Management Team

272BIO was founded by Charlie Owen in 2019 with the aim of delivering innovative therapeutic solutions using biotherapeutics to tackle unmet medical need across animal health.

Charlie completed a PhD at Glasgow University investigating transcriptional regulation of a streptomyces phage, which was followed by post-doctoral fellowship at Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF – latterly Cancer Research UK) at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, again in the fiel of transcriptional regulation. He joined Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis) in 1996 as a lab head at its site in the UK. Between 1996 and 2014, Charlie took on multiple roles, taking over 12, low molecular weight compounds and therapeutic antibodies, into early development, several of which moved into the clinic. 

He has experience across all stages of research and development, having been responsible for pre-clinical research of omalizumab anti-IgE (Xolair) from 1996 (First in Man) through to 2014, encompassing all phases of clinical development, global registration, market launch including phase IV.  In addition, Charlie had project lead responsibility for ligelizumab (high affinity anti-IgE) and worked on numerous other therapeutic antibody projects.  At Novartis, he also led specific initiatives including targeted organ delivery of biologics and developing the pulmonary delivery of macromolecules initiatives leading a multi-disciplinary team from across research, development and CMC manufacturing. 

On leaving Novartis in 2014, Charlie worked in a consultancy role for pharma, biotech, animal health and other industrial companies, advising and developing strategic initiatives across therapeutic antibody discovery, development and marketing.