Chairman

Client Team Lead: Matt Toner
BOD | 20221130

Client: Quris

Quris, an artificial intelligence (AI) innovator disrupting the pharmaceutical arena, today announced the appointment of Henry A. McKinnell, Jr., Ph.D., former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer Inc. and former Chairman of Moody’s, as Chairman of the company’s newly formed Advisory Board.

Dr. McKinnell brings an exceptional track record in pharmaceutical innovation and financial and

business leadership to Quris. In his new role, he will help drive Quris’s mission to close the clinical prediction gap – developing safer drugs faster and driving a resurgence in drug advancements for rare diseases by dramatically reducing the cost and risks of drug innovation.

Dr. McKinnell noted, “The costly failure rate of drug candidates in clinical trials has driven diminishing returns, caused prices to soar for consumers and crippled drug innovation for decades. The Quris platform better simulates the human body’s reaction to drugs using AI-powered, miniaturized patients-on-a-chip rather than animal testing models. I see potential for Quris to not only help close the clinical prediction gap and dramatically reduce the cost and risks of drug innovation, but also to develop safer drugs, faster, and to drive a resurgence in drug advancements for rare diseases.”

Members of the Advisory Board will focus on providing guidance on business, strategy, regulatory matters, and licensing efforts to the Quris management team and board of directors. Global business leaders from multiple industries now join McKinnell on the Quris Advisory Board, including Moshe Yanai, a disruptive data-storage technology leader, Luba Greenwood, J.D., managing partner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Venture Fund, Binney Street Capital and a professor at Harvard University, Matthew Bronfman, Chairman and CEO of BHB Holdings, Dr. Moshe Tzvi Neuman, a regulatory affairs expert and founder of Bio-Medical Research Design Ltd., and Rami Ungar, founder of Ungar Holdings Ltd. and Ray Shipping Ltd.

In addition to serving as Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc., Dr. McKinnell also previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Moody’s Corporation and Chairman of the Board of the Accordia Global Health Foundation. Before retiring, he dedicated decades to Pfizer in a variety of senior positions including President of Pfizer Asia, President of Pfizer’s medical devices group, President of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group, and Chief Financial Officer. Earning numerous awards throughout his career, Dr McKinnell has also in chairman and vice chairman roles for the World Economic Forum, Health Industry Manufacturers Association (now known as AdvaMed), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Food and Drug Law Institute, Business Roundtable, Stanford University Graduate School of Business Advisory Council, and the Connecticut Science Center. His previous directorships include ExxonMobil Corporation, John Wiley & Sons, Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc., and Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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