Sarah Yuan
About Sarah Yuan
Cabaletta Bio’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) since June 2024, Sarah Yuan, Ph.D., oversees Technical Development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and CMC strategy. She brings 20+ years of cell and gene therapy CMC leadership across bluebird bio/2seventy bio (Abecma approval experience), Sigilon (Eli Lilly), Sanofi, Bioverativ, Biogen, Agenus, and Millipore; she holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a B.S. from UC Berkeley . In role scope, she is central to Cabaletta’s manufacturing strategy: Oxford Biomedica for LVV, Lonza for drug product tech transfer, Cellares for automated manufacturing, and a “whole blood” process aimed at eliminating apheresis and potentially preconditioning to lower COGS and scale supply .
Company performance context during/around her tenure:
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Shareholder Return (Value of $100) | $245.41 | $24.54 |
| Net Income ($MM) | $(67.68) | $(115.86) |
Note: Yuan joined June 2024; TSR and net income are company-wide metrics, not attributable to any single executive .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sigilon Therapeutics (Eli Lilly subsidiary) | Chief Technical Operations Officer | Not disclosed | Led CMC for novel Shielded Living Therapeutics platform . |
| 2seventy bio (bluebird bio oncology spinout) | VP, Process & Analytical Development | Not disclosed | Instrumental in obtaining approvals for Abecma and two additional cell therapy medicines; advanced preclinical product through IND . |
| bluebird bio / 2seventy bio | CMC/process and analytical leadership | Not disclosed | Contributed to commercial cell therapy approvals (e.g., Abecma) . |
| Sanofi; Bioverativ; Biogen; Agenus (Antigenics); Millipore | Various leadership roles in External Manufacturing, Technical Development, Manufacturing Sciences, CMC Strategy | Not disclosed | Built scalable GMP systems and supply chains across biologics and cell/gene therapy platforms . |
External Roles
- None disclosed in company filings or press materials as of the latest updates .
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for CTO in Cabaletta’s 2025 or 2024 DEF 14A (NEOs are CEO, President S&T, CMO). No salary/bonus data specific to Sarah Yuan appeared in the proxy’s named executive officer tables .
Performance Compensation
- Not disclosed for CTO. Company-wide practices: executive annual cash incentives are tied to company/individual objectives, and long-term incentives are primarily stock options; compensation committee engages Radford (Aon) as consultant. Specific metrics for CTO awards and weightings were not reported .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership tables in the 2025 proxy list directors/NEOs and >5% holders; Sarah Yuan is not listed, implying no disclosed reportable ownership above thresholds. No Form 4 transactions were identified for her; CTO is not listed among “executive officers” in the 2025 proxy, suggesting she may not be a Section 16 reporting officer (reducing visibility on transactions) .
- Hedging/pledging: company insider trading policy prohibits short sales, derivatives, and pledging without audit committee approval, promoting alignment with shareholders .
Employment Terms
- Not disclosed in proxies or 8-Ks for CTO (contrast: detailed employment/severance terms are disclosed for CEO, President S&T, and CMO only) .
Investment Implications
- Execution leverage: Yuan’s mandate aligns with Cabaletta’s manufacturing “scale-up + simplify” roadmap—automating manufacturing with Cellares, transferring commercial drug product to Lonza, securing LVV with Oxford, advancing “whole blood” collection to eliminate apheresis, and evaluating reduced/no preconditioning. These initiatives can reduce COGS, compress cycle times, and expand capacity—a critical gating factor for rese-cel’s registrational readiness and potential 2027 BLA in myositis .
- Retention and incentives: CTO-specific compensation, vesting schedules, and equity grants were not disclosed, limiting visibility into retention risk or potential insider selling pressure. She is not listed as a Section 16 officer in the 2025 proxy, so routine Form 4 transparency may not apply .
- Governance and alignment: Prohibition on pledging/hedging is positive for alignment; clawback policy adopted per SEC/Nasdaq standards mitigates risk of inappropriate incentive outcomes .
- Capital risk backdrop: As of April–May 2025, the board sought an increase in authorized shares and highlighted “substantial doubt” regarding going concern absent additional capital—an overhang that can influence leadership retention, cash/equity mix, and near-term funding-driven dilution while scaling manufacturing under Yuan’s remit .
Appendix: Role-Relevant Operating Milestones Tied to Yuan’s Scope
- Manufacturing partners and processes:
- LVV supplier: Oxford Biomedica; drug product tech transfer to Lonza; commercial-ready process workstreams ongoing .
- Automation: Expanded partnership with Cellares; technology adoption program completed/expanded to support RESET program .
- Process innovation: Evaluating “whole blood” process to eliminate apheresis; exploring no-preconditioning paths (RESET-PV sub-study) with early biologic activity reported .
- Organizational reporting: CTO reports to the President, Science & Technology (Gwyn Binder) per Q2’24 press disclosures .