Dr. Charles Magness co-founded Kineta in 2007 and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for strategy and execution of all corporate initiatives, development opportunities and acquisition of capital. Under his leadership, Kineta has moved rapidly to acquire and finance its lead autoimmune program and advance its discovery stage antiviral research. Dr. Magness secured several significant investment partnerships. As a founder, he also developed and successfully implemented Kineta's business model which is designed to reduce investor risk and provide faster returns on investment.
Dr. Magness, along with Kineta co-founder, Dr. Shawn Iadonato, founded Illumigen Biosciences, Inc. in 2000. Serving initially as CIO and then President and COO from 2002-2007, Dr. Magness led that company from inception to acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure, Illumigen raised over $23M through financing and business development activities, contract revenue, and grants. At Illumigen, he also was responsible for investor relations, intellectual property licensing and legal affairs.