Roughly one in 10 people suffer from trypanophobia, or the fear of needles. Conventional metal needles can be painful, but UCD spin-out company MicroJect is set to revolutionise how medicines are delivered through the skin.
The innovation replaces metal sharps with a novel polymer microneedle, reducing patient discomfort.
The company was founded following years of primary research in precision manufacturing and microneedle design by Prof Fengzhou Fang and assistant professor Dr Jufan Zhang of UCD’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, alongside former senior research engineer Dr Lorcan O’Toole. Diarmuid Cahalane, who has a background in commercialisation and business development in life sciences and medical technology, is the company’s commercial manager.
By January, the team’s microneedle technology had reached a point where the minimum viable product (MVP) had been successfully validated in laboratory testing, while Enterprise Ireland backed the venture with a €650,000 commercialisation grant.
“Microneedle devices have been used to deliver liquid into the skin tissue for many years, but the cost of manufacturing them is prohibitively high due to the type of materials being used, such as ceramic and different types of silicon,” says MicroJect chief executive Lorcan O’Toole.
“The second issue is that they require a lot of expertise to administer correctly. Our innovation, which uses a precision polymer microneedle, will massively reduce the cost of production, as well as offering the potential for self-administration.”
Initially, the research team focused on developing the device for therapeutic drug and vaccine delivery. However, towards the end of the process, another opportunity emerged in allergy testing.
The team pivoted to develop the allergy skin prick test as its launch product with applications in biologics and vaccines to follow.
The pivot was prompted by discussions with a specialist UK biotech company providing allergy diagnosis services to the NHS. Its existing device supplier was withdrawing from the market, creating what Microject saw as a significant gap in the sector.
“We spoke with consultant allergists, and it became clear that current allergy testing devices are uncomfortable, particularly for children, highlighting a clear opportunity to improve patient care,” O’Toole says.
A child undergoing allergy testing can require multiple scratch tests to identify the source of an allergic reaction.
“In Ireland, the number of tests conducted ranges between four and 16, while in Mediterranean and some EU countries they conduct 30-40 tests. In the US, they conduct battery testing of up to 60 tests per visit,” O’ Toole says.
“Current testing relies on simple lancets, and depending on how they are used, the amount of allergen being introduced into the skin can vary significantly, leading to unreliable results.
“Our multi-outlet, multi-depth design ensures consistent and accurate delivery into the dermis while reducing patient discomfort, training requirements and reliance on metal sharps,” O’Toole says.
“Testing devices have seen little innovation in years,” he adds.
“MicroJect is bringing precision engineering to a procedure that has used the same basic tool for decades, while remaining fully compatible with how clinicians already work.”
Roughly eight million needles are used every year in Europe and the UK for allergy testing alone, while the global vaccine delivery market is estimated to be worth €9 billion annually.
MicroJect plans to sell its products on a business-to-business basis, targeting diagnostics companies and healthcare providers.
Its initial focus will be the UK and European markets, followed by expansion into the US, Gulf states and China from 2030.
The company expects its first product to reach the market in early 2028.
It will be manufactured using injection moulding technology, which allows production to scale in a cost-effective manner.
MicroJect, which is based at NOVA UCD, has a core team of four and also works with a wider clinical and scientific advisory network. The company has secured follow-on investment from Enterprise Ireland of €100,000 in pre-seed funding and is now looking to raise €600,000, with a €3 million round planned for 2027.
The initial funding raise will be used to finalise product design and progress through the necessary regulatory pathways towards manufacturing readiness, which is expected to take about 18 months.
Manufacturing will be subcontracted to an Irish-based specialist injection moulding company, and an early customer agreement is already in place with a large supplier of allergy testing kits.
“The biggest challenge for a start-up like MicroJect is translating a promising research technology into a manufacturable medical device,” O’Toole says.
“In the lab you can make small numbers of devices carefully. Commercially, you need scalability, repeatability, quality control, sterilisation, packaging, regulatory documentation and cost control, all working seamlessly together. Another challenge is ensuring that the final product fits real clinical workflows. This is why customer discovery with clinicians and healthcare stakeholders is not just key, but central to our commercialisation pathway.”
O’Toole comes from a strong academic background, and one of the biggest challenges for him has been the transition from technical researcher to company cofounder.
“I’ve always loved being hands on, coming up with a hypothesis, testing it, failing and trying again. Solving problems, really. And I’m also fascinated by how medical devices can help improve people’s daily lives,” he says.
“I didn’t have much commercial experience to begin with, but I’ve learned quickly. Specifically, I’ve had to become comfortable with uncertainty around fundraising while learning to communicate the technology clearly to investors, clinicians, partners and the public has also been crucial.
“Initially, the question we asked ourselves as a research group was ‘Can we make it work?’ However, the emphasis has changed, and the question now is, ‘Can we make it work reliably, affordably and at scale?’”
