The standard playbook for treating advanced heart failure has long involved either a mechanical pump or a heart transplant. A small Israeli startup, Levron Medical, is quietly testing a third path. Its device, branded Soulmate, does not directly move blood. Instead, it aims to treat the disease by harnessing the body’s own breathing to assist a struggling heart, a concept the company calls Cardio-Respiratory Physiological Assist (CRPA) [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. The company has now completed its initial first-in-human testing, moving from a research lab in Yokneam toward a planned clinical validation study at one of Israel’s leading hospitals [Drug & Device World, Nov 2025].
A new category of physiological assist
Levron’s bet is that the key to supporting a failing heart lies in the natural coupling between the heart and lungs. During inhalation, the drop in chest pressure helps draw blood into the heart. The Soulmate device is designed to synchronize with this natural ‘respiratory pump,’ providing timed assistance to improve cardiac filling and output without the need for a mechanical blood pump [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. This approach is intended to work for patients with both reduced and preserved ejection fraction, covering a broader swath of the heart failure population than some existing devices. Early first-in-human cases, while preliminary, reportedly showed improvements in respiratory function and key hemodynamic markers [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF].
The academic engine and seed capital
The technology is not a sudden invention but the culmination of decades of academic work. It is based on the lifelong research of Prof. Amir Landesberg from the Biomedical Engineering department at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. This deep scientific foundation gave the spinout immediate credibility with specialized investors. In late 2025, Levron secured a $2.2 million seed round to exit stealth mode and advance its clinical work. The round was led by Shoni Health Ventures, with participation from veteran medtech entrepreneur Dr. Shimon Eckhouse, Alon MedTech Ventures, and the Technion itself [Drug & Device World, Nov 2025]. The company had already signaled its potential by winning the John De-Haan Med-Tech $200,000 Innovation Award in December 2024 [PRWeb/PRNewswire-PRWeb, Dec 2024].
The founding team and initial backers represent a blend of deep technical expertise and seasoned commercial experience.
| Role / Investor | Affiliation / Note |
|---|---|
| Scientific Founder | Prof. Amir Landesberg, Technion Biomedical Engineering |
| Co-founder / Investor | Dr. Shimon Eckhouse, founder of Lumenis and Syneron |
| Co-founder | Amit Livneh |
| Seed Lead | Shoni Health Ventures |
| Corporate Backer | Alon MedTech Ventures |
| Academic Partner | Technion - Israel Institute of Technology |
The long road of clinical validation
For all its elegant physiology, Levron’s success hinges on proving safety and efficacy in regulated clinical trials. The company is planning a clinical validation study in collaboration with ARC, the innovation arm of Sheba Medical Center, a leading Israeli hospital [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. This is the necessary next step to generate the data required for regulatory submissions to bodies like the FDA and EMA. The competitive landscape also presents a significant challenge. Levron is entering a field dominated by established players with multi-billion dollar market caps and decades of clinical data.
- Established device giants. Companies like Abbott (with its CardioMEMS pulmonary artery pressure monitor) and Boston Scientific have deep commercial footprints and continuous R&D pipelines in heart failure.
- Specialized neuromodulation. Impulse Dynamics markets the CCM therapy, an implantable device that modulates heart muscle contractility with electrical signals, representing another non-mechanical approach.
- The LVAD standard. For the most severe patients, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) from companies like Abbott and Medtronic remain the gold standard for mechanical support, backed by extensive survival data.
Levron’s wedge is its unique physiological mechanism, but it must demonstrate not just that its device works, but that it offers a meaningful improvement over or a safer alternative to these entrenched options. The coming clinical study at Sheba will be the first major test of that proposition.
The patient population waiting
The ultimate measure for Levron will be its impact on patients living with heart failure, a chronic and debilitating condition that affects millions globally. The standard of care today is a escalating ladder of interventions: from medication regimens and implanted defibrillators, to monitoring devices like CardioMEMS, and ultimately to mechanical pumps or transplants. Each step carries significant burden, risk, and cost. Levron’s Soulmate device is aimed at patients somewhere on that ladder, potentially offering a less invasive form of support that addresses both cardiac and respiratory components of the syndrome. If the clinical validation is successful, it could represent a new option for a population that desperately needs more tools to manage a progressive disease. The next twelve months, as data from Sheba begins to emerge, will determine if this academic concept can become a clinical reality.
Sources
- [Drug & Device World, Nov 2025] Levron Medical exits stealth with $2.2M seed for heart failure device | https://www.druganddeviceworld.com/article/levron-medical-exits-stealth
- [PRWeb/PRNewswire-PRWeb, Dec 2024] Levron Medical Wins First Place at Prestigious ICI Cardiology Conference Startup Competition | https://www.prweb.com/releases/levron-medical-wins-first-place-at-prestigious-ici-cardiology-conference-startup-competition-302334637.html
- [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF] Company overview, technology description, and team background
- [LinkedIn, 2026] Professional profiles for Shimon Eckhouse and Eran Lerer
- [jondehaanfoundation.org, 2024] 2024 Winners| Jon DeHaan Foundation | https://www.jondehaanfoundation.org/2024