How one man’s journey helped inspire new voices in cardiac technology

In 2022, Hydrix, a global leader in cardiac circulatory assist technologies and a foundation sponsor of the inaugural Heart Hackathon, helped launch a new international competition to design a total artificial heart. For Alexandru Pleșoianu, a biomedical engineering lecturer in Iași, Romania, it became the catalyst he had long been waiting for.

What followed is an extraordinary journey of opportunity, ambition, and recognition. Romania had no presence in mechanical circulatory support, and Alexandru himself had worked for years in isolation with few resources and little acknowledgment. By encouraging his students to enter, he opened doors to global networks, created pathways to careers once out of reach, and placed his country on the map of advanced cardiac innovation.

The students embraced the challenge set by the Heart Hackathon to design and present a total artificial heart on the global stage. And what began as a competition quickly became a turning point. Working together under Alexandru’s guidance, they learned to collaborate, explore new ideas, and present their work to international peers.

The Heart Hackathon gave them something the classroom could not; the sense that their skills were relevant on a global stage. Students gained confidence, found new career pathways, and began to see themselves not only as engineers but as contributors to a wider community of innovators. They even picked up numerous awards along their journey, something that would not have been possible without the support of Alexandru.

In their very first year of competing, the MAVIS team won the Most Advanced prize at the grand finale of the inaugural Heart Hackathon. Their success drew immediate attention at home. Romanian media reported widely on their achievement, and the Ministry of Research created a new award to honour them at the national Research Gala.

As awareness grew, further accolades followed. The team went on to win back-to-back Most Advanced in 2024. At home, they also earned recognition, including Medical Innovation of the Year, the Excellence Award at the Romanian Research Gala, and first place in the Game of Science – Romania contest.

For the first time, Romania was acknowledged as a contributor to advanced cardiac innovation. Universities in Germany, Austria, and Belgium invited the group into collaborative projects, and within the European Society of Artificial Organs, Romanian students are now among the most active in paediatric mechanical circulatory support. From almost no visibility in the field, Romania has built credibility as part of the international MedTech conversation.

The hackathon also connected Alexandru and his students to a broader global community. Events in the United States, Japan, and across Europe exposed them to researchers, clinicians, and companies all focused on the same challenge: improving outcomes for patients with advanced heart failure.

For Alexandru, the shift was significant.

Before Heart Hackathon, we felt like outsiders, now we know we are part of this community. That changes everything.”

The experience also shaped Alexandru’s own path. He has since founded Cardiovascular Engineering, a start-up focused on developing a new type of implantable heart pump. Unlike traditional devices that require open-heart surgery, this concept aims to provide partial support through a minimally invasive, pacemaker-like procedure.

The ambition is to make life-saving support available to far more patients worldwide. It is a bold challenge, but one Alexandru believes is necessary if Romania is to continue building its place in global medtech.

What began with one researcher pushing his students to enter a university hackathon has since grown into something larger. It has transformed student opportunities, elevated a university, and positioned Romania as an emerging voice in cardiac technology.

For Hydrix, as a foundation sponsor of the Heart Hackathon, it demonstrates the importance of creating platforms where talent can surface. Competitions like these do more than produce prototypes. They build confidence, create international connections, and help countries discover capabilities no one expected to find.

For Alexandru, and for Romania, the journey is still unfolding. But it is clear that a single competition has already achieved far more than anyone could have imagined.

To keep up with Alexandru’s journey, follow him on LinkedIn. You can also track Mavis ArtificalHeart’s progress in the Heart Hackathon competition as they continue to break waves.