Although hormones play a critical role in our health as they regulate all bodily functions, for decades, clinicians have relied solely on laboratory blood tests, which only capture a single moment in time and require specialised equipment and expertise.

Level Zero Health is changing this paradigm with its technology that enables remote and continuous hormone monitoring, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for understanding our body's complex chemistry. 

Instead of invasive blood draws, Level Zero Health’s DNA-based sensors detect hormone levels in interstitial fluid - the fluid surrounding cells and tissues. In just under a year,  the company has demonstrated remarkable progress, validating its DNA-based sensors in simulated samples across 98% of the human clinical range, far outpacing industry standards.

Founded just over a year ago by Ula Rustamova, ex-Palantir Enterprise Tech Lead and wearable startup founder, alongside Irene Jia, who developed medical devices at Philips, Level Zero Health combines biochemistry and nanotechnology in a sleek, minimally invasive wearable patch. Similar to continuous glucose monitors, the device attaches to the user's arm and delivers real-time measurements of stress and reproductive hormones.

This advancement could transform multiple areas of healthcare, including IVF, menopause, and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), to name just a few. Currently, women undergoing IVF require blood tests every two to three days for weeks. With over 2.5 million IVF cycles undertaken worldwide each year, this represents a significant testing burden. Similarly, testosterone deficiency, which impacts 10-40% of men globally, requires regular in-clinic blood tests.

Ula Rustamova, CEO of Level Zero Health, comments: “Our innovative remote monitoring technology marks an enormous leap forward in hormone testing, and this funding will enable us to bring this revolutionary solution to market.

“This breakthrough in health technology has come about in a relatively short amount of time, but already we are seeing strong demand from customers who recognise the benefits of hormone monitoring not only because it allows patients to skip invasive and inconvenient lab tests, but also because it captures critical data inaccessible before.”

Despite its early stage, Level Zero Health has already established an impressive pipeline of customers. It will use the funding for R&D, bringing the product to market and expanding its team with the best talent available. While initially targeting B2B clinical applications, the company has positioned itself for potential B2C and pharma expansion as well.

Philip Kneis, investor at redalpine and board member of Level Zero Health, said: "We did it for blood pressure and will do it again for hormones. Continuous hormone measurement is one of the holy grails of diagnostics, and as fundamental science transitions to engineering, we couldn’t be more excited to back Level Zero Health in their mission to transform hormone tracking with their novel biosensor - paving the way for a new era of personalized health management."

The company has assembled an all-star clinical advisory board of world-leading experts, including Aaron Styer, medical director at CCRM Fertility and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and Kelly Walker, a board-certified urologist and medical advisor at hims. Joshua Klein, medical director at Extend Fertility and assistant professor in reproductive science at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Aaron Styer MD, co-founding partner and medical director at CCRM Fertility Boston comments: “Improvements in healthcare delivery have been impacted by the limitations of existing devices and applications. This technological breakthrough by Level Zero Health will transform the clinician’s ability to manage and monitor hormonal-based diseases and treatments. The technology has a myriad of applications across remote hormonal monitoring for fertility treatments and endocrine disorders.  It will significantly expand patient access to care, reduce healthcare costs, and enable clinicians to change the paradigm of medical practice.”

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