Noona

Noona operates as a specialized patient engagement platform focused on oncology, designed to capture and analyze patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in real time. The company was founded in Helsinki, Finland, in 2014 by Jani Ahonala, Heiskanen Pasi, and Thomas Holm. The inspiration behind the company, whose name means 'older sister' in Korean, was to provide patients with a constant supportive presence throughout their cancer treatment journey. Co-founder Jani Ahonala noted that the team aimed to create a user-centric experience for cancer patients, who spend most of their time outside the clinic. Before its acquisition, the company, then known as Noona Healthcare, raised $1.59 million in a seed round in November 2016.

In October 2018, Noona was acquired by Varian Medical Systems, a US-based medical hardware and software company. This strategic acquisition allowed Varian to integrate Noona’s mobile technology into its own portfolio, specifically with its 360 Oncology SaaS platform, to create a more comprehensive solution for cancer care. The business model operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription basis, serving cancer clinics, hospitals, and life science companies. By providing this tool to oncology teams, Noona helps to proactively manage patient symptoms, which can lead to better clinical outcomes, reduced hospitalizations, and fewer emergency room visits.

The core of Noona's service is a cloud-based mobile application that facilitates direct communication between patients and their care teams. Key features include oncology-specific questionnaires for remote symptom management, a personal diary for tracking well-being, secure messaging with clinicians, and access to educational materials. The platform uses algorithms and analytics to identify acute symptoms, alerting clinical staff and providing automated self-care instructions for less severe issues. This system empowers patients by allowing them to report symptoms as they occur, which in turn enables clinicians to detect early signs of complications or disease progression. The service is designed for high adoption rates with an intuitive interface and is available in multiple languages.

Keywords: patient-reported outcomes, PROs, oncology software, cancer care, patient engagement, digital health, symptom tracking, remote patient monitoring, Varian Medical Systems, clinical communication, SaaS, healthtech, Jani Ahonala, mobile health, ePRO, oncology information system, patient monitoring, cancer treatment support, clinical efficiency, real-world evidence