monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies.

Build a pipeline of engineered iNKT cell therapies: Apply our proprietary technologies to develop next-generation engineered iNKT candidates, including MiNK-215 (FAP CAR-iNKT), with IND-enabling activities ongoing, and additional programs targeting both oncology and fibrosis.

Scale manufacturing and operational capabilities: Continue to enhance our proprietary, closed-system manufacturing processes to improve scalability, reduce cost of goods, and increase flexibility and speed of production.

Build on strategic collaborations to enhance platform value and expand our technological capabilities, pipeline breadth, or clinical impact. These include:

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Leverage a collaboration with C-Further to support an optimal TCR-PRAME candidate for pediatric patients with cancer.

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Advance research collaboration with Autonomous Therapeutics(October 2024) to evaluate encrypted RNATM technologies in combination with MiNK-215 and agenT-797 in metastatic solid tumor models;

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A collaboration with Immunoscape (December 2023) to discover and develop TCR-based therapies across multiple immune cell modalities; and

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Our Intellectual Property Assignment and License Agreement with Agenus(September 2021), providing access to a portfolio of immuno-oncology assets and adjuvants to support combination strategies.

Our Approach to Cell Therapy – iNKT Cells

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While engineered CAR-T cell therapies have demonstrated clinical benefit in certain hematologic malignancies, their broader application has been limited by manufacturing complexity, toxicity, and logistical constraints. Our approach focuses on iNKT cells, a distinct immune cell population that combines features of innate and adaptive immunity.

NKT cells express an invariant TCR that recognizes glycolipid antigens presented by the monomorphic CD1d molecule, enabling HLA-independent targeting. This biology supports both direct cytotoxic activity and coordinated activation of the immune system.

Based on preclinical and clinical observations, iNKT cells have demonstrated the ability to traffic to sites of disease, activate antigen-presenting cells, reduce immunosuppressive myeloid populations, enhance T-cell function, and recruit additional immune effector cells. iNKT cells have also been associated with suppression of alloreactive T cell responses, supporting their potential use in GvHD.Our iNKT cells use an invariant TCR α-chain to recognize glycolipid antigens presented by the monomorphic CD1d molecule, supporting direct tumor killing and broad immune activation within the tumor microenvironment ("TME"). Clinically, higher iNKT cell presence correlates with improved cancer prognosis and reduced GvHD risk post-transplantation.

Key Design Features of iNKT Cells

Bridging innate and adaptive immunity: iNKT cells integrate rapid effector responses with antigen-specific recognition, enabling both direct cytotoxicity and immune orchestration.

Activity in solid tumors and inflamed tissues: iNKT cells can localize to tissues and recognize CD1d-expressing cells, supporting modulation of the tumor microenvironment and inflammatory responses.

Suitability for allogeneic use: CD1d-restricted recognition reduces dependence on HLA matching and has been associated with lower risk of GvHD.

Favorable tolerability results: Early clinical experience suggests iNKT cells may be administered without lymphodepletion and with manageable adverse events.

Scalable manufacturing: Our manufacturing processes enable expansion of iNKT cells from healthy donors while maintaining functional characteristics.

Our iNKT Cell Platform

Our platform leverages the unique therapeutic features of native iNKT cells and advanced manufacturing and engineering capabilities, enabling us to produce highly pure, scalable, and off-the-shelf allogeneic therapies for global patient populations. We believe allogeneic iNKT cell therapies, derived from healthy donors, have the potential to rapidly treat patients upon diagnosis, enhance response rates and durability, broaden treatment indications, improve tolerability without the need for lymphodepletion, and achieve cost-effective scalability.

Key Platform Elements:

Novel Cell Type Bridging Innate and Adaptive Immunity: We utilize iNKT cells, uniquely positioned to bridge innate and adaptive immune responses, potentially offering powerful tumor-killing properties of NK cells combined with durable memory capabilities of T cells, along with the potential to reshape the tumor microenvironment.

Broad Therapeutic Applications: Our pipeline includes both native and engineered iNKT cell therapies targeting multiple indications across oncology and immune-mediated diseases.

Demonstrated Clinical Proof-of-Concept in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials: Observed the potential safety, tolerability, and immune-modulatory effects of allogeneic iNKT cells in various cancer types and pulmonary diseases.

Advanced Proprietary Cell Engineering: Our proprietary cell engineering platforms include CARDIS, a hybrid phage and mammalian display technology enabling highly selective and functionally optimized CAR, TCR, and bispecific engager

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discovery. This technology is designed to produce candidates with improved pharmaceutical quality, minimal off-target toxicity, and reduced immunogenic risk through fully human antibody fragments.

Scalable, Proprietary Manufacturing Process: Our closed-system current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) manufacturing process is designed to ensure minimized contamination risk and efficient production, enabling the generation of thousands of doses per healthy donor.

Strategic Access to Validated Immuno-Oncology Therapies: We maintain access to Agenus’ validated pipeline of immuno-oncology antibodies and adjuvants, enhancing our ability for rapid clinical development and flexible commercial opportunities.

Our Product Candidate

agenT-797 – our lead allogeneic, native iNKT cell therapy and is being evaluated across multiple clinical indications

agenT-797, our allogeneic, native iNKT cell therapy, is our most advanced product candidate and is currently in Phase 2 clinical development across multiple different trials and indications, constituting a pipeline within a single product candidate. In oncology, we have shown that agenT-797 cells have the potential to reduce or eliminate hematologic and solid tumor cancers as a monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint modulating antibodies, as they (1) home to sites of disease via CD1d and NK related ligands; (2) attack suppressive myeloid cells in the TME to eliminate tumor escape mechanisms; (3) recruit and activate NK cells and T cells for enhanced tumor killing (a distinguishing feature not shared by other innate lymphocytes such as NK and gamma delta T cells); and (4) promote tumor killing without lymphodepletion. In phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, our data demonstrated that agenT-797 appeared to overcome resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors, with durable disease stabilization and a confirmed response in chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 refractory gastric cancer. A Phase 2 investigator sponsored trial is underway, evaluating agenT-797 in second-line gastroesophageal cancers.

agenT-797 – Pulmonary and Inflammatory Diseases

We are advancing agenT-797 in severe pulmonary and inflammatory conditions, where there remains a high unmet medical need and limited effective therapies. Hypoxemic respiratory failure affects hundreds of thousands of patients annually in the United States and globally, with mortality rates ranging from approximately 30% to 50% in severe cases and higher in mechanically ventilated populations. Despite this burden, there are no approved cell therapies and limited disease-modifying treatments. Preclinical studies suggest that iNKT cells can promote viral clearance, enhance secondary antiviral immune responses, and modulate excessive inflammation, supporting their potential to reduce lung injury and improve outcomes in ARDS and related conditions.

We completed a Phase 1/2 clinical study evaluating agenT-797 in patients with ARDS secondary to infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and influenza. In a cohort of 21 mechanically ventilated patients, 30-day survival exceeded 70%, including approximately 80% among patients receiving VV-ECMO, compared to approximately 10% in contemporaneous in-hospital controls.

agenT-797 was generally well tolerated at doses up to 1×109 cells, with no observed cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity. Treatment was associated with reductions in inflammatory markers and a lower incidence of secondary infections.

Based on these findings, we are advancing a randomized, adaptive Phase 2, placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with severe pneumonia and moderate-to-severe AHRF. We believe these data support the potential application of agenT-797 across a broad range of acute and chronic pulmonary diseases, including ILD, representing a significant market opportunity across critical care and pulmonary medicine.

agenT-797 – GvHD

We are also advancing agenT-797 in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation ("HSCT"), GvHD remains a major clinical challenge. More than 50,000 HSCT procedures are performed annually worldwide, with GvHD occurring in approximately 50% of patients and representing a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. iNKT cells have been shown to modulate alloreactive immune responses and may support improved engraftment, reduction of GvHD, and enhanced immune reconstitution. We are developing agenT-797 for use in the peri-transplant setting with the goal of improving transplant outcomes and reducing complications associated with current conditioning regimens, particularly in older or higher-risk patients.

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Enhance iNKT Activity and Expand Targeting through Engineering

We are advancing a pipeline of allogeneic, engineered iNKT cell product candidates that leverage our proprietary technologies to enhance iNKT activity and expand tumor targeting through CARs, TCRs and bispecific iNKT engagers. Our two most advanced engineered programs are (1) MiNK-413, a BCMA-CAR-iNKT, and (2) MiNK-215, a FAP-CAR-iNKT. These programs are both in preclinical development with IND-enabling studies underway for MiNK-215. In addition, we plan to utilize our bispecific iNKT engagers, TCRs and CAR technologies, as well as our access to a large portfolio of proprietary targets, to further expand our pipeline of novel allogeneic, engineered iNKT cell product candidates.

