Barry Quart
Chief Executive Officer Connect Biopharmaceuticals
Dr. Barry Quart brings over 30 years of extensive experience serving in leadership positions in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and developing innovative pharmaceutical products. He has personally led several early-stage biotech companies through late-stage clinical development, regulatory strategy, highlighted by nine U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs.
Dr. Quart was most recently CEO at Heron Therapeutics. He first served as CEO and Director starting 2012, transitioned to President and CEO in 2019 and was named Chair of the Board in October 2020. At Heron, Dr. Quart oversaw the development and approval of four drugs: two drugs for CINV (CINVANTI® and SUSTOL®) and two acute care drugs (ZYNRELEF® and APONVIE®). Prior to Heron, Dr. Quart co-founded Ardea Biosciences, Inc. in 2006 and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer and Director from its inception through its acquisition by AstraZeneca PLC in 2012. At Ardea, Dr. Quart invented and oversaw the development of a drug for gout (ZURAMPIC®), as well as the design and development of a series of MEK inhibitors for cancer that were licensed to Bayer AG. Dr. Quart currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals. He is an inventor on 18 U.S. patents and an author on 75 publications and abstracts. Dr. Quart received his Pharm.D. from the University of California, San Francisco.
Seminars
- Examine how IL‑4/IL‑13 pathway blockade via rapidly acting IL‑4Rα biologics can be repositioned for acute intervention, addressing not only inflammation but the IL‑13–driven mechanical constraints that limit bronchodilator responsiveness during active exacerbations
- Understand how rapid suppression of IL‑4/IL-13 signaling permits early recovery of airway function (minutes to hours) by relieving bronchomotor tone and initiating time‑dependent cytoskeletal softening, resulting in clinically meaningful improvements in FEV₁
- Explore a dual‑phase treatment paradigm in which early functional recovery is followed by sustained inflammatory control, bridging immediate symptom relief with downstream disease modification during and after exacerbations
