SelectImmune Pharma and Lonza announced a collaboration to develop processes for NlpD, a novel immunotherapy protein. Antibiotic resistance represents a major threat to public health. The existing pool of antibiotics and ability to protect patients from bacterial infections is threatened by the rise of antibiotic resistance. Instead of targeting the pathogenic bacteria, the patient's immune system can be boosted to balance the immune response and enhance the beneficial gene expression. This new concept shifts the balance in favor of beneficial symbiotic bacteria and away from pathogenic infections. NlpD is a protein originating in beneficial bacteria present in the human microbiome and has been found to inhibit infection and inflammation in animal models. This RNA polymerase II (Pol II) inhibitor can be purified in large quantities. Advancing a drug candidate from late-stage discovery into the clinic represents one of the most critical development steps. Process de-risking and assessing developability and manufacturability early on helps maximize the chances of success further down the development and manufacturing pathway. Under the terms of the agreement, SelectImmune will leverage Lonza's early development services, which includes non-GMP expression and laboratory-scale process development, to lay the groundwork for future pre-clinical studies of NlpD. The early development activities will be carried out at Lonza's Cambridge (UK) site.