Lionheart Health, Inc., a leader in bioelectric regenerative medicine and healthspan optimization technologies, announced that Joseph C. Maroon, MD, FACS, has joined its Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board. Dr. Maroon is a board-certified neurosurgeon, Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is widely recognized for his work in brain health, sports neurosurgery, concussion management, neuroinflammation, and longevity science.
Dr. Maroon’s appointment strengthens Lionheart Health’s commitment to advancing evidence-based bioelectric stimulation therapies designed to improve cognition, memory, and mood; support neuroplasticity and neurotrophic signaling; reduce systemic and neuroinflammation; enhance muscle-brain axis signaling; and elevate circulating regenerative proteins linked to healthy aging. The company’s multi-modality platform includes BodStim™, Brain Band™, and other patented bioelectric stimulation technologies.
“Dr. Maroon’s decades of leadership in neurosurgery and preventive brain health bring exceptional scientific credibility and clinical insight to Lionheart Health,” said Howard Leonhardt, Founder and Executive Chairman. “His work bridging neuroscience, inflammation control, and longevity science aligns perfectly with our mission to increase healthspan through measurable improvements in muscle, brain, and immune function.”
Lionheart Health is currently advancing multiple clinical initiatives focused on improving functional biomarkers of aging, including grip strength, gait speed, cognition, memory, inflammatory markers, and regenerative protein expression. Dr. Maroon will advise on brain health clinical study design, neurocognitive endpoint validation, concussion and neuroinflammation applications, translation of regenerative signaling science into clinical protocols, and integration of lifestyle, supplementation, and bioelectric strategies for healthspan extension.
“Optimizing brain health is central to extending meaningful healthspan,” Dr. Maroon said. “I look forward to supporting Lionheart Health’s efforts to scientifically validate innovative bioelectric therapies that aim to improve neurological resilience, reduce inflammation, and enhance overall vitality.”
Lionheart Health’s intellectual property portfolio includes patents targeting key regenerative and neuroprotective signaling pathways such as Klotho, BDNF, GDF10, SDF-1, PDGF, and eNOS. These pathways are critical for neuroplasticity, synaptic resilience, angiogenesis, stem cell homing, endothelial health, and inflammation modulation. Through its patented platforms, including Brain Band™ and BodStim™, the company aims to modulate regenerative protein expressions to support cognitive performance, memory retention, mood stability, and neurovascular integrity.
Brain health is one of three core pillars in which Lionheart Health is competing in the Semi-Finals of the $101M XPRIZE Healthspan Competition. The Brain Band™ was recently awarded a UCI Capstone Grant, providing a multidisciplinary team of five University of California, Irvine engineering PhD-level researchers to advance device optimization and signal validation. Medtech Outlook Magazine recognized Lionheart Health as 2025 Micro Stimulator Developer of the Year. The company also won the Abbvie Allergan ULP Innovation Award and was a finalist in the Orange County Business Journal's Innovator of the Year Awards and Octane's Life Sciences Technology Company of the Year Award.
Lionheart Health has completed pre-clinical studies at AccuLab Life Sciences in San Diego and a pilot clinical study in Brazil. The company is preparing to enroll soon in a combination BodStim bioelectric stimulation exercise suit and Brain Band clinical trial for brain health. Both therapies have separately demonstrated statistically significant improvements in brain health in previous studies.
Dr. Maroon brings more than four decades of leadership in academic neurosurgery, clinical innovation, and performance medicine. He has performed thousands of complex brain and spine procedures and is recognized for advancing minimally invasive neurosurgical techniques. He has served as Team Neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers and as a neurological consultant to elite athletes worldwide. With over 300 peer-reviewed publications and multiple textbooks, his research has contributed to understanding neuroinflammation, omega-3 fatty acids in brain protection, and integrative strategies for preserving cognitive function.
