Wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset, the inside of a human body appears in vivid 3D. With a motion controllerlinked to the device, users can view the skeletal system from multiple angles. A few steps forward bring themvirtually inside the body-lungs, heart, and other organs rendered in immersive detail. Even bronchi within thelunas and blood vessels in the heart can be examined precisely, This is Medical iP's 3D anatomical solution.demonstrated on June 16 at the company's headquarters in Jongno, Seoul.
MEDlICAl IP, a South Korean Alpowered startup, develops diaital twin-based software for healthcare. Thecompany was founded in September 2015 by Sang Joon Park, a professor of radiology at Seoul NationalUniversity College of Medicine, Digital twin technology digitally replicates physical obiects or environments foireal-time monitoring, prediction, and simulation. Originally used in manufacturing and aerospace, CEO Parkintroduced this technology to medicine
Today, MEDICAL IP's software is used in 25 hospitals across Korea and has gained global traction, includingcollaborations with NVlDlA's Healthcare Al Council. "lf there's one field where predictive accuracy and precisionare paramount, it's healthcare" CEO Park said in an interview at the company's headquarters
Reconstructing the Human Body in 3D for Precision Analysis
What motivated you to start the company?
"During my time as deputy director of the Medical Device Innovation Center at Seoul National UniversityHospital, l became fascinated by the potential of medical imaging to visualize the human body. But l also felthe limitations: research often ended with academic papers, and technologies didn't always reach patientsWhen my late father was battling lung cancer, l experienced firsthand the gap in understanding betweenDatients and doctors. That's when l realized technology must do more than diagnose-it must tangibly improvelives. In 2015, l launched the startup as Seoul National University Hospital's first official spin-off.
Is it difficult to manage both a startup and your academic role?
"Balancing the business, education, and hospital work proved too much, so l resigned from hospital duties fiveyears ago. However, l continue teaching because the synergy between R&D and education is invaluable. Outechnologies are directly applicable to medical education, like in anatomy, so l'm constantly learning fromonsite.
How did you decide to apply digital twin technology to medicine?"Initially, we focused on reconstructing 2D medical images into 3D. But recreating structures alone had limits.started asking, "What if we could simulate a patient's body across time and space? That led me to digital twinsJust as manufacturers simulate airplanes and cars digitally, we can reconstruct and analyze patient X-rays, CTsand MRls as 3D models. That opens the door to disease prediction, virtual surgery simulations, andpersonalized treatment planning."
Breaking Barriers in a Conservative Industry
What products does MEDICAL IP offer?
"We have two main categories. One is the 'EDlP Pro' Al engine, which colorizes over 7,000 anatomicalstructures-traditionally seen only in grayscale-using deep learning. Unlike standardized car parts, humanorgans vary widely. Our Al learns from vast datasets of male, female, and fetal organs to build accurate digitaltwins. The second product, 'DeepCatch,' visualizes 3D models from X-ray and CT scans, screening for diseaseslike aortic aneurysms, cardiomegaly, and lung conditions using Al."
Breaking Barriers in a Conservative Industry
What products does MEDICAL IP offer?
"We have two main categories. One is the 'MEDlP Pro' Al engine, which colorizes over 7,000 anatomicalstructures-traditionally seen only in grayscale-using deep learning. Unlike standardized car parts, humanorgans vary widely. Our Al learns from vast datasets of male, female, and fetal organs to build accurate dioitaltwins, The second product, 'DeepCatch,' visualizes 3D models from X-ray and CT scans, screening for diseaseslike aortic aneurysms, cardiomegaly, and lung conditions using Al.
Was it difficult to bring new technology into healthcare?
The conservative nature of the medical industry was our biggest hurdle. Because lives are at stake, newtechnologies undergo intense scrutiny. n the early