CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — QurAlis Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicines for neurodegenerative and neurological diseases, announced that it has appointed Manoj Malhotra, M.D., as chief medical officer.
“Manoj is a recognized leader in neuroscience drug development, particularly in neurodegenerative diseases and epilepsy, with a proven record across the full spectrum of clinical development from early discovery through late-stage clinical development and regulatory approval,” said Kasper Roet, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of QurAlis. “His extensive experience combined with a deep commitment to patients will be a great addition to QurAlis as we continue to advance our mission of making a real difference in the lives of people living with devastating intractable diseases like ALS for which there remains significant unmet medical need.”
“QurAlis is at the forefront of ushering in a step-change in how we treat neurodegenerative and neurological diseases by pioneering the development of precision medicines based on genetic target breakthroughs,” said Dr. Malhotra. “I am impressed by QurAlis’ ground-breaking science, robust clinical programs and pipeline, and industry-leading FlexASO platform. I am excited to join such a dedicated team to bring new, potentially life-changing treatment options that we believe will make a real difference in patients’ lives.”
Dr. Malhotra brings more than twenty years of leadership experience in neuroscience, rare disease, and pain modulation drug development. Most recently, he served as vice president of global medical affairs at AbbVie, where he led medical strategy for the Neuroscience and Eye Care business group, overseeing programs in migraine, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatry, and ophthalmology.
Previously, he was chief medical officer at Ovid Therapeutics, directing clinical development, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and pharmacovigilance across rare neurological disorders including Angelman syndrome and rare epilepsies such as Dravet syndrome. His earlier roles at Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, and Novartis included building and scaling global medical teams and launching first-in-class neurology and neuroimmunology therapies.
Before entering industry, Dr. Malhotra served as chief of neurology for Kaiser Permanente at The Cleveland Clinic, where he treated patients with ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and other neurodegenerative conditions. He earned his medical degree from Wayne State University and completed his neurology residency and two fellowships at The Cleveland Clinic. He is board certified in neurology, epilepsy, sleep medicine, clinical neurophysiology, vascular neurology, and electrodiagnostic medicine.
