Sarah Johnson, Ph.D.

Dr. Sarah Johnson brings over a decade of experience in life sciences and biotechnology business development and corporate strategy to Advantary. Most recently, Sarah was Head of US Business Development for Oricell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing cellular therapies for oncology, where she led partnerships with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. She presented Oricell’s multiple myeloma programs at major scientific conferences, including the American Society for Hematology and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. Prior to Oricell, Sarah was a Director of Business Development at Legend Biotech, a commercial-stage cell therapy company, where she led search and evaluation and transactions, including an out-license to Novartis for a small cell lung cancer CAR-T therapy for $100M upfront and $1B+ in potential milestones.

Her first startup experience was as an early employee of Aro Biotherapeutics, a gene therapy company, where she worked with the BD team on research partnerships and alliance management. Prior to working in biotech business development, Dr. Johnson began her career in university licensing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Center for Innovation and Drexel University’s Office of Applied Innovation. She commercialized early-stage research from academia across life sciences and engineering and spun out startups from the university.

Dr. Johnson is passionate about mentoring the next generation of women in science, serving as an active mentor for undergraduate and graduate students at her alma maters. She also volunteers as a business mentor for Nucleate, helping aspiring life science entrepreneurs craft pitches and corporate strategy. Outside of her professional interests, Sarah enjoys traveling, indoor cycling, classical music, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Sarah has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University and a B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an MBA with a Concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Drexel University, where she was a Lawrie Advanced Global Leadership fellow.

Location:

Philadelphia, PA

Sectors:

• Life Sciences

• Biotechnology

• Cell and Gene Therapies

  
  

Expertise:

• Business Development

• Licensing

• Early-stage Ventures

• Research Collaborations

• Corporate Strategy

  
  

Roles:

• Head of Business Development

• Technology Licensing