Sarah A. Haecker, PhD,has more than 20 years of senior-level business development and strategic marketing in the development and commercialization of genetic medicines. She currently serves as Managing Director at 5E Cell & Gene Advisors and a Strategic Advisor to Franklin Biolabs, CellPort Software, a stealth biotech in China, and Lonru Consulting. She supports early adopter sales, licensing, and business development as well as leads strategic marketing driving high-impact commercial initiatives. Most recently, she designed and chaired the inaugural Building RNA Medicine Excellence Conference in June 2026 in Philadelphia. A novel RNA Medicine thought-leadership forum featuring the 2023 Nobel Laureates, Drs. Drew Weissman and Katalin Kariko.From 2019 to 2024, she served as Senior Vice President, Global Business Development at MaxCyte, Inc., where she closed 23 strategic platform licenses, built the company’s strategic partnership management function, and led partnerships across product developers and academic medical centers including negotiating the license to Vertex Pharmaceuticals enabling the clinical development and commercialization of CASGEVY® for the treatment of sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia.Sarah was Vice President of Business Development for Synpromics Ltd. from 2016 until its acquisition by AskBio in 2019. From 2013 to 2018, she served as Adjuvant Partners’ Chief Scientific Officer, leading cell and gene medicine business development and corporate strategy for large-cap pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, technology providers and major medical centers. She was a member of the founding team of Cardiogen Sciences, Inc. (acquired by Audentes Therapeutics in 2015) and Senior Director, Technology Sections at the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, where she launched and managed the Gene Therapy Section and Genome Editing Task Force. Earlier, Sarah held Vice President, Business Development roles at Orasi Medical, Circle Biologics and BioE.Sarah holds a doctorate in molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioethics from the University of Minnesota and a BS in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. From 1995 to 2004, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship with James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, in the University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program, focused on in vivo muscle-directed gene therapy. She also served as a licensing manager for the Center for Technology Transfer and continued her education through classes in the MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.Based in Minneapolis, she is the President and Board Director of the Bellgrove Improvement Association (2025-present) and formally, Board Director of the Shakespearean Youth Theatre (2021–2024), and Board Director, leading Advancement for the Minneapolis United Youth Soccer Association (2017–2020).