Our CARs are designed to work in conjunction with the invariant TCR and the array of innate receptors expressed natively by iNKT cells. They increase the range of tumor targets that can be addressed by iNKT cells and carry optimized intracellular domains that augment and expand native signaling. The resulting CAR-iNKT cells exhibit an augmented and finely integrated response to the tumor through a combination of CAR target recognition, TCR activation and innate receptor activation by CD1d or stress ligands in the TME.

In addition to genetically engineered CAR-expressing iNKT products, we are developing bispecific iNKT cell engagers. Our bispecific iNKT cell engagers are designed to expand tumor targeting in tumors that are difficult to treat due to immunologic or biologic factors, which may include low CD1d expression. Our engagers bind to the invariant TCR with one arm, and to tumor targets with the other arm. They extend the range of tumor targets that can be engaged by iNKT cells and are designed to work in conjunction with allogeneic iNKT cells, CAR-iNKT cells as well as endogenous iNKT cells.

Our Proprietary Manufacturing Process and Capabilities

Our experienced management team and fully operational cGMP manufacturing suite directly address the challenges often associated with capital intensive cell therapy companies. We believe this site pioneered the industrialization and international distribution of autologous cancer vaccines and later the customization of synthetic, off-the-shelf cancer vaccines, immune stimulating adjuvants and antibodies.

Our allogeneic iNKT manufacturing platform allows for cell manufacturing at step function improvement in scale cost, and availability. We currently conduct manufacturing for all native iNKT cells program in-house in Lexington, MA. Our automated, closed-system allogeneic cell product batch production is designed to provide rapid, scalable, production with rigorous quality control and consistent and reproducible product release with minimal risk of batch failure. This closed-system process potentially reduces hands-on time and optimizes personnel usage and facility qualification and validation processes. Our proprietary reagents and process are designed to generate a product that is over 99% pure iNKT cells that can be stably cryopreserved with full retention of functional properties. We believe this will enable us to further increase reproducibility, minimize run failures and greatly increase scalability.

Immuno-Oncology Combination Therapy Collaboration with Agenus

While we have retained the rights to develop our wholly owned or exclusively licensed pipeline independent of Agenus, we have entered into the Agenus License Agreement which provides us with access to immuno-oncology antibodies, adjuvants and other potential synergistic combinations. We intend to pursue the development of combination products between our allogeneic iNKT cell product candidates and products in Agenus’ immuno-oncology portfolio.

iNKT cell therapy adds critical new immune system functionality to cancer patients whose immune system cannot effectively combat the tumor. Infused iNKT cells home to the tumor, where the iNKT cells attack the cancer cells and reshape the TME, attracting additional endogenous immune cells to the tumor, such as T cells and NK cells, and diminishing the suppressive effect of infiltrating myeloid cells. Due to their allogeneic nature, infused iNKT cells disappear over time, at which point the endogenous immune system must continue to provide effective immune surveillance to prevent relapse. While there is significant development opportunity for iNKT cells as a monotherapy, we have also demonstrated the benefits of these cells in combination with anti-PD-1 and/or enhanced anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in preclinical models. We believe current cancer therapy developments indicate that anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 immuno-oncology antibodies have the potential to become the standard of care for many tumor indications and will form the basis for most, if not all, future combination therapies in cancer. Access to Agenus’ immuno-oncology products allows us to combine our iNKT cells with immuno-oncology antibodies, creating more flexibility in our clinical strategy, a better window for optimization dosing and timing, and more control over commercial pricing of the combinations.

As part of our collaboration with Agenus, we are evaluating agenT-797 in combination with Agenus’ botensilimab and balstilimab with ramucirumab and paclitaxel for patients with previously treated, advanced esophageal, gastric, or GEJ adenocarcinoma through a Phase 2 investigator sponsored study. The study is led by Dr. Yelena Janjigian at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

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Intellectual Property

We protect our intellectual property rights and proprietary technology with a combination of patent rights, trademark rights, proprietary procedures and contractual provisions. We seek to protect our intellectual property rights and proprietary technology in select key global markets. Further, in order to supplement our existing intellectual property protection and support commercialization of current and future product candidates, we continue to seek protection for our technological innovations and branding efforts by filing new patent and trademark applications when and where appropriate. As of December 31, 2025, we own four issued U.S. patents, five issued foreign patents and at least 30 pending patent applications in the U.S. and other major jurisdictions worldwide. One of the issued U.S. patents is directed to a process for the discovery of TCRs and the term of the patent is estimated to expire in 2041. The other three issued U.S. patents are intended to protect intellectual property relating to a TCR for cell therapy targeting NY-ESO-1 and a TCR for cell therapy targeting Phosphopeptides. The term of these three patents is estimated to expire in 2039. Patent term extensions, supplementary protection certificates, and regulatory exclusivity periods, including pediatric exclusivity periods might also be available.

Our process to manufacture iNKT cells at scale from healthy donor PBMCs, using cGMP-grade proprietary resources, including a humanized iNKT-TCR mAb to enable iNKT cell isolation and an α-GalCer lipid ligand to enable iNKT cell expansion, is proprietary technology.

Government Regulation

As a biopharmaceutical company, we are subject to extensive regulation. Our iNKT cell product candidates, if approved, will be regulated by the FDA and comparable regulatory authorities as biologics. With this classification, commercial production of our products will need to occur in registered and licensed facilities in compliance with cGMPs for biologics.

Human immunotherapy products are a new category of therapeutics. The FDA categorizes human cell- or tissue-based products as either minimally manipulated or more than minimally manipulated, and has determined that more than minimally manipulated products require clinical trials to demonstrate product safety and efficacy and the submission of a BLA for marketing authorization.

Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and in other countries and jurisdictions, including the European Union, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, storage, record keeping, reimbursement, advertising, promotion, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting and import and export, pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceutical products, including biological products. In the United States, the FDA regulates biological products under the Public Health Service Act (the “PHSA”), the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”) and implementing regulations. Failure to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements at any time during the product development process or post-approval may subject a product sponsor to delays in development or approval, as well as administrative and judicial sanctions. FDA sanctions could include, among other actions, refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, warning letters and similar public notice of alleged non-compliance with laws, product recalls or withdrawals from the market, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement of profits or civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us.

The processes for obtaining marketing approvals in the United States and in foreign countries and jurisdictions and compliance with applicable statutes and regulatory requirements, both pre- and post-approval, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. The regulatory requirements applicable to drug and biological product development, approval and marketing are subject to change, and regulations and administrative guidance often are revised or reinterpreted by the agencies in ways that may have a significant impact on our business. Ethical, social and legal concerns about gene therapy, genetic testing and genetic research could result in additional regulations restricting or prohibiting the processes we may use. We cannot predict whether legislative changes will be enacted or if regulatory authorities’ guidance or interpretations will change.

U.S. Product Development Process

To obtain FDA approval of a product candidate, we must, among other things, submit clinical data providing substantial evidence of safety and efficacy of the product for its intended use, as well as detailed information on product composition, its manufacture and controls, and proposed labeling. The testing and collection of data and the preparation of necessary applications are expensive and time-consuming. The FDA may not act quickly or favorably in reviewing these applications, and we may encounter significant difficulties or costs in our efforts to obtain FDA approvals that could delay or preclude us from marketing our products.

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Our biological product candidates must be approved by the FDA through the BLA process before they may be legally marketed in the United States. The process required before a biologic may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

completion of preclinical laboratory tests and animal studies according to Good Laboratory Practices (“GLPs”), and applicable requirements for the humane use of laboratory animals or other applicable regulations;

submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;

approval by an independent institutional review board (“IRB”), representing each clinical site before each clinical trial may be initiated;

performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to the FDA’s regulations commonly referred to as Good Clinical Practices (“GCPs”), and any additional requirements for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed biological product for its intended use;

preparation and submission to the FDA of a BLA, for marketing approval that includes substantive evidence of safety, purity and potency from results of nonclinical testing and clinical trials;

payment of user fees for FDA review of the BLA;

satisfactory completion of one or more FDA inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the drug or biological product is produced to assess compliance with cGMP to assure that the facilities, methods and controls used in product manufacture are adequate to preserve the drug or biological product’s identity, strength, quality and purity and, if applicable, the FDA’s current Good Tissue Practices (“GTPs”), for the use of human cellular and tissue products;

potential FDA audit of the nonclinical study and clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA; and

FDA acceptance, review and approval, or licensure, of the BLA, which might include review by an advisory committee, a panel typically consisting of independent clinicians and other experts who provide recommendations as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions.

