Leviticus Cardio said it landed a $1.5 million funding round for the wireless heart pump technology it’s readying for a 1st-in-human trial.
Petah Tikva, Israel-based Leviticus said its technology eliminates the need for the transcutaneous drivelines used to power left ventricular assist devices, instead using its coplanar energy transfer system to power the pumps, eliminating the source of infections that bedevil nearly half of all LVAD patients.
The CET tech is expected to work with "all commercially available LVADs," including Thoratec‘s (NSDQ:THOR) HeartMate II and HeartWare International‘s (NSDQ:HTWR) HVAD device, according to Dr. Stephan Schueler of England’s Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust and an advisory board member for Leviticus Cardio.
Leviticus, founded in 2008, said it expects to launch the new trial this year. The company said it’s raised $4.5 million so far, including the latest round, a prior $2 million round and a $1 million grant.
Co-founder and co-inventor Dr. Yigal Kassif is slated to present the trial outline this month at the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation conference April 16 in Nice, France, according to a press release.
"The 1st-in-man trial is intended to further underscore the safety, feasibility and clinical applicability of the coplanar energy transfer system as well as to further substantiate the significant efficacy of the therapy that has already been demonstrated in various preclinical and clinical studies," Kassif said in prepared remarks.
"LVAD devices today save the lives of many patients with heart failure and this patient population is set to continue to grow globally in the coming years. The ability to transfer energy via a wireless system to a person’s body, efficiently using our proprietary CET technology is a game-changer in the LVAD market. It will enable a real improvement to the quality of life for destination therapy patients and patients awaiting a heart transplant on an LVAD system," added co-founder & CEO Michael Zilbershlag.