Charles completed a PhD at the University of Glasgow before undertaking a post-doctoral fellowship at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London (now part of the Crick Institute), where he focused on transcriptional gene regulation in cancer. Transitioning to Novartis Pharmaceuticals in the UK, he dedicated 18 years to advancing respiratory and inflammatory disease research, leading numerous projects involving both low molecular weight drugs and therapeutic antibodies from discovery into clinical development.

Among his notable achievements, Charles served as the discovery leader for omalizumab (Xolair), guiding its development for asthma in collaboration with Genentech. This role encompassed oversight of all clinical phases through regulatory approval and Phase 4 (Ph4) indication expansion—additional studies conducted after a drug is approved to explore new uses—into chronic skin diseases and other allergies. Under his leadership, omalizumab (Xolair) became the first monoclonal antibody approved for asthma, benefiting millions of patients worldwide. Overall, he was responsible for identifying multiple new therapeutic targets, advancing more than ten drugs into early development and seven drugs to post-Investigational New Drug (post-IND) clinical studies—clinical trials that take place after initial regulatory clearance to further assess safety and efficacy.

In the latter ten years at Novartis, Charles concentrated on therapeutic antibody discovery and development, which included overseeing the respiratory and inflammation clinical portfolio of antibody drugs and driving strategic innovation across the division.

Building on his success at Novartis, Charles transitioned to advisory roles supporting antibody drug development and strategic marketing for several biotechnology, generic, and major pharmaceutical companies. This experience led to the founding of 272BIO Limited—a biotechnology enterprise he established in 2020, initially based at the Pirbright Institute and supported by a highly skilled team of industry veterans. 272BIO Limited is a company focused on developing antibody and protein therapeutics, particularly for animal health. Under Charles’s leadership, the company has achieved significant growth, developing its own pipeline and creating valuable assets for partners. Today, 272BIO Limited boasts a rich portfolio of projects and has demonstrated clinical success with more than ten antibody and protein therapeutics.