Preclinical Studies and Investigational New Drug Applications

Before testing any drug or biological product candidate, including our product candidates, in humans, the product candidate must undergo rigorous preclinical testing. Preclinical tests, also referred to as nonclinical studies, include laboratory evaluations as well as in vitro and animal studies to assess the potential safety and efficacy of the product candidate. After sufficient preclinical testing has been conducted, the conduct of the preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements including GLPs. The clinical trial sponsor must submit an IND to the FDA before clinical testing can begin in the United States. An IND must contain the results of the preclinical tests, manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature, a proposed clinical protocol, an investigator’s brochure, a sample informed consent form, and other materials. Some preclinical testing, such as toxicity studies, may continue even after the IND is submitted.

An IND is an exemption from the FDCA that allows an unapproved drug or biological product to be shipped in interstate commerce for use in an investigational clinical trial. The IND seeks FDA authorization to test the drug or biological product candidate in humans and automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions about the product or conduct of the proposed clinical trial, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks. In that case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trials can begin. Preclinical or nonclinical testing typically continues even after the IND is submitted.

FDA may, at any time during the initial 30-day IND review period or while clinical trials are ongoing under the IND, impose a partial or complete clinical hold based on concerns for patient safety and/or noncompliance with regulatory requirements. This order issued by the FDA would delay the initiation of a proposed clinical trial or cause suspension of an ongoing trial until all outstanding concerns have been adequately addressed, and the FDA has notified the company that investigations may proceed. Imposition of a clinical hold could cause significant delays or difficulties in completing planned clinical studies in a timely manner. Accordingly, we cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin, or that, once begun, issues will not arise that require the suspension or termination of such trials.

Expanded Access to an Investigational Drug for Treatment Use

Expanded access, sometimes called “compassionate use,” is the use of investigational products outside of clinical trials to treat patients with serious or immediately life-threatening diseases or conditions when there are no comparable or satisfactory alternative treatment options. FDA regulations allow access to investigational products under an IND by the company or the treating physician

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for treatment purposes on a case-by-case basis for: individual patients (single-patient IND applications for treatment in emergency settings and non-emergency settings); intermediate-size patient populations; and larger populations for use of the investigational product under a treatment protocol or treatment IND application.

There is no requirement for a manufacturer to provide expanded access to an investigational product. However, if a manufacturer decides to make its investigational product available for expanded access, FDA reviews requests for expanded access and determines if treatment may proceed. Expanded access may be appropriate when all of the following criteria apply: patient(s) have a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition, and there is no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy to diagnose, monitor, or treat the disease or condition; the potential patient benefit justifies the potential risks of the treatment and the potential risks are not unreasonable in the context or condition to be treated; and the expanded use of the investigational drug for the requested treatment will not interfere with initiation, conduct or completion of clinical investigations that could support marketing approval of the product or otherwise compromise the potential development of the product.

Under the FDCA, sponsors of one or more investigational products for the treatment of a serious disease(s) or condition(s) must make publicly available their policy for evaluating and responding to requests for expanded access for individual patients. Sponsors are required to make such policies publicly available upon the earlier of initiation of a Phase 2 or Phase 3 study, or 15 days after the investigational drug or biologic receives designation as a breakthrough therapy, fast track product or regenerative medicine advanced therapy.

In addition, on May 30, 2018, the Right to Try Act was signed into law. The law, among other things, provides an additional mechanism for patients with a life-threatening condition who have exhausted approved treatments and are unable to participate in clinical trials to access certain investigational products that have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial, are the subject of an active IND, and are undergoing investigation for FDA approval. Unlike the expanded access framework described above, the Right to Try Pathway does not require FDA to review or approve requests for use of the investigational product. There is no obligation for a manufacturer to make its investigational products available to eligible patients under the Right to Try Act.

Human Clinical Trials

Clinical trials involve the administration of the product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under the trial sponsor’s control. Clinical trials must be conducted and monitored in accordance with the FDA’s regulations comprising the GCP requirements, including the requirement that all research patients provide informed consent. Clinical trials are conducted under study protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, inclusion and exclusion criteria, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND.

A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside the United States may, but need not, obtain FDA authorization to conduct the clinical trial under an IND. When a foreign clinical trial is conducted under an IND, all FDA IND requirements must be met unless waived. When a foreign clinical trial is not conducted under an IND, the sponsor must ensure that the trial complies with certain FDA regulatory requirements in order to use the trial as support for an IND or application for marketing approval in the United States. Specifically, the FDA requires that such trials be conducted in accordance with GCP requirements intended to ensure the protection of human subjects and the quality and integrity of the study data, including requirements for review and approval by an independent ethics committee and obtaining subjects’ informed consent.

For clinical trials conducted in the United States, an IND is required, and each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB either centrally or individually at each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. The IRB will consider, among other things, clinical trial design, patient informed consent, ethical factors, the safety of human subjects, and the possible liability of the institution. An IRB must operate in compliance with FDA regulations. Clinical trials must also comply with extensive GCP rules and the requirements for obtaining subjects’ informed consent. The FDA, IRB or the clinical trial sponsor may suspend or discontinue a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a finding that the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with FDA requirements, including GCP, or the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.

Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group may recommend continuation of the study as planned, changes in study conduct, or cessation of the study at designated checkpoints based on access to certain data from the study. Finally, research activities involving infectious agents, hazardous chemicals, recombinant DNA and genetically altered organisms and agents may be subject to review and approval of an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), in accordance with National Institute of Health (NIH) Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules. The IBC assesses the safety of the research and identifies any potential risk to public health or the environment.

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Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:

Phase 1. The biological product is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product may be too inherently toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients with the target disease or condition.

Phase 2. The biological product is evaluated in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule.

Phase 3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy, potency and safety in an expanded patient population, generally at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to generate enough data to statistically evaluate the efficacy and safety of the product for approval, to establish the overall risk to benefit profile of the product and to provide an adequate basis for product labeling.

Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all.

In some cases, the FDA may approve a BLA for a product candidate but require the sponsor to conduct additional clinical trials to further assess the product candidate’s safety or effectiveness after approval. Such post approval trials are typically referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials. These studies are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication and to document a clinical benefit in the case of drugs or biologics approved under accelerated approval regulations. Failure to exhibit due diligence with regard to conducting Phase 4 clinical trials could result in withdrawal of approval for products.

During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data and clinical trial investigators. Annual progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted to the FDA. Written IND safety reports must be promptly submitted to the FDA, the NIH and the investigators for serious and unexpected adverse events, any findings from other studies, tests in laboratory animals or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human patients, or any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor must submit an IND safety report within 15 calendar days after the sponsor determines that the information qualifies for reporting. The sponsor also must notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction within seven calendar days after the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information. The FDA or the sponsor or its data safety monitoring board, an independent group of experts that evaluates study data for safety and makes recommendations concerning continuation, modification or termination of clinical trials, may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk, including risks inferred from other unrelated immunotherapy trials. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the biological product has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

Because this is a relatively new and expanding area of novel therapeutic interventions, there can be no assurance as to the length of the trial period, the number of patients the FDA will require to be enrolled in the trials in order to establish the safety, efficacy, purity and potency of immunotherapy products, or that the data generated in these trials will be acceptable to the FDA to support marketing approval.

Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003 (the “PREA”), a BLA or supplement thereto must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. Sponsors must submit a pediatric study plan to FDA outlining the proposed pediatric study or studies they plan to conduct, including study objectives and design, any deferral or waiver requests, and other information required by regulation. The FDA must then review the information submitted, consult with the sponsor and agree upon a final plan. The FDA or the applicant may request an amendment to the plan at any time.

For products intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, the FDA must, upon the request of an applicant, meet to discuss preparation of the initial pediatric study plan or to discuss deferral or waiver of pediatric assessments. In addition, FDA will meet early in the development process to discuss pediatric study plans with sponsors and FDA must meet with sponsors by no later than the end-of-phase 1 meeting for serious or life-threatening diseases and by no later than 90 days after FDA’s receipt of the study plan. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric data requirements, under specified circumstances. Unless otherwise required by regulation, the pediatric data requirements do not apply to products with orphan designation.

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Information about certain clinical trials must be submitted within specific timeframes to the NIH for public dissemination on its ClinicalTrials.gov website. Similar requirements for posting clinical trial information in clinical trial registries exist in the European Union and in other countries outside the United States.

