Juno Therapeutics

Juno Therapeutics, Inc. is an American biopharmaceutical company founded in 2013 in Seattle, Washington, through a collaboration among the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and pediatrics partner Seattle Children's Research Institute. The company was created to develop engineered T-cell immunotherapies for cancer, launching with an initial $120 million investment described at the time as one of the largest Series A financings in biotech history.

Juno's approach reprograms a patient's T lymphocytes to recognize and attack cancer cells, using two complementary platforms: chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which target cell-surface antigens expressed on tumor cells, and high-affinity T-cell receptors (TCRs), which can detect alterations in intracellular proteins. The stated aim was to advance multiple candidates in hematologic and solid tumor cancers to FDA licensure while reducing the long-term toxicities associated with chemotherapy and radiation. Its lead product, lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel, Breyanzi), an autologous anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy with a defined composition of purified CD8+ and CD4+ CAR T cells, was approved by the U.S. FDA on February 5, 2021 for adults with certain relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphomas.

Juno traded on Nasdaq under the ticker JUNO before Celgene agreed to acquire it for $9 billion in January 2018; Bristol-Myers Squibb completed its acquisition of Celgene in November 2019. Juno continues to appear as the sponsor of clinical trials for CD19- and other-target cell therapies, including studies of liso-cel, BMS-986353 (CD19-targeted NEX-T CAR T cells) in systemic sclerosis and BMS-986515 (allogeneic CD19-targeted CAR T cells) in refractory autoimmune diseases.

Founding story

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, together with pediatric partner Seattle Children's Research Institute, joined forces to launch Juno Therapeutics in December 2013 as a vehicle to commercialize T-cell engineering research conducted at the three institutions. Co-founders included Richard Klausner, former director of the National Cancer Institute; Robert Nelsen of ARCH Venture Partners; Michael Jensen, director of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute; Phil Greenberg, head of Fred Hutch's Program in Immunology; and Larry Corey, president and director of Fred Hutch. Hans Bishop, a former Dendreon executive, was named chief executive officer at launch. Early clinical data cited at founding reported complete remissions in 10 of 12 leukemia patients, with roughly two dozen patients treated overall and a majority showing remission of advanced-stage cancer.

Business model

Juno operated as a clinical-stage biotechnology developer of engineered cell therapies, in-licensing and internally developing product candidates for regulatory approval and commercialization, supplemented by large pharmaceutical collaborations (for example the 10-year Celgene partnership) and by acquisitions of enabling technology companies. It now operates as a subsidiary within Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Traction

At launch, about two dozen patients had received Juno-associated treatments, with the majority reported to show remission of advanced-stage cancer, including complete remission in 10 of 12 patients with a form of leukemia. Liso-cel (Breyanzi) received FDA approval on February 5, 2021. Third-party databases associate 37 clinical trials, 11 drugs and roughly 100 clinical results with the company, and list zolacaptagene autoleucel, originated by Juno, at Phase 3.

Latest developments

Juno remains listed as sponsor or collaborator on active cell-therapy trials: a Phase 1 study of BMS-986515, a healthy-donor allogeneic CD19-targeted CAR T-cell product in severe refractory autoimmune diseases (start date September 4, 2025); the Phase 2 CAROLYN trial of lisocabtagene maraleucel as first-line therapy in transplant-ineligible primary CNS lymphoma (start date November 6, 2025); and a Phase 3 study (Breakfree-SSc) comparing BMS-986353, CD19-targeted NEX-T CAR T cells, with standard of care in active systemic sclerosis (start date April 30, 2026).