ArrayPatch, a biotech spun out of University College Cork, has closed an oversubscribed €3.2 million seed round to take its dissolving microneedle patches towards first human studies. The second close, announced on 5 November 2026, added €1.6 million and confirms a GLP-1 patch for obesity and diabetes as the main focus.
The patch is still in pre-clinical development, so nothing has yet been tested in people. What has changed is the company's direction. In February, ArrayPatch described a nail fungus patch as its lead product. It now puts GLP-1 medicines, the drug class behind the current wave of obesity treatments, first.
- The money: €1.6 million in the second close, taking the seed round to €3.2 million, above the €3 million target set in February.
- New investors: WakeUp Capital, funds raised through Spark Venture Funding, and Dr Mark Ledwidge. Lakeside Capital and DeepIE Ventures invested again.
- The board: Dr Waleed Faisal, Founder, and Sean Corkery of Lakeside Capital sit on the board. Andrew Parish of WakeUp Capital joins, alongside the recently appointed Chair, Dr Neil Thomas.
- The priority: GLP-DerMap for obesity and diabetes, followed by VIS-DerMap for basal cell carcinoma and ITZ-DerMap for nail fungus.
- The stage: GLP-DerMap is pre-clinical. The company has not published a date for a first human study.
Who backed the ArrayPatch seed round?
The round came in two parts, nine months apart. The first was led by Lakeside Capital, whose partner Sean Corkery joined the board at that point. The second brought in WakeUp Capital, an impact investor, which says it co-led this round.
| Stage | Details |
|---|---|
| First close, February 2026 | €1.56 million against a €3 million target. Lakeside Capital led, with Enterprise Ireland, The Boole Investment Syndicate and DeepIE Ventures. UCC's report also names EAF. A further €0.26 million in convertible loan notes, plus interest, converted into equity. |
| Second close, November 2026 | €1.6 million from WakeUp Capital, funds raised through Spark Venture Funding, Dr Mark Ledwidge, Lakeside Capital and DeepIE Ventures. |
| Round total | €3.2 million, described by the company as oversubscribed. Private investors also took part. |
| Not disclosed | The company's valuation and the amount each investor put in. |
"The successful completion of our €3.2 million seed round is an important milestone for ArrayPatch and provides the resources to accelerate the development of our pipeline," said Dr Waleed Faisal, Founder and CEO.
WakeUp Capital is based in Dublin. When the Irish Innovation Seed Fund made its first commitment in June 2023, of up to €35 million, WakeUp was the recipient, with a target fund size of up to €50 million. Its pitch at that time centred on cleantech and sustainability, which helps explain the environmental note in its statement on ArrayPatch.
"We are delighted to co-lead this round as ArrayPatch is advancing a novel technology designed to address numerous patient and environmental challenges associated with medicines administered by traditional injections, setting the company on track to make a significant global human and environmental impact," said Andrew Parish, Partner at WakeUp Capital. The release does not put figures on those environmental claims.
How does the DerMap patch work?
DerMap is a small patch covered in microscopic needles. They pierce the outer layer of the skin, dissolve and release the medicine. Most dissolving microneedles hold the drug in a polymer. ArrayPatch's approach is to make the needles from the medicine itself.
UCC explains that the needles are made mostly of meltable drugs, which take the needle shape when melted and cooled in moulds. The method comes from research by Dr Faisal and Professor Abina Crean at the UCC School of Pharmacy. Both are named as inventors on the international patent application WO2020250210A1, "Microneedles, and methods for the manufacture thereof".
ArrayPatch makes two claims for this design: that no polymer means much more drug can be carried, and that DerMap is the only microneedle patch made entirely from the medicine it delivers. It also describes the patch as pain-free. These are the company's own statements. We have not seen published human data or an independent comparison that tests them. Dr Faisal has also shared a short video on YouTube.
Why has ArrayPatch moved its focus to GLP-1?
In February, Dr Faisal said the company was "well-positioned to advance ITZ-DerMap into clinical development". Nine months later, the priority is different.
"Our primary focus is now GLP-DerMap, where we believe our technology has the potential to offer a new, patient-friendly approach to the delivery of GLP-1 medicines," he said. "We are also continuing to advance our programmes in skin cancer and nail fungal infection."
ArrayPatch told Priya Life Science that the change follows "the acquisition of new IP enabling the production of glass microneedles from pure peptides", which it called "a major step forward in our mission to transform drug delivery". The company said the advance "expands our platform into peptide therapeutics, opening opportunities in high-impact areas such as metabolic disorders and diabetes". It did not say where the intellectual property came from or on what terms.