Concurrently with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional nonclinical studies and must also develop additional information about the physical characteristics of the drug or biological product as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. To help reduce the risk of the introduction of adventitious agents with use of biological products, the PHSA emphasizes the importance of manufacturing control for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the sponsor must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency and purity of the final biological product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the biological product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.

U.S. Review and Approval Processes

After the completion of clinical trials of a biological product, FDA approval of a BLA must be obtained before commercial marketing of the product. The BLA must include results of product development, laboratory and animal studies, human trials, information on the manufacture and composition of the product, proposed labeling and other relevant information. The testing and approval processes require substantial time and effort and there can be no assurance that the FDA will accept the premarketing application for filing and, even if filed, that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all as the FDA has significant discretion to approve or reject BLAs and to require additional preclinical or clinical studies.

Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, as amended (“PDUFA”), each BLA must be accompanied by a significant user fee. The FDA adjusts the PDUFA user fees on an annual basis. PDUFA also imposes an annual program fee for approved prescription biological products. Fee waivers or reductions are available in certain circumstances, including a waiver of the application fee for the first application filed by a small business. Additionally, no user fees are assessed on BLAs for products designated as orphan drugs, unless the product also includes a non-orphan indication.

Within 60 days following submission of the application, the FDA reviews a BLA submitted to determine if it is substantially complete before the agency accepts it for filing. The FDA may refuse to file any BLA that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission and may request additional information. In this event, the BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Once the submission has been accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in depth review of the application. Under the goals and policies agreed to by the FDA under PDUFA, the FDA has ten months from filing in which to complete its initial review of a standard application and respond to the applicant, and six months for a priority review application. A major amendment to a BLA submitted at any time during the review cycle, including in response to a request from the FDA, may extend the goal date by three months. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates for standard and priority applications. The FDA reviews the application to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe, potent and/or effective for its intended use, and has an acceptable purity profile, and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to assure and preserve the product’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity.

During its review of a BLA, the FDA may refer the application to an advisory committee for review, evaluation, and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. In particular, the FDA may refer applications for novel biological products or biological products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee. Typically, an advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions about a BLA.

Before approving a BLA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. For immunotherapy products, the FDA also will not approve the product if the manufacturer is not in compliance with the GTPs, to the extent applicable. These are FDA regulations and guidance documents that govern the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the manufacture of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue based products (“HSCT/Ps”), which are human cells or tissue intended for implantation, transplant, infusion, or transfer into a human recipient. The primary intent of the GTP requirements is to ensure that cell and tissue-based products are manufactured in a manner designed to prevent the introduction, transmission and spread of communicable disease. FDA GTP regulations also require tissue establishments to register and list their HSCT/Ps with the FDA and, when applicable, to evaluate donors through screening and testing. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with IND and GCP requirements. To assure cGMP, GTP and GCP

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compliance, an applicant must incur significant expenditure of time, money and effort in the areas of training, recordkeeping, production and quality control.

Notwithstanding the submission of relevant data and information, the FDA may ultimately decide that the BLA does not satisfy its regulatory criteria for approval and deny approval. If the agency decides not to approve the BLA in its present form, the FDA will issue a Complete Response Letter, which generally outlines the specific deficiencies in the application identified by the FDA and may require additional clinical or other data or impose other conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the application. The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example, requiring labeling changes, or major, for example, requiring additional clinical trials. Even with the submission of additional information, the FDA may ultimately decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval. If a Complete Response Letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the BLA, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application.

If the FDA approves a new product, it may limit the approved indications for use of the product. It may also require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling. In addition, the FDA may require post approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, to further assess the product’s safety or efficacy after approval. The agency may also require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization, or impose other conditions, including distribution restrictions or other risk management mechanisms, including Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”), to help ensure that the benefits of the product outweigh the potential risks. REMS can include medication guides, communication plans for healthcare professionals, and elements to assure safe use (“ETASU”). ETASU can include, but are not limited to, special training or certification for prescribing or dispensing, dispensing only under certain circumstances, special monitoring and the use of patent registries. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post market studies or surveillance programs. After approval, many types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval.

Expedited Development and Review Programs

The FDA has several programs designed to expedite the development and approval of drugs and biological products intended to treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions. These programs include fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation, priority review designation, accelerated approval, and regenerative medicine advanced therapy (“RMAT”) designation. These designations are not mutually exclusive, and a product candidate may qualify for one or more of these programs. While these programs are intended to expedite product development and approval, they do not alter the standards for FDA approval.

First, the FDA may designate a product for Fast Track review if it is intended, whether alone or in combination with one or more other products, for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and it demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. For Fast Track products, sponsors may have more frequent interactions with the FDA and the FDA may initiate review of sections of a Fast Track product’s application before the application is complete. This rolling review may be available if the FDA determines, after preliminary evaluation of clinical data submitted by the sponsor, that a Fast Track product may be effective. The sponsor must also provide, and the FDA must approve, a schedule for the submission of the remaining information and the sponsor must pay applicable user fees. However, the FDA’s time period goal for reviewing a Fast Track application does not begin until the last section of the application is submitted. In addition, the Fast Track designation may be withdrawn by the FDA if the FDA believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in the clinical trial process.

Second, a product may be designated as a Breakthrough Therapy if it is intended, either alone or in combination with one or more other products, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The FDA may take certain actions with respect to Breakthrough Therapies, including holding meetings with the sponsor throughout the development process; providing timely advice to the product sponsor regarding development and approval; involving more senior staff in the review process; assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the review team; and taking other steps to design the clinical trials in an efficient manner.

Third, the FDA may designate a product for priority review if it is a product that treats a serious disease or condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. The FDA determines, on a case-by-case basis, whether the proposed product represents a significant improvement when compared with other available therapies. Significant improvement may be illustrated by evidence of increased effectiveness in the treatment of a condition, elimination or substantial reduction of a treatment-limiting product reaction, documented enhancement of patient compliance that may lead to improvement in serious outcomes, and evidence of safety and effectiveness in a new subpopulation. A priority designation is intended to direct overall attention and resources to the evaluation of such applications, and to shorten the FDA’s goal for taking action on a marketing application from ten months to six months.

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Fourth, a product may be eligible for accelerated approval, if it treats a serious or life-threatening condition and generally provides a meaningful advantage over available therapies. In addition, it must demonstrate an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality (“IMM”), that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on IMM or other clinical benefit. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug or biologic receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials to confirm efficacy using a clinically meaningful endpoint, thereby confirming efficacy observed pre-approval using a surrogate endpoint. If the FDA concludes that a drug or biologic shown to be effective can be safely used only if distribution or use is restricted, it will require such post-marketing restrictions, as it deems necessary to assure safe use of the product. If the FDA determines that the conditions of approval are not being met, the FDA can withdraw its accelerated approval.

Fifth, a product may receive RMAT designation, which provides for an expedited program for the advancement and approval of regenerative medicine therapies that are intended to treat, modify, reverse or cure a serious condition and where preliminary clinical evidence indicates the potential to address unmet medical needs for life-threatening diseases or conditions. Similar to Breakthrough Therapy designation, the RMAT designation allows companies developing regenerative medicine therapies to work earlier, more closely, and frequently with the FDA, and RMAT-designated products may be eligible for priority review and accelerated approval. Regenerative medicine therapies include cell therapies, therapeutic tissue engineering products, human cell and tissue products, and combination products using any such therapies or products, except for those regulated solely under section 361 of the PHS Act and Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 1271. The FDA confirmed that gene therapies, including genetically modified cells that lead to a sustained effect on cells or tissues, may meet the definition of a regenerative medicine therapy. For product candidates that have received a RMAT designation, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development while minimizing the number of patients placed in ineffective control regimens. The timing of a sponsor’s request for designation and FDA response are the same as for the Breakthrough Therapy designation program.

We cannot be sure that any of our product candidates will qualify for any of these expedited development, review and approval programs, or that, if a product candidate does qualify, that it will be approved, will be accepted as part of any such program or that the review time will be shorter than a standard review.

Post-Approval Requirements

Upon FDA approval of a BLA, the sponsor must comply with extensive post approval regulatory requirements applicable to drugs and biological products, including any additional post approval requirements that the FDA may impose as part of the approval process. These post-approval requirements include, among other things:

record keeping requirements;

reporting of certain adverse experiences with the product and production problems to the FDA;

submission of updated safety and efficacy information to the FDA;

drug sampling and distribution requirements;

notifying FDA and gaining its approval of specified manufacturing and labeling changes; and

compliance with requirements concerning advertising, promotional labeling, industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities and other promotional activities.

