A-RNA26 · 26–28 October · voco Brisbane City Centre
Workshops & Sponsored Sessions
Extend your conference experience with hands-on industry workshops, lunchtime sessions and a round table for early- and mid-career researchers.
Pre-registration is required. New delegates can select workshops when registering. Already registered? Log in to your registration dashboard to add them.
Monday 26 October
Early & mid-career researchers
EMCR Round Table Lunch Session
An informal lunchtime round table for early- and mid-career researchers.
- Time
- 12:45pm – 1:45pm
- Location
- Daintree Room
- Audience
- EMCRs
Sponsored by 
Sponsored workshop
BioNTech Workshop
Building a Target Product Profile (TPP) for Your mRNA Medicine
- Time
- 1:00pm – 2:30pm
- Location
- Ansett Room
- Audience
- All delegates
Presenters
- Dr Sarah Herridge Director, Research & Scientific Affairs, BioNTech Australia
- Dr John Power Senior Director, Ecosystem Development & R&D Production, BioNTech Australia
- Dr Benjamin Ward Muir Associate Director, Ecosystem Development, BioNTech Australia
Sponsored by 
Tuesday 27 October
Sponsored lunch workshop
Sartorius Lunch Workshop
Unlocking mRNA’s Full Potential: From LNP Encapsulation to Purification and Formulation
- Time
- 12:15pm – 1:00pm
- Location
- Daintree Room
- Audience
- All delegates
Robust encapsulation of mRNA in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) is a critical area of development and differentiation in the rapidly evolving field of RNA–LNP therapeutics. A central challenge is translating promising benchtop results into scalable, reproducible manufacturing processes that meet GMP requirements. Sartorius offers a broad portfolio of scale-appropriate solutions to support this transition across the mRNA–LNP workflow.
More about this workshop and the presenters
About the workshop
In this workshop, we will present approaches for mRNA encapsulation, downstream purification, and final formulation of mRNA–LNP products. We will discuss how integrated solutions can help streamline process development, facilitate scale-up, and support consistent product quality from early research through GMP manufacturing.
The session will also introduce emerging approaches for mRNA–LNP analytics, supporting process understanding and informed decision-making throughout development. Join us to explore how Sartorius can help accelerate the path from benchtop innovation to robust, scalable mRNA–LNP production.
About Dr Blaz Bakalar
Blaz completed his BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He obtained his PhD at NTU Singapore, with a focus on nucleic acid biophysics. After successful graduation, he joined Entrepreneur First, a Singapore-based start-up incubator. In 2020 he joined Sartorius as the PATfix product manager and in 2025 he assumed the role of Business Development Manager for APAC, helping customers purify & bring advanced therapies to market.
About Dr Richard Zhu
Richard Zhu is a Business Development Manager at Sartorius Advanced Therapy Solutions, focusing on services and bioprocessing solutions for advanced therapies. He holds a PhD degree in Biochemistry from HKUST and previously worked at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Polyplus, where he developed expertise in life-science technologies, commercial strategy, and business development.
Sponsored by 
Sponsored workshop
BioNTech Workshop
From Sequence to Market: IP Strategy for mRNA Innovation
- Time
- 12:15pm – 1:45pm
- Location
- Ansett Room
- Audience
- All delegates
Presenters
- Dr Doug Horton Principal, Spruson & Ferguson
- Dr Jay Rasmussen Associate, Spruson & Ferguson
- Dr Abrey Yeo Associate, Spruson & Ferguson
Sponsored by