SelectImmune Pharma Collaborates with Lonza to Develop an Immunotherapeutic Drug Candidate
- The agreement provides access to vector construction and non-GMP expression of a novel immunotherapy protein drug candidate
- Access to early material for pre-clinical testing will provide input for manufacturing process development necessary as the drug progresses towards clinical testing
Lund, Sweden and Basel, Switzerland, 21 June 2021 - SelectImmune Pharma, a pharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapeutics and alternatives to antibiotics, and Lonza, a global CDMO partner to the biotech and biopharma industry, have announced today 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 our 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.
By supporting the early selection, engineering and optimization of NlpD, this collaboration will bring value to SelectImmune’s therapeutic protein candidate while establishing the potential for future clinical manufacturing.
(*) J Clin Invest. 2021;131(4):e140333.
Quote from Ann Gidner, CEO, SelectImmune Pharma:
“The discovery of NlpD is important and provides new possible strategies to treat infections with immunotherapy. Lonza is a well-known international player, and we look forward to developing the best possible process to have a robust drug candidate in our pipeline.”
Quote from Yvette Stallwood, Head of Applied Protein Services, Lonza:
“De-risking early on can maximize chances of success further down the development and manufacturing pathway. We offer flexible support based on our customers’ unique therapeutic goals and timelines while improving the safety and manufacturability of therapeutics. Our early development services have been supporting companies of various sizes in advancing their drug candidates from late-stage discovery into the clinic for over 10 years. The collaboration with SelectImmune illustrates the value in establishing the foundation on which to build a optimized clinical development program.“
Lonza Contact Details
Victoria Morgan
Head of External Communications
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 2283
victoria.morgan@lonza.com
Dr. Martina Ribar Hestericová
Trade Media Lead
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 8982
martina.ribarhestericova@lonza.com
Dirk Oehlers
Investor Relations
Lonza Group Ltd
Tel +41 61 316 8540
dirk.oehlers@lonza.com
SelectImmune Pharma Contact Details
Catharina Svanborg
Chairman of the Board
SelectImmune Pharma
Tel +46 709 42 65 49
catharina.svanborg@med.lu.se
Ann Gidner
CEO
SelectImmune Pharma
Tel +46 768 17 14 14
ann.gidner@selectImmune.com
About Lonza Applied Protein Services
Lonza Applied Protein Services offers a comprehensive suite of in silico and in vitro early development services to assist pharmaceutical and biotech companies in de-risking and optimizing their late candidate selection and lead candidate development process. The group, based in Cambridge (UK), also provides early, phase-appropriate non-GMP material supply via Lonza’s LightPath Discovery platform.
For more information, please visit https://pharma.lonza.com/offerings/discovery-services.
About SelectImmune Pharma
SelectImmune Pharma is a pharmaceutical company whose shares are traded on the Spotlight Stock Market. The company’s goal is to develop new immunotherapies, which act as immune enhancers and offer alternatives to antibiotics.
Bacterial infections affect large parts of the population and are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to increasing antibiotic resistance. SelectImmune Pharma develops immunotherapies that can supplement or replace antibiotics. Urinary tract infections (UVI) are one of the world’s most common infectious diseases, affecting about 150 million people each year. The need for alternative treatments for bacterial infections is currently very great as are potential markets.
For more information, please visit www.selectimmune.com.
About Lonza
Lonza is the preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition markets. We work to prevent illness and enable a healthier world by supporting our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases. We achieve this by combining technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise and process excellence. These enable our customers to commercialize their discoveries and innovations in the healthcare sector.
Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, today Lonza operates across five continents. With approximately 14,000 full-time employees, we are built from high-performing teams and of individual talent who make a meaningful difference to our own business, as well as to the communities in which we operate. The company generated sales of CHF 4.5 billion in 2020 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.4 billion. Find out more at www.lonza.com.
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Additional Information and Disclaimer
Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST’s continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual.
Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release.
This disclosure contains information that SelectImmune is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 21-06-2021 15:00 CET.