Additionally, the sponsor and its third-party manufacturers are subject to periodic unannounced regulatory inspections for compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMP and pharmacovigilance regulations. Accordingly, the sponsor and its third-party manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the areas of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMP regulations and other regulatory requirements.

The FDA strictly regulates the advertising and labeling of prescription drug products, including both prescription drugs and biological products. Promotional claims about a drug’s safety or effectiveness are prohibited before the drug is approved. In addition, the sponsor of an approved drug in the United States may not promote that drug for unapproved, or off-label, uses, although a physician may prescribe a drug for an off-label use in accordance with the practice of medicine. If a company is found to have promoted off-label uses, it may become subject to administrative and judicial enforcement by the FDA, the DOJ, or the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as state authorities. This could subject a company to a range of penalties that could have a significant commercial impact, including civil and criminal fines and agreements that materially restrict the manner in which a company promotes or distributes drug products. The federal government has levied large civil and criminal fines against

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companies for alleged improper promotion, and has also requested that companies enter into consent decrees or permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed.

After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or dosing regimens, manufacturing changes, or additional labeling claims, are subject to further FDA review and approval. In addition, the FDA may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the effect of approved products that have been commercialized, and the FDA has the power to prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of these post-marketing programs.

The FDA may withdraw product approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency or issues with manufacturing processes, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety signals; or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:

restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product;

fines, warning letters or holds on post approval clinical trials;

refusal of the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of product license approvals;

product recall, seizure, or detention or refusal to permit the import or export of products; or

injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

Orphan Drug Designation

Orphan drug designation in the United States is designed to encourage sponsors to develop drug and biological products intended for the treatment of rare diseases or conditions. In the United States, a rare disease or condition is statutorily defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the product available for the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product in the United States.

Orphan drug designation qualifies a company for certain tax credits. In addition, if a drug candidate that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for that drug for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same indication for seven years following product approval unless the subsequent product candidate is demonstrated to be clinically superior. Absent a showing of clinical superiority, the FDA cannot approve the same product made by another manufacturer for the same indication during the market exclusivity period unless it has the consent of the sponsor or the sponsor is unable to provide sufficient quantities.

A sponsor may request orphan drug designation of a previously unapproved product or new orphan indication for an already marketed product. In addition, a sponsor of a product that is otherwise the same product as an already approved orphan drug may seek and obtain orphan drug designation for the subsequent product for the same rare disease or condition if it can present a plausible hypothesis that its product may be clinically superior to the first drug or biologic. More than one sponsor may receive orphan drug designation for the same product for the same rare disease or condition, but each sponsor seeking orphan drug designation must file a complete request for designation. To qualify for orphan exclusivity, however, the drug must be clinically superior to the previously approved product that is the same drug for the same condition.

Pediatric Exclusivity

Pediatric exclusivity is another type of non-patent regulatory exclusivity in the United States. Specifically, the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act provides for the attachment of an additional six months of exclusivity, which is added on to the term of any remaining regulatory exclusivity or patent periods at the time the pediatric exclusivity is granted. This six-month exclusivity may be granted if a BLA sponsor submits pediatric data that fairly respond to a written request from the FDA for such data, even if the data do not show the product to be effective in the pediatric population studied.

Biosimilars and Exclusivity

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "PPACA"), which was signed into law in March 2010, included a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (the "BPCIA"). The BPCIA established a regulatory scheme

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authorizing the FDA to approve biosimilars and interchangeable biosimilars. The FDA has approved over 20 biosimilar products for use in the United States to date. No interchangeable biosimilars, however, have been approved.

Under the BPCIA, a manufacturer may submit an application for licensure of a biological product that is “biosimilar to” or “interchangeable with” a previously approved biological product or “reference product.” In order for the FDA to approve a biosimilar product, it must find that there are no clinically meaningful differences between the reference product and proposed biosimilar product in terms of safety, purity and potency. For the FDA to approve a biosimilar product as interchangeable with a reference product, the agency must find that the biosimilar product can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product, and (for products administered multiple times) that the biologic and the reference biologic may be switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic.

Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date of approval of the reference product. The FDA may not approve a biosimilar product until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. This 12-year exclusivity period is referred to as the reference product exclusivity period and bars approval of a biosimilar but notably does not prevent approval of a competing product pursuant to a full BLA (i.e., containing the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of the product). The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products. The law also includes an extensive process for the innovator biologic and biosimilar manufacturer to litigate patent infringement, validity and enforceability prior to the approval of the biosimilar.

There have been ongoing federal legislative and administrative efforts as well as judicial challenges seeking to repeal, modify or invalidate some or all of the provisions of the PPACA. While none of those efforts have focused on changes to the provisions of the PPACA related to the biosimilar regulatory framework, if those efforts continue and if the PPACA is repealed, substantially modified or invalidated, it is unclear what, if any, impact such action would have on biosimilar regulation.

Patent Term Restoration and Extension

A patent claiming a new drug or biological product may be eligible for a limited patent term extension under the Hatch Waxman Act, which permits a patent restoration of up to five years for a single patent for an approved product as compensation for patent term lost during product development and FDA regulatory review. The restoration period granted on a patent covering a product is typically one half the time between the effective date a clinical investigation involving human beings is begun and the submission date of a marketing application less any dime during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence, plus the time between the submission date of an application and the ultimate approval date less any dime during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence. Patent term restoration cannot be used to extend the remaining term of a patent past a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date. Only one patent applicable to an approved product is eligible for the extension, only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it, or a method for manufacturing it may be extended and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent in question. A patent that covers multiple products for which approval is sought can only be extended in connection with one of the approvals. The USPTO reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration in consultation with the FDA.

Competition

The biopharmaceutical industry is highly competitive. We face competition from established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as emerging companies developing cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, TCR-T, NK cell, γδ T cell, and iNKT cell therapies. Many competitors are advancing programs across solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and, in some cases, inflammatory and pulmonary conditions.

Key competitors developing autologous CAR-T and TCR-based therapies include large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb (including former Celgene and Juno Therapeutics assets), Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, AstraZeneca, and BioNTech.

Companies developing iNKT cell-based therapies are generally earlier-stage and include Arovella Therapeutics and Brightpath Biotherapeutics, among others. We are also aware of companies pursuing approaches to activate endogenous iNKT cells, including Gri Bio and Portage Biotech. These approaches differ from our ex vivo expanded, allogeneic iNKT cell platform.

Key competitors developing allogeneic or gene-edited T cell therapies include Allogene Therapeutics, Atara Biotherapeutics, Cellectis, CRISPR Therapeutics, Precision BioSciences, and others. Certain companies in this space have undergone consolidation, including Poseida Therapeutics, which has been acquired by Roche.

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Key competitors in the NK cell therapy space include Fate Therapeutics, Nkarta, Artiva Biotherapeutics, Dragonfly Therapeutics, and programs within larger pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.

Competitors in the γδ T cell therapy space include Adicet Bio, IN8bio, and TC BioPharm.

In addition, we are aware of companies pursuing other immunomodulatory or cell-based approaches, including stem cell-based therapies, for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and related pulmonary conditions.

We compete with these organizations for scientific and management talent, clinical trial sites, patient enrollment, and access to complementary technologies. Many of our current and potential competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, and human resources, as well as greater experience in research and development, manufacturing, clinical development, and commercialization. Early-stage companies may also become significant competitors, particularly through collaborations with larger pharmaceutical companies.

Our commercial opportunity may be reduced or eliminated if competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, more convenient, or less costly than our product candidates. In addition, competitors may obtain regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we do, which could allow them to establish a market position before we are able to enter the market.

Human Capital Resources and Employees

As of February 28, 2026, we had 15 full-time employees, 33% of whom have Ph.D. degrees. Our ability to manage growth effectively will require us to continue to implement and improve our management systems, recruit and train new employees and select qualified independent contractors. Functions in legal, finance, information technology and human resources are provided by Agenus pursuant to a services agreement.

Our human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing, and integrating our existing and additional employees. We provide compensation and benefit programs to attract and retain employees. In addition to salaries, these programs include potential annual discretionary bonuses, various stock awards under our equity incentive plans, a 401(k) Plan, healthcare and insurance benefits, flexible spending accounts, paid time off, family leave, and flexible work schedules, among others.

MiNK Website

Our Internet website address is www.minktherapeutics.com. The contents of the websites referred to above are not incorporated into this filing. Further, our references to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as the other information in this Annual Report, including our audited financial statements and the related notes, as well as our other public filings with the SEC, before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks are realized, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the price of our common stock, could be materially and adversely affected.

