Training Triangle Inventors in Building Life Science Startups

Academic researchers from Duke, UNC and NC State learn to navigate FDA regulated innovation

A dozen people sit around tables in a large conference room looking toward the front. A graphic above them has the words “TRIANGLE UNIVERSITIES START-UP WORKSHOP”.

This is a summary of a story that originally appeared on the Office for Translation & Commercialization.

Biomedical researchers from across the Triangle gathered in April for the Life Sciences 2026 Triangle Universities Startup Workshop, a three‑day program designed to help academic innovators move discoveries from the lab toward real‑world medical products.

Organized collaboratively by Duke New Ventures in Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization, UNC‑Chapel Hill’s KickStart Venture Services and NC State’s Office of Research Commercialization, the workshop brought together scientists, physicians and graduate researchers developing therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics.

One participant was Darin Dufault, a gastroenterologist with the Duke University School of Medicine. Dufault is developing an airway management device for high-risk patients under sedation.

“I gained a stronger understanding of how to connect to and communicate with venture capital, and to not take it personally if they aren’t interested,” said Dufault about the workshop. “It doesn’t mean your idea is a bad one. You may just not be at the stage they are looking for, or the type of company they are looking for, or maybe they don’t have the capital you need available.”

Jeff Welch, director of Duke New Ventures, reinforced the importance of that understanding, explaining that turning a scientific discovery into a commercialized product is a long and complex process.

“Our goal with the workshop is to help researchers start thinking early about the key pieces – commercial value, regulatory strategy, intellectual property, clinical development, and financing – so they can make smarter decisions as they move their innovations toward patients,” Welch said.

Through presentations, panels and hands‑on exercises, participants explored the practical steps required to launch life‑science startups in FDA‑regulated markets. Topics included identifying market needs, developing target product profiles, navigating regulatory pathways, planning clinical development, manufacturing considerations and fundraising strategies.

The event, now in its third year, drew 37 participants, including 18 from Duke, working on technologies aimed at addressing unmet medical needs, from pancreatic cancer to dystonia.

To read more about the Life Sciences 2026 Triangle Universities Startup Workshop, visit the Office for Translation & Commercialization.