Juniper Biosciences Appoints Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Director and Chief Commercial Officer

Juniper Biosciences appointed Deepak Behera as chief medical officer, Javed Mahmood as senior director of clinical development and Robert Sgroi as chief commercial officer, the company said in a GlobeNewswire announcement dated November 11, 2026. Behera was most recently chief medical officer at The Bracken Group.

Behera to Lead Juniper's Clinical Strategy

As chief medical officer, Behera will lead clinical strategy, medical affairs and clinical operations at Juniper Biosciences. The company said he brings 25 years of experience in radiopharmaceuticals and molecular imaging across clinical practice, academia and industry. Behera spent nearly a decade at the Stanford University School of Medicine, later served as a field medical director at Piramal Imaging and as head of medical affairs at ImaginAb, and most recently led and grew the radiopharmaceutical consulting business at The Bracken Group as chief medical officer.

"Radiopharmaceuticals are reshaping how we detect and treat disease, and Juniper has built a pipeline with real potential to make a difference for patients," Behera said. "I look forward to building a clinical organization that moves our programs forward with rigor and urgency."

Mahmood joins as senior director of clinical development and will be responsible for the design and execution of the company's clinical trials. He was most recently director of clinical science and clinical development in 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 in oncology at Arcus Biosciences and at Bristol Myers Squibb.

Sgroi to Build Commercial Organization

Sgroi joins as chief commercial officer and will build and lead the commercial organization, including market access, marketing, sales and distribution strategy, and launch planning for JBS-002 and JBS-004. He was most recently head of sales and marketing and vice president of commercial operations at ITM (Isotope Technologies Munich), and before that was head of marketing and business development at Jubilant Radiopharma and chief marketing officer at Piramal Imaging. Juniper said both diagnostic programs are advancing to registration batch manufacturing in the fourth quarter of 2026, and that it intends to commercialize both agents if approved.

"Successfully bringing a radiopharmaceutical to market requires close coordination across manufacturing, distribution, reimbursement and the imaging and treatment centers that serve patients," Sgroi said.

Juniper's Earlier Leadership Moves

Juniper launched a Scientific Advisory Board and appointed Jason S. Lewis as its inaugural chair to guide JBS-003 through Phase 3, citybiz reported in May 2026. According to akta.pro company records, Lewis holds the Emily Tow Chair in Oncology at MSK and serves as deputy director of the Sloan Kettering Institute. The same records show Juniper entered a strategic licensing agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in April 2026 covering clinical data, research expertise and regulatory pathway support for JBS-003.

The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to JBS-003, a hypoxia tracer for HPV-positive head and neck cancer, FinancialContent Business Page reported in September 2026. Juniper said JBS-003 is being evaluated in a Phase 3 trial that uses precision molecular imaging to guide de-escalation of radiation therapy in HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma.

JBS-002 and JBS-004 Manufacturing Timeline

Juniper said JBS-002, an investigational Ga-68 based cold kit targeting PSMA for PET imaging of prostate cancer, and JBS-004, an investigational fluorine-18 labeled PET imaging agent for Alzheimer's disease pathology, are advancing to registration batch manufacturing in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company said both are investigational and have not been approved by the FDA or any other regulatory authority, and that any commercial launch is contingent on FDA approval.