Summary of Risk Factors

Our business is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. The following summarizes factors that could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price. The Company may not be able to accurately predict, control or mitigate these risks. Statements in this section are based on the Company’s beliefs and opinions regarding matters that could materially adversely affect the Company in the future and are not representations as to whether such matters have or have not occurred previously. The risks and uncertainties described below are not exhaustive and should not be considered a complete statement of all potential risks or uncertainties that the Company faces or may face in the future.

The following is a summary of the principal risk factors described in this section:

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

If we fail to raise additional capital, we would be forced to delay, reduce, or eliminate certain projects.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies.

Our short history as an independent company may make it difficult to evaluate the success of our business and to assess our future viability.

Our future ability to utilize certain tax attributes may be limited.

Our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern in its report on our audited financial statements.

Risks Related to Discovery, Development and Commercialization of Our Allogeneic iNKT Cells and Other Product Candidates

Our business is highly dependent on the success of our lead product candidate, agenT-797, and we may fail to develop agenT-797 successfully or be unable to obtain marketing approval for it.

Allogeneic iNKT cells represent a novel approach to immunotherapy, which may result in significant challenges to the development, marketing approval, and commercialization of product candidates.

Our business is highly dependent on our iNKT cell platform, and our product candidates will require significant additional testing before we can seek marketing approval.

Serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics caused by our product candidates could delay or prevent marketing approval, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.

The data produced in our clinical trials is at an early stage and future data may not show responses in patients treated or support continued development.

Even if any product candidates we may develop receive marketing approval, they may fail to achieve commercial success.

We face significant competition and there is a possibility that our competitors may achieve marketing approval before us or develop adoptive cell therapies that are safer or more advanced or effective than ours.

Any product candidates we develop may be complex and difficult to manufacture.

Risks Related to Regulatory Review and Other Legal Compliance Matters

If our clinical trials fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy, we may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of product candidates.

We may experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials.

The regulatory landscape that will govern any product candidates we may develop is uncertain and may change.

Any failure to comply with laws and regulations could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings.

Healthcare and other reform legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us and any collaborators we may have to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize any product candidates.

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Our employees, principal investigators, consultants and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements, or we may fail to satisfy certain arrangements with governmental authorities.

Laws and regulations governing our international operations may preclude us from developing, manufacturing and selling certain product candidates outside of the United States and require us implement costly compliance programs.

We are subject to stringent privacy and information security laws, regulations, policies and contractual obligations and changes in such laws, regulations, policies and contractual obligations could adversely affect our business.

Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages, staffing limitations, or policy changes could hinder their ability to review and approve new products in a timely manner.

Risks Related to Our Relationship with Agenus

We may experience difficulty in separating our resources from Agenus.

Agenus owns a significant portion of our common stock and will be able to exert control over specific matters subject to stockholder approval.

Certain of our directors and officers may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because of their positions with Agenus.

Risks Related to Our Relationships with Third Parties

We rely on third parties, which may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of trials, research, or testing.

Reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of materials, product candidates, or any medicines that we may develop and commercialize, or that it will not be available at an acceptable cost.

If we are not able to establish collaborations, we may have to alter our development and commercialization plans.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

We may be unable to obtain and maintain satisfactory patent and other intellectual property protection for any product candidates we develop and for our cell-based immunotherapies.

Our rights to develop and commercialize our cell-based immunotherapies and product candidates are subject, in part, to the terms and conditions of assignments and licenses granted to us by others, including Agenus.

We have limited foreign intellectual property rights and may not be able to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights throughout the world.

We may not be successful in acquiring or in-licensing necessary rights to key technologies or any product candidates we may develop.

Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating their intellectual property rights.

We may not obtain patent term extension (“PTE”) and data exclusivity for any product candidates we may develop.

We may be unable to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary knowledge.

Risks Related to Employee Matters, Managing Growth, Information Technology and Our Operations

We may be unable to retain our key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

We may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

Our internal computer systems, or those of our third-party vendors, collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, and we and certain of our third-party providers may experience cyberattacks and other incidents.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

A market for our common stock may not be sustained. We may be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market if we are unable to comply with Nasdaq Listing Rules.

Provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law may have anti-takeover effects.

Our organizational documents designate courts within the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Unfavorable global economic conditions, including tariffs and trade policy changes, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We have incurred losses since inception. We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

Since inception, we have incurred operating losses associated with our research, clinical development and manufacturing efforts. We have devoted substantially all of our efforts and financial resources in building our iNKT cell platform, identifying our current product candidates, conducting preclinical development and initiating clinical trials of agenT-797. Our net loss was $12.5 million and $10.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of $156.7 million. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:

continue our clinical and preclinical development of product candidates;

seek to develop our iNKT cell platform further and identify additional research programs and additional product candidates;

initiate preclinical testing and clinical trials for any product candidates we identify and develop from our current research programs;

maintain, expand, enforce, defend and protect our intellectual property portfolio;

seek marketing approvals for any of our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

establish a sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any biologics for which we may obtain marketing approval;

hire additional research and development personnel;

hire clinical and commercial personnel;

add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our product development; and

acquire or in-license product candidates, intellectual property and technologies.

Our lead product candidate, agenT-797, is in clinical development, and all of our other product candidates remain in preclinical development. We do not have any products approved for sale and have not generated any revenue from product supplies or royalties. Based on our current plans, we do not expect to generate product or royalty revenues unless and until we obtain marketing approval for a product candidate. We expect that it will be many years, if ever, before we have a product candidate that receives such approval. To become and remain profitable, we must develop and, either directly or through collaborators, eventually commercialize a product candidate with significant market potential. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including identifying product candidates, completing preclinical testing and clinical trials of product candidates, obtaining marketing approval for these product candidates, manufacturing, marketing and selling those product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval, and satisfying any post-marketing requirements. Even if one or more of the product candidates we may develop are approved for commercial sale, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with commercializing any approved product candidate. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we are required by the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other regulatory authorities to perform clinical and other studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Even if we are able to generate revenues from the sale of any approved product candidates, we may not become profitable and may need to obtain additional funding to continue operations and, even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease our value and could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations.

We will need additional funding. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we would be forced to delay, reduce, or eliminate our research and product development programs or future commercialization efforts.

We expect our expenses to increase in connection with the maturation of our programs and ongoing activities, particularly as we identify, continue the research and development of, initiate and continue clinical trials of, and seek marketing approval for, our product candidates, including agenT-797. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any product candidates we may develop, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution to the extent that such sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution are not the responsibility of a collaborator. Furthermore, we incur significant costs associated with operating as a standalone public company. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations.

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Our primary source of funding prior to our initial public offering was through Agenus. As of December 31, 2025, our cash balance was $13.4 million. We expect that our cash as of December 31, 2025, plus anticipated additional funding, will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements for more than one year from when these financial statements were issued. However, our operating plan may change as a result of factors currently unknown to us, and we may need to seek funding sooner than planned.

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. We have no committed source of additional capital and, if we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of our product candidates or other research and development initiatives. Our license agreements and any future collaboration agreements may also be terminated if we are unable to meet payment or other obligations under such agreements. We could be required to seek collaborators for product candidates we may develop at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available, or relinquish or license on unfavorable terms our rights to product candidates we may develop in markets where we otherwise would seek to pursue development or commercialization ourselves. In addition, any fundraising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates we may develop.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a common stockholder. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, declaring dividends and possibly other restrictions.

If we raise funds through additional collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates we may develop, or we may have to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Our short operating history as an independent company may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

We were formed in 2017 as a subsidiary of Agenus. Our operations to date have been limited to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, identifying potential product candidates and undertaking clinical trials and preclinical studies, and some of these activities have been performed by Agenus pursuant to services agreements between the parties. We have initiated clinical trials for agenT-797 and our other programs are still in the preclinical or research stage of development, where the risk of failure is high. We have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully complete any large-scale, pivotal clinical trials, obtain marketing approvals; manufacture a commercial-scale product, or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf; or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialization. It takes many years to develop a new product from the time it is discovered to when it is available for treating patients. Consequently, any predictions you make about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer independent operating history.

Our limited independent operating history, particularly in light of rapidly evolving cell therapies, may make it difficult to evaluate our technology and industry and predict our future performance, and to make any assessment of our future success or viability subject to significant uncertainty. We will encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by very early stage companies in rapidly evolving fields. If we do not address these risks successfully, our business will suffer.

In addition, as a new business, we may encounter other unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors.

