Inside DeepQure with Co-Founders Mr Chan-Ho Park and Dr Chang Wook Jeong

DeepQure is on the cusp of several major milestones. The company has developed HyperQure, the world’s first – and only – extravascular renal denervation (RDN) device, which is currently undergoing clinical trials. Early clinical cases have shown promising reductions in blood pressure while affirming a strong safety profile.

These results suggest that HyperQure may represent a paradigm shift in the RDN space, by offering a more effective and broadly applicable alternative to existing catheter-based approaches.

DeepQure's HyperQure system is the only extravascular RDN solution currently under development

As the company prepares to begin clinical trials in the United States, co-founders Mr Chan-Ho Park and Dr Chang Wook Jeong share their insights into the startup’s journey and its breakthrough technology.

How did DeepQure as a company start?

Mr Chan-Ho Park, Co-founder and Chairman of DeepQure

Mr Chan-Ho Park: DeepQure began with a very practical question from the field. Prof Eui-Keun Choi, one of Korea’s most renowned interventional cardiologists and our advisor, witnessed through histological examination that large amounts of renal nerves remained unablated following catheter-based, intravascular RDN [i.e. renal denervation], which would lead to lower treatment efficacy.

He later discussed the clinical and anatomical limitations he witnessed with Dr Chang-Wook Jeong who, at the time, was also exploring the limitations of intravascular RDN and devising methods for a better surgical procedure. That conversation triggered a structured exploration: Dr Jeong initiated a government-funded research program and built the first extravascular RDN prototype, linking surgical know-how with device engineering to create what will eventually become the HyperQure system.

Dr Chang Wook Jeong: We saw a scientific and clinical gap: renal nerves lie outside the artery, yet energy was delivered from the inside of the blood vessel, which limits the transmission of energy for nerve ablation. That mismatch motivated us to test an extravascular approach to deliver energy directly to the target.

Dr Chang Wook Jeong, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of DeepQure

The HyperQure system is the only RDN solution that takes an extravascular approach. What was the inspiration behind this concept?

Dr Jeong: It circles back to Prof Choi’s experience and those early discussions. Given how the renal nerves are randomly and widely distributed around the outside of the renal artery, trying to ablate them through the arterial wall felt counterintuitive. As surgeons, we routinely reach the retroperitoneal space and see the nerve distribution around the renal artery. This made us believe that a surgical procedure centerd on approaching from outside of the vessel, then engaging an electrode circumferentially around the artery, could be the solution.

Was there a specific point in the R&D process when it became clear that an extravascular approach is clinically viable, and superior to catheter-based RDN?

Dr Jeong: During our pre-clinical study, where over 180 mildly hypertensive swine models were used, we could see the extravascular approach ablating the nerves fully and hence showing a consistent and effective blood pressure reduction throughout the targets. That gave us confidence in the clinical viability of this approach. Further proof through clinical trials would be required to prove “superiority” vis-a-vis existing intravascular RDN products, but we believe that this can be established in the near future.

HyperQure's flexible electrode performs renal denervation circumferentially for complete ablation

What were some challenges the team faced during the R&D process for HyperQure?

Dr Jeong: There were a few, actually. For a start, creating a high-fidelity electrode with a tiny footprint was not easy, because we had to engineer an electrode with thermometry at optimal locations on a very small surface area, while maintaining its mechanical flexibility for closed-loop control.

True 360° conformity was another challenge, in terms of designing an articulated, wrap-around joint that can reliably conform to a range of renal artery diameters. This component then has to maintain uniform contact with the target blood vessel without exerting excessive pressure or tension – no easy feat.

Finally, there is system-level thermal management to consider. For HyperQure, we eventually settled on temperature-controlled radio frequency ablation to maintain a stable target temperature in vivo. This means that the controller adjusts the electrode’s output in real time based solely on in-vivo temperature sensor feedback, so controlled, circumferential denervation is achieved while providing greater in-vivo safety for other structures adjacent to the renal artery.

HyperQure's controller regulates the RF energy output according to a set temperature during the RDN procedure, for controlled denervation with greater safety.

Mr Park: For me, the challenges are all related to our chosen regulatory pathway: PMA [Pre-Market Approval] rather than the rather than the 510(k) route, because HyperQure is effectively a first-in-class device. That meant building the stack end-to-end, from hypertensive swine models and device reliability to clinical protocol design and a global-ready [Quality Management System]. This is more complex, but we are laying the right foundation for international studies.

Have there been any other unexpected hurdles – operations, fundraising, clinical trials?

Mr Park: Two stand out. First, investor education in terms of explaining extravascular versus intravascular RDN to non-clinicians, which requires clear, reproducible data. This was especially so in Korea, where RDN is a very unfamiliar concept. Second, we’re a Korean company running trials in the US. You can imagine the challenges in terms of time zone differences, on-site presence, local networks, and even the credibility gap a foreign sponsor like us will face. After a lot of groundwork, we now have active multi-center enrollment at six leading US institutions, and we’re seeing growing global traction.

Dr Jeong: A multidisciplinary approach is essential for extravascular RDN. Urologists do not usually manage hypertension, while cardiologists are not familiar with the extravascular surgical approach. Thus, close collaboration between the two departments is especially important for patient care in the early phase of extravascular RDN clinical pathway development.

The HyperQure system in use, during a RDN procedure

Beyond hypertension, DeepQure is exploring adjacent applications for its technology, such as the treatment of atrial fibrillation. How do you balance resources between core and peripheral interests?

Mr Park: Hypertension remains our primary focus. We’re concentrating resources on hitting the hypertension milestones first, and we’re using the clinical and operational know-how from that program to actively explore atrial fibrillation (AF) opportunities in parallel. Dr Choi is an expert in AF, and he is currently spearheading the effort based on the know-how we have built around the hypertension RDN.

What is the next major milestone for DeepQure?

Mr Park: To complete our Korean clinical study by the end of 2025 and finish our US patient enrollment for the Early Feasibility Study in Q1 2026. We plan to make our first public presentation of the first-in-human study results at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session & Expo in March 2026. That, I believe, will be a groundbreaking revelation for the RDN sector.