Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder

Thurein Htoo is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Qlaris Bio, where he brings a visionary approach to developing innovative therapeutic solutions for patients. His leadership is defined by a deep expertise in identifying untapped opportunities and crafting novel approaches to address complex medical challenges.

Before co-founding Qlaris Bio with Barbara Wirostko, MD, FARVO, Mr. Htoo served as Chief Business Officer at Qrativ, a joint venture between Mayo Clinic and nference, an AI-driven healthcare company. At Qrativ, he played a pivotal role in advancing data-driven strategies to identify new opportunities in drug discovery and development, including what was to become Qlaris Bio.

Previously, Mr. Htoo was Vice President, Head of Business Development and Corporate Strategy at Novelion Therapeutics. There, he was instrumental in negotiating and executing the merger of QLT Inc. and Aegerion Pharmaceuticals—two public companies—creating Novelion. Earlier in his career, Mr. Htoo spent nearly a decade at Pfizer, where he held leadership roles in Business Development and Disease Area Strategy, with a primary focus on Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases. Prior to Pfizer, while at NPS Pharmaceuticals, he helped execute a co-promotion deal with Allergan for Restasis, a groundbreaking treatment for dry eye.

Mr. Htoo holds an MBA from the University of Rochester and earned both an MS in Physiology and a BAS in Neurobiology and Psychology from the University of California, Davis.