{"id":2056,"date":"2026-03-10T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T17:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/pdnano\/?p=2056"},"modified":"2026-05-08T01:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:57:00","slug":"a-busy-week-in-raleigh-techconnect-world-2026-two-chaired-sessions-two-oral-talks-and-a-bactiblank-finalist-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/pdnano\/?p=2056","title":{"rendered":"A Busy Week in Raleigh: TechConnect World 2026 \u2014 Two Chaired Sessions, Two Oral Talks, and a BactiBlank Finalist Pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I had the privilege of representing the PD[N]ano Lab<\/strong> and the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health<\/strong> at the 29th Annual TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo<\/strong>, held March 10\u201312, 2026<\/strong> at the Raleigh Convention Center and the Raleigh Marriott City Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was a packed three days \u2014 between chairing sessions, presenting our team’s work, and pitching one of our translational technologies, this was easily one of the most engagement-heavy conferences on my calendar this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quick recap of everything our lab contributed to the program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sessions Chaired<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was honored to be invited to chair two technical sessions<\/strong> spanning the full conference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing<\/strong> \u2014 Tuesday, March 10, 10:30 AM (Marriott University C)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Precision Health and Diagnostics<\/strong> \u2014 Thursday, March 12, 9:00 AM<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Both sessions drew strong lineups, and it was a real pleasure to facilitate the discussions and Q&A. Chairing these sessions also gave me a chance to see a diverse cross-section of where the field is heading \u2014 from upstream bioprocessing innovations to next-generation diagnostic platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oral Presentations from the Lab<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Our team had two oral presentations<\/strong> accepted into the technical program, both from our antimicrobial nanoparticle program developed in collaboration with the W.M. Keck Center for Transgene Research<\/strong> (Castellino, Ploplis, and Donahue):<\/p>\n\n\n\n