Our future ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

We have incurred substantial net operating losses (“NOLs”) during our history. U.S. federal and certain state NOLs generated in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 are not subject to expiration. Federal NOLs generally may not be carried back to prior taxable years except that, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act, federal NOLs generated in 2018, 2019 and 2020 may be carried back to each of the five taxable years preceding the taxable year in which the loss arises. Additionally, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020, the deductibility of federal NOLs generated in taxable years beginning after

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December 31, 2017 is limited to 80% of our taxable income in such taxable year. NOLs generated in tax years beginning before January 1, 2018 may still be used to offset future taxable income without regard to the 80% limitation, although they have the potential to expire without being utilized if we do not achieve profitability in the future. In addition, in general, under Sections 382 and 383 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change” is subject to limitations on its ability to use its pre-change NOLs to offset future taxable income. For these purposes, an ownership change generally occurs where the aggregate stock ownership of one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who owns at least 5% of a corporation’s stock increases its ownership by more than 50 percentage points over its lowest ownership percentage within a specified testing period. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of future transactions in our stock, some of which may be outside our control. For these reasons, we may not be able to use a material portion of our NOLs, even if we attain profitability.

Our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern in its report on our audited financial statements, and it is possible that such report on our financial statements may include such an explanation again in the future.

We believe we have sufficient capital, including the additional funding anticipated to be received subsequent to year end, to satisfy our liquidity requirements for more than one year from when the financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were issued. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funding to support our operations, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate all of our research and development programs, or product portfolio expansion, our financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected, and we may be unable to continue as a going concern. In the future, reports from our independent registered public accounting firm may also contain statements expressing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

Risks Related to Discovery, Development and Commercialization of Our Allogeneic iNKT Cells

Our business is highly dependent on the success of our lead product candidate, agenT-797, which is our only product candidate in clinical development. We have a limited history of conducting clinical trials and may fail to develop agenT-797 successfully or be unable to obtain marketing approval for it.

Our ability to generate product revenues, which we do not expect will occur for many years, if ever, will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of our agenT-797 and our other product candidates. We cannot guarantee that agenT-797, will demonstrate the degree of safety, purity, potency, or efficacy required by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, or will be approved for commercialization on a timely basis or at all. Although certain of our employees and consultants have prior experience with clinical trials, marketing approvals and current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) compliance, we have not previously completed any pivotal clinical trials or submitted a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) to the FDA, or similar marketing approval applications to comparable foreign authorities, for any product candidate, and we cannot be certain that agenT-797 or any other product candidate will be successful in clinical trials or receive marketing approval. The success of our product candidates will depend on several factors, including the following:

successful initiation and completion of preclinical studies with favorable results, including toxicology and other studies designed to be compliant with good laboratory practice (“GLP”), requirements;

allowance to proceed with clinical trials under Investigational New Drug applications (“INDs”), by the FDA, or of similar regulatory submissions by comparable foreign regulatory authorities for the conduct of clinical trials of our product candidates;

successful initiation, enrollment and completion of clinical studies in accordance with good clinical practice (“GCP”), requirements and other applicable rules and regulations;

the frequency and severity of adverse events observed in clinical trials;

maintaining and establishing relationships with contract research organizations (“CROs”), and clinical sites for the clinical development of our product candidates;

demonstrating the safety purity, and potency, or efficacy of our product candidates to the satisfaction of the FDA and other applicable regulatory authorities;

receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities, including approvals of BLAs from the FDA, and maintaining any such approvals;

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making arrangements with third-party manufacturers for, or establishing, clinical or commercial manufacturing capabilities;

establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and launching commercial sales of our product candidates, if and when approved, either alone or in collaboration with others;

obtaining, establishing and maintaining patent and trade secret protection or regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates;

maintaining an acceptable safety profile of our product candidates following marketing approval, if any;

maintaining and growing an organization of people who can develop and, if approved, commercialize, market and sell our product candidates, if approved; and

acceptance of our product candidates, if approved, by patients, the medical community and third-party payors.

Furthermore, because agenT-797 is our most advanced product candidate and our only product candidate in clinical development , and because our other product candidates are based on similar technology, if our clinical trials of agenT-797 encounter safety, efficacy or manufacturing problems, development delays, regulatory issues or other problems, our development plans for agenT-797 and our other product candidates in our pipeline could be significantly impaired, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

The success of our business, including our ability to finance our company and generate any revenue in the future, will primarily depend on the successful development, marketing approval and commercialization of agenT-797 and our other product candidates, which may never occur. In the future, we may also become dependent on other product candidates that we may develop or acquire; however, given our stage of development, it may be several years, if at all, before we have demonstrated the safety, purity, and potency (or efficacy) of a candidate sufficient to warrant approval for commercialization. If we are unable to develop, or obtain marketing approval for, or, if approved, successfully commercialize our product candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to continue our business.

Utilizing allogeneic iNKT cells represents a novel approach to immunotherapy, and we must overcome significant challenges to develop, commercialize and manufacture our product candidates.

We have concentrated our research and development efforts on utilizing allogeneic iNKT cells as a potential immunotherapy. To date, the FDA has approved only a few adoptive cell therapies for commercialization and no allogeneic iNKT cell therapy has been approved for commercial use by any regulatory authority. The processes and requirements imposed by the FDA or other applicable regulatory authorities may cause delays and additional costs in obtaining approvals for marketing authorization for our product candidates. Because our allogeneic iNKT cell platform product candidates are novel, and adoptive cell therapies are relatively new, regulatory agencies may lack experience in evaluating product candidates like our iNKT cell product candidates, including our lead product candidate, agenT-797. This novelty may heighten regulatory scrutiny of our therapies or lengthen the regulatory review process, including the time it takes for the FDA to review our INDs if and when submitted, increase our development costs and delay or prevent commercialization of our allogeneic iNKT cell platform products.

Additionally, advancing novel cell therapies involve significant challenges for us, including:

educating medical personnel regarding the potential side-effect profile of our product candidates and, as the clinical program progresses, on observed side effects with the therapy;

training a sufficient number of medical personnel on how to properly administer our product candidates;

enrolling sufficient numbers of patients in clinical trials;

developing a reliable, safe and effective means of genetically modifying certain of our cells;

establishing a cost-effective and large-scale manufacturing capacity suitable for the manufacture of our product candidates in line with expanding enrollment in our clinical trials and our projected commercial requirements;

sourcing starting material suitable for clinical and commercial manufacturing; and

establishing sales and marketing capabilities to successfully launch and commercialize our product candidates if and when we obtain any required marketing approvals, and risks associated with gaining market acceptance of a novel

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therapy if we receive approval, as well as developing a manufacturing process and distribution network to support the commercialization of any approved products.

We must be able to overcome these challenges in order for us to develop, commercialize and manufacture our product candidates utilizing allogeneic iNKT cells. Failure to do so could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

Clinical and preclinical development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and the results of prior clinical trials and studies involving our product candidates are not necessarily predictive of our future results. Our product candidates may not show favorable results in preclinical studies or clinical trials or receive marketing approval on a timely basis, if at all.

Preclinical and clinical drug development is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process. Despite promising preclinical or clinical results, any product candidate can unexpectedly fail at any stage of preclinical or clinical development. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in clinical development even after achieving promising results in earlier studies, and the historical failure rate for product candidates in our industry is high.

The results from preclinical studies or early clinical trials of a product candidate may not predict the results of later clinical trials of the product candidate, and interim results of a clinical trial are not necessarily indicative of final results. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy characteristics despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. In particular, while we have conducted certain clinical studies evaluating agenT-797, we do not know whether our product candidates will perform similarly in future clinical trials. It is not uncommon to observe results in clinical trials that are unexpected based on preclinical studies and early clinical trials, and many product candidates fail in clinical trials despite very promising early results. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses.

For the foregoing reasons, we cannot be certain that our ongoing and planned clinical trials and preclinical studies will be successful. Any safety concerns observed in any one of our clinical trials in our targeted indications could limit the prospects for marketing approval of our product candidates in those and other indications, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any difficulties or delays in the commencement or completion, or the termination or suspension, of our current or planned clinical trials could result in increased costs to us, delay or limit our ability to generate revenue or adversely affect our commercial prospects.

