School of Pharmacy Researchers and ArrayPatch Win UCC Research and Innovation Awards
Researchers and innovators from the School of Pharmacy, University College Cork were recognised for their outstanding contributions to research and innovation at the 2025 University College Cork (UCC) Research and Innovation Awards, held at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery on Wednesday, 27 May.
Spin-out Company of the Year
The award for Spin-out Company of the Year was presented to ArrayPatch, a UCC spin-out founded by Dr Waleed Faisal of the School of Pharmacy.
Founded by Dr. Waleed Faisal from the School of Pharmacy, ArrayPatch’s DerMap™ microneedle platform addresses a substantial unmet clinical need while enabling safer, more effective, and more patient‑friendly drug delivery. ArrayPatch’s painless, self‑applicable patches have the potential to reduce hospital burden, improve adherence, broaden access to treatment, and generate better long‑term outcomes, particularly in underserved populations where conventional treatments are impractical.
Invention of the Year award
Dr Rasha Alshaik, Dr Katie Ryan, and Prof Christian Waeber were recognised in the “Invention of the Year” category for their innovative research with strong translational potential.
This award recognises researchers whose innovative work has generated intellectual property with strong potential for real-world translation into impactful products or services, while also demonstrating societal benefit, technological innovation, and commercial promise.
Working at the intersection of pharmacology and pharmaceutics, the research team developed a novel implant-based drug delivery platform with unique physicochemical characteristics that enables the controlled release of therapeutics. By incorporating two distinct drugs within a single implant, the technology is designed to simultaneously target multiple disease-driving pathways, with the aim of improving therapeutic efficacy while reducing the risk of treatment resistance.
This innovative approach could significantly advance the treatment of refractory Diabetic Macular Oedema and Age-related Macular Degeneration, two leading causes of visual impairment affecting more than 250 million people globally.
The School of Pharmacy warmly congratulates all colleagues recognised at the 2025 UCC Research and Innovation Awards for this well-deserved recognition of their research, innovation, and impact.
Read more about the UCC Research and Innovation Awards here.