Kylix Bio was established following the diagnosis of Illingworth’s young son with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4C (CMT4C). Confronted with the gap between scientific discovery and clinical development in rare disease medicine – and the unacceptable reliance on rare disease families to fund trials – she founded Kylix to help bridge that divide, partnering with leading scientists, clinicians, and manufacturing experts to move gene therapy programs efficiently to the clinic.

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Before entering biotechnology, Illingworth was a scholar of late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Her academic research explored philosophical and theological questions surrounding human identity, embodiment, and the nature of healing.  These questions continue to inform her perspective on the emerging possibilities and ethical imperatives of genetic medicine.