The commercial attraction of GLP-1 medicines is obvious, but the science is a bigger step. The nail fungus patch delivers a drug to a local site. A GLP-1 patch would have to carry a peptide through the skin and into the bloodstream at a dose that works.
| Programme | Target and stage |
|---|---|
| GLP-DerMap | Obesity and diabetes. Lead programme, in pre-clinical development. |
| VIS-DerMap | Basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. In July 2026, ArrayPatch and Rinn Pharma & Biopharma announced work on a skin cancer candidate called DerMap-V, moving through pre-clinical studies towards planned Phase 1/3 trials. |
| ITZ-DerMap | Onychomycosis (nail fungus). Described as the lead programme in February 2026. No trial date given. |
What will a GLP-1 patch be up against?
ArrayPatch is entering a fast-moving field. The approved GLP-1 obesity medicines began as injections, and the first alternatives have already reached the US market. The FDA approved Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill in December 2025 and Eli Lilly's orforglipron, sold as Foundayo, on 1 April 2026. Both are taken daily.
Other patch developers are also ahead on the clinical path. Terrestrial Bio, a US company, is recruiting for a Phase 1 trial of VX-201, a semaglutide microarray patch, against the standard injection. The registry lists a start date of 15 June 2026 and an estimated 62 participants.
ArrayPatch's case rests on what makes its design different: a higher drug load, no polymer and no injection. The first human studies will need to show whether those features give a useful dose, and how well the skin tolerates the patch.
A Cork spin-out with Irish support
ArrayPatch left UCC in 2024. According to UCC, development of the technology received more than €1 million in Enterprise Ireland funding, and Enterprise Ireland is also an investor in this round. The company's other support and recognition include:
- Overall winner of the InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition in 2025, with a €130,000 award.
- Winner of the IDEATE Ireland competition in 2023.
- Innovation of the Year at the Irish Pharma Industry Awards in 2022.
- The July 2026 skin cancer collaboration with Rinn Pharma & Biopharma, co-led by Dr Faisal and Professor Crean.
Seed rounds of this size pay for early development and do not fund a late-stage programme. Further financing or a pharmaceutical partner would likely be needed for later trials, although the company has not announced plans for either.
Frequently asked questions
How much has ArrayPatch raised?
The seed round totals €3.2 million: about €1.6 million at the first close in February 2026 and €1.6 million at the second close in November 2026.
Has the GLP-1 patch been tested in people?
No. The company says GLP-DerMap is in pre-clinical development. The new funding is intended to move its programmes towards first-in-human studies.
Can patients get the patch now?
No. It is an experimental product and has not been authorised. People using a GLP-1 medicine should follow the advice of their doctor or pharmacist.
What is different about DerMap?
The company says its needles are made entirely from the medicine and contain no polymer, which allows a higher drug load. This has not yet been shown in published human studies.
Who runs ArrayPatch?
Dr Waleed Faisal is Founder and CEO, and Dr Neil Thomas is Chair. Sean Corkery of Lakeside Capital is a board member, Darren Cunningham is CFO, Erik Doevendans is CDO and Ryan Bamsey is COO. Andrew Parish of WakeUp Capital is joining the board.
Outlook
For an Irish university spin-out, an oversubscribed seed round and a new impact investor on the board are a solid vote of confidence. The harder test comes next. The dates to watch for are a first-in-human study of GLP-DerMap, the first published human data from any DerMap product, and any news on the timing of the nail fungus programme, which has now moved down the queue.
Sources
- ArrayPatch: Completes Oversubscribed €3.2 Million Seed Financing (press release via GlobeNewswire, 5 November 2026)
- SSPC: ArrayPatch Announces First Close of €3M Seed Round (February 2026)
- University College Cork: UCC spin-out ArrayPatch raises €1.6M in seed round (February 2026)
- University College Cork: ArrayPatch success story
- Research Ireland: Rinn Pharma & Biopharma and ArrayPatch (29 July 2026)
- Google Patents: WO2020250210A1, Microneedles, and methods for the manufacture thereof
- ArrayPatch: company website
- Silicon Republic: WakeUp Capital and the Irish Innovation Seed Fund (June 2023)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: VX-201 semaglutide microarray patch, NCT07673900
- Associated Press via KSAT: FDA grants speedy approval to Eli Lilly's weight-loss pill (April 2026)
- ArrayPatch: comments to Priya Life Science from Dr Waleed Faisal (5 November 2026)
- YouTube: short video shared by Dr Waleed Faisal
- Cover image, from left: Dr Ziad Sartawi (Senior Scientist), Dr Caroline Blackshields (QA Scientist) and Dr Waleed Faisal (CEO and Founder). Photo: ArrayPatch. Group photo: ArrayPatch. Both supplied by the company.
