Juniper Biosciences Builds Clinical and Commercial Leadership Teams with Appointments of Deepak Behera, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, Javed Mahmood, Ph.D., as Senior Director of Clinical Development, and Robert Sgroi as Chief Commercial Officer
BEDMINSTER, N.J., Nov. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Juniper Biosciences ("Juniper" or "the Company"), a radiopharmaceutical drug development company, today announced the establishment of its clinical team with the appointments of Deepak Behera, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Javed Mahmood, D.D.S., Ph.D., as Senior Director of Clinical Development. Together, they will lead clinical development across Juniper's pipeline, including JBS-003 (18F-fluoromisonidazole, or FMISO), which is in a Phase 3 clinical trial and has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation. The Company also announced the build-out of its commercial organization with the appointment of Robert Sgroi as Chief Commercial Officer, as it prepares for potential launches of its two late-stage diagnostic programs, JBS-002 and JBS-004.
"Deepak, Javed and Rob bring decades of experience developing and launching radiopharmaceuticals and oncology therapies, and their arrival marks an important step in Juniper's evolution," said Alex Agnoletto, CEO of Juniper Biosciences. "With dedicated clinical and commercial leadership in place, we are well positioned to advance JBS-003 through Phase 3 and to prepare for the potential launches of JBS-002 and JBS-004 as we work toward becoming a commercial-stage company."
Building the Clinical Team
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Behera will lead Juniper’s clinical strategy, medical affairs, and clinical operations. He brings 25 years of experience in radiopharmaceuticals and molecular imaging, spanning clinical practice, academia, and industry. Dr. Behera spent nearly a decade at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he focused on translation of novel imaging probes and radiopharmaceuticals into early-phase clinical trials. He later joined Piramal Imaging, where he was a field Medical Director as well as in-house expert and physician educator supporting the clinical adoption of the company’s neurodiagnostic PET tracer, and then as Head of Medical Affairs at ImaginAb, where he led clinical development strategy for novel immuno-oncology PET tracers. Most recently, he served as Chief Medical Officer at The Bracken Group, where he led and grew the radiopharmaceutical consulting business. He has also served as a fractional Chief Medical Officer, Vice President, strategic medical director and advisor to a range of life sciences companies, investment firms, and commercial organizations. Dr. Behera holds an MBBS from MKCG Medical College, Berhampur University, India, and an MD (Diplomate of the National Board (DNB)) qualification in nuclear medicine from India’s National Board of Examinations. He has also volunteered in executive committees of several non-profit societies including EPPIC Global, IASNM, MISI among others.
"Radiopharmaceuticals are reshaping how we detect and treat disease, and Juniper has built a pipeline with real potential to make a difference for patients," said Dr. Behera. "I look forward to building a clinical organization that moves our programs forward with rigor and urgency."
Dr. Mahmood joins as Senior Director of Clinical Development, where he will be responsible for the design and execution of Juniper's clinical trials. A cancer scientist and drug development leader, he brings more than 20 years of experience advancing oncology therapies from bench to bedside. Most recently, Dr. Mahmood was Director of Clinical Science and Clinical Development (Oncology) at Moderna, where he served as Clinical Study Lead for the personalized mRNA cancer vaccine intismeran autogene (mRNA-4157) across Phase 1 to 3 trials in melanoma and pancreatic, gastric and lung cancers. Before that, he was Director of Clinical Sciences (Oncology) at Arcus Biosciences and at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he led oncology development programs, including Phase 3 trials that contributed to FDA approval. Earlier in his career, he was an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Mahmood holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Hokkaido University, Japan, and a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Radiation Oncology at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto.
Building the Commercial Team
Juniper is building its commercial organization as two late-stage diagnostic programs approach regulatory submission. JBS-002 is an investigational Ga-68 based cold kit targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) for PET imaging of prostate cancer, and JBS-004 is an investigational fluorine-18 labeled PET imaging agent for the assessment of Alzheimer's disease pathology. Both programs are advancing to registration batch manufacturing in the fourth quarter of 2026. Juniper intends to commercialize both agents, if approved.
As Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Sgroi will build and lead Juniper's commercial organization, including market access, marketing, sales and distribution strategy, and will lead launch planning for JBS-002 and JBS-004. He brings more than 30 years of experience building commercial operations and launching radiopharmaceuticals. He joins Juniper from ITM (Isotope Technologies Munich), where he was Head of Sales and Marketing and Vice President of Commercial Operations as part of the company's U.S. expansion, and oversaw the team preparing for the commercial launch of a therapeutic radiopharmaceutical. Before ITM, he was Head of Marketing and Business Development at Jubilant Radiopharma, where he oversaw product launches and commercial transformations, and Chief Marketing Officer at Piramal Imaging, where he led the launch of an F-18 neuro-imaging agent. Earlier, he spent more than a decade at GE Healthcare, where he led the launch of DaTscan. Mr. Sgroi holds degrees in nuclear medicine and business.
"Successfully bringing a radiopharmaceutical to market requires close coordination across manufacturing, distribution, reimbursement and the imaging and treatment centers that serve patients," said Mr. Sgroi. "I'm excited to build a commercial team at Juniper that is ready to deliver on that from day one."
JBS-002 and JBS-004 are investigational agents and have not been approved by the FDA or any other regulatory authority. Any commercial launch is contingent on FDA approval.
About Juniper Biosciences
Juniper Biosciences is a radiopharmaceutical drug development company whose mission is to improve access to novel therapeutic and diagnostic radiopharmaceutical agents. Founded by a team with deep expertise in radiochemistry and manufacturing, Juniper has three programs in registrational or Phase 3 development: JBS-003 (18F-fluoromisonidazole, or FMISO), a first-in-class hypoxia tracer with FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation, being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT06563479) that uses precision molecular imaging to guide de-escalation of radiation therapy in HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma; JBS-002, a Ga-68 based PSMA PET imaging kit for prostate cancer; and JBS-004, an F-18 PET imaging agent for Alzheimer's disease. For more information, visit www.juniperbiosci.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's clinical development, regulatory and commercial plans, the timing of registration batch manufacturing, and the anticipated contributions of its new leadership. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Juniper undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.