Juno Diagnostics

About Juno Diagnostics

Juno Diagnostics, founded in 2017, was a biotechnology company that specialized in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). The founding team, including CEO Dirk van den Boom, Chief Scientific Officer Mathias Ehrich, and COO Jim Chauvapun, brought extensive experience from Sequenom, where they were instrumental in launching the first NIPT product in the United States. Their background in molecular biology and NIPT at Sequenom, which was later acquired by LabCorp, heavily influenced Juno's mission. The company secured $25 million in a Series A financing round in May 2021 to fund clinical studies, product development, and commercial launch.

The company's business model focused on providing more accessible and affordable prenatal genetic screening directly to consumers and through healthcare providers. Juno aimed to eliminate the need for traditional phlebotomy by developing at-home sample collection methods. Its product line was centered on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) technology to screen for genetic conditions from a small blood sample. The primary clients were expectant parents and their healthcare providers, offering a direct-to-consumer and B2B approach. The company's main offerings were the Juno Hazel™ and Juno Birch™ tests. The Juno Birch™ Fetal Gender Test could determine the baby's sex as early as seven weeks into pregnancy using a finger-prick sample. The Juno Hazel™ test, available from nine weeks, screened for common chromosomal abnormalities like trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18, and trisomy 13. A more comprehensive version, Juno Hazel™ Plus, also screened for sex chromosome aneuploidies. A key feature of their service was a proprietary sample collection kit that allowed for at-home, finger-prick blood collection, making the process more convenient and less invasive than traditional venous blood draws.

Despite its efforts and product launches, Juno Diagnostics ceased commercial operations in July 2023, citing "unforeseen circumstances". Before closing, the company had established an Early Access Program for providers to use its suite of products and was actively expanding its commercial team. The company expressed its hope that the advancements it introduced would continue to influence future innovations in prenatal care.