Before obtaining approval from the FDA or other regulatory authorities for the commercialization of any of our product candidates, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety purity, potency (or efficacy) of the product candidate in humans. Before we can initiate clinical trials for any product candidates, we must submit the results of preclinical studies to the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities along with other information, including information about product candidate chemistry, manufacturing and controls and our proposed clinical trial protocol, as part of an IND or similar regulatory submission. The FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to conduct additional preclinical studies for any product candidate before it allows us to initiate clinical trials under any IND or similar regulatory submission, which may lead to delays and increase the costs of our preclinical development programs. Moreover, even if we commence clinical trials, issues may arise that could cause regulatory authorities to suspend or terminate such clinical trials. Any such delays in the commencement or completion of our ongoing and planned clinical trials for our product candidates could significantly affect our product development timelines and product development costs and harm our financial position.

We do not know whether our planned clinical trials will begin on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. The timing for commencement, data readouts and completion of clinical trials can be delayed for a number of reasons, including delays related to:

inability to generate sufficient preclinical, toxicology, or other in vivo or in vitrodata to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials;

obtaining allowance or approval from regulatory authorities to commence a trial or reaching a consensus with regulatory authorities on trial design;

the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities disagreeing as to the design or implementation of our clinical trials;

any failure or delay in reaching an agreement with CROs and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;

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delays in identifying, recruiting and training suitable clinical investigators;

obtaining approval from one or more institutional review boards (“IRBs”), or ethics committees at clinical trial sites;

IRBs refusing to approve, suspending or terminating the trial at an investigational site, precluding enrollment of additional subjects, or withdrawing their approval of the trial;

changes or amendments to the clinical trial protocol;

clinical sites deviating from the trial protocol or dropping out of a trial;

failure by our CROs to perform in accordance with GCP requirements or applicable regulatory rules and guidelines in other countries;

manufacturing sufficient quantities of our product candidates, or obtaining sufficient quantities of combination therapies for use in clinical trials;

subjects failing to enroll or remain in our trials at the rate we expect, or failing to return for post-treatment follow-up, including subjects failing to remain in our trials;

patients choosing an alternative product for the indications for which we are developing our product candidates, or participating in competing clinical trials;

lack of adequate funding to continue a clinical trial, or costs being greater than we anticipate;

subjects experiencing severe or serious unexpected drug-related adverse effects;

occurrence of serious adverse events in trials of the same class of agents conducted by other companies that could be considered similar to our product candidates;

selection of clinical endpoints that require prolonged periods of clinical observation or extended analysis of the resulting data;

our failure, or failure of our CMOs to produce adequate quantities of clinical trial materials in accordance with cGMP, regulations or other applicable requirements; and

third parties being unwilling or unable to satisfy their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner.

Clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with the FDA and other applicable regulatory authorities’ legal requirements, regulations and guidelines, and remain subject to oversight by these governmental agencies and ethics committees or IRBs at the medical institutions where such clinical trials are conducted. We could also encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board for such trial or by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements and policies may occur, and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols to comply with these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical trial protocols to regulators or to IRBs for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical trial.

Further, conducting clinical trials in foreign countries, as we may do for our future product candidates, presents additional risks that may delay completion of our clinical trials. These risks include the failure of enrolled subjects in foreign countries to adhere to clinical protocols as a result of differences in healthcare services or cultural customs, managing additional administrative burdens associated with foreign regulatory schemes, and political and economic risks, including war, relevant to such foreign countries.

In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, the termination suspension of, or a delay in the commencement or completion of, clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of a product candidate. Any resulting delays to our clinical trials could shorten any period during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates. In such cases, our competitors may be able to bring products to market before we do, and the commercial viability of our product candidates could be significantly reduced. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

If any of the product candidates we may develop, or the delivery modes we rely on to administer them, cause serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics, such events, side effects or characteristics could delay or prevent marketing approval of the product candidates, limit the commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.

Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or unexpected characteristics. Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates, whether used alone on in combination with other therapies, could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials or lead to the delay or denial of marketing approval by the FDA or

24

comparable foreign regulatory authorities, or, if such product candidates are approved, result in a more restrictive label and other post-approval requirements. Any treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial, or could result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.

To date, we have completed and published preliminary data from clinical trials for agenT-797. Moreover, there have been only a limited number of clinical trials involving the use of iNKT cells and none involving therapies similar to our therapies. It is impossible to predict when or if any product candidates we may develop will be deemed safe in humans. In the adoptive cell therapy field, there have been significant adverse events from allogeneic cell treatments in the past, including cytokine release syndrome, peripheral neuropathies and adverse events linked to lymphodepleting chemotherapy regimens used in the field prior to administration of cell therapy products. While in our trials to date, we have not observed neurotoxicity or cytokine release syndrome, there can be no assurance that our product candidates will not cause undesirable side effects in the future, which may include serious adverse effects that are related to our product candidates.

If any product candidates we develop are associated with serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics, we may need to abandon their development or limit development to certain uses or subpopulations in which the serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Many product candidates that initially showed promise in early stage testing for treating cancer or life-threatening diseases have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further clinical development of the product candidates.

Patients in our ongoing and planned clinical trials may in the future suffer significant adverse events or other side effects not observed in our preclinical studies or previous clinical trials. Patients treated with our product candidates may also be undergoing surgical, radiation or chemotherapy treatments, which can cause side effects or adverse events that are unrelated to our product candidate, but may still impact the success of our clinical trials. The inclusion of critically ill patients in our clinical trials may result in deaths or other adverse medical events due to other therapies or medications that such patients may be using or due to the gravity of such patients’ illnesses. If such significant adverse events or other side effects are observed in any of our clinical trials, we may have difficulty recruiting patients to the clinical trials, or we may be required to abandon the trials or our development efforts of that product candidate altogether. We, the FDA, other comparable regulatory authorities or an IRB may suspend clinical trials of a product candidate at any time for various reasons, including a belief that subjects in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. Even if the side effects do not preclude the product candidate from obtaining or maintaining marketing approval, undesirable side effects may inhibit market acceptance due to tolerability concerns as compared to other available therapies. Any of these developments could materially harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

Additionally, if we successfully develop a product candidate and it receives marketing approval, the FDA could require us to adopt a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”), to ensure that the benefits of treatment with such product candidate outweigh the risks for each potential patient, which may include, among other things, a medication guide outlining the risks of the product for distribution to patients, a communication plan to health care practitioners, extensive patient monitoring, or distribution systems and processes that are highly controlled, restrictive and more costly than what is typical for the industry. The FDA has required REMS programs for certain other cell therapies, including autologous CAR-T cell therapies, and we may be required to implement similar programs if any of our product candidates obtains marketing approval . Furthermore, if we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by any product candidate that we develop, several potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

regulatory authorities may suspend or withdraw approvals of such product candidate;

regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label or limit the approved use of such product candidate;

we may be required to create a medication guide outlining the risks of a product for patients;

we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials;

we may be required to change the way a product is administered;

a product may become less competitive;

we could be subject to fines, injunctions, or the imposition of criminal or civil penalties, we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of any product candidates we may identify and develop and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials for agenT-797 or any future trials, our receipt of necessary marketing approvals could be delayed or prevented.

We or our collaborators may not be able to continue our current and anticipated clinical trials for agenT-797 or initiate trials for any product candidates we identify or develop if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or other analogous regulatory authorities outside the United States, or as needed to provide appropriate statistical power for a given trial. In addition, if patients are unwilling to participate in our clinical trials because of negative publicity from adverse events related to the biotechnology, adoptive cell therapy, competitive clinical trials for similar patient populations, clinical trials in competing products or for other reasons, the timeline for recruiting patients, conducting studies and obtaining marketing approval of any product candidates we may develop may be delayed. Moreover, our competitors may have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that are intended to address the same patients as our product candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in our competitors’ clinical trials.

Patient enrollment is also affected by other factors, including:

severity of the disease under investigation;

size of the patient population and process for identifying patients;

design of the trial protocol;

availability and efficacy of approved medications for the disease under investigation;

ability to obtain and maintain patient informed consent;

risk that enrolled patients will drop out before completion of the trial;

eligibility and exclusion criteria for the trial in question;

perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under trial;

perceived risks and benefits of adoptive cell therapy as a therapeutic approach;

efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials;

patient referral practices of physicians;

ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment; and

proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective patients, especially for those conditions which have small patient pools.

Our ability to successfully initiate, enroll and complete a clinical trial in any foreign country is subject to numerous risks unique to conducting business in foreign countries, including:

difficulty in establishing or managing relationships with CROs and physicians;

different standards for the conduct of clinical trials;

different standard-of-care for patients with a particular disease;

difficulty in locating qualified local consultants, physicians and partners; and

Source: SEC EDGAR (public domain) · 10-K for the period ended 2025-12-31, filed 2026-03-31 · accession 0001193125-26-134813

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