Cork biotech ArrayPatch secures €3.2m seed funding for GLP‑1 patches

Irish biotech start‑up ArrayPatch has raised a total of €3.2 million in seed funding to advance its dissolving microneedle patches for obesity and diabetes.

The latest €1.6 million injection comes from climate‑focused venture capital firm WakeUp Capital, with additional contributions from venture crowdfunding platform Spark Venture Funding, existing investors Lakeside Capital and DeepIE Ventures, and UCD medicine professor Dr Mark Ledwidge. Enterprise Ireland and The Boole Investment Syndicate also participated.

Founded by Dr Waleed Faisal, a formulation scientist with a PhD from University College Cork, ArrayPatch spun out of UCC in 2024. The company’s proprietary “DerMap” technology creates microneedle patches made entirely of medicine, eliminating the need for polymer and allowing a higher drug load.

Seed capital will be used to move the lead GLP‑DerMap product, currently in pre‑clinical development, into first‑in‑human trials. ArrayPatch is also pursuing programmes for skin cancer and nail‑fungus treatments, collaborating with Research Ireland’s Rinn Pharma & Biopharma centre.

WakeUp Capital partner Andrew Parish, who joins the company’s board, said the technology could have a significant global impact by reducing environmental and safety issues associated with used injections.

Source: Silicon Republic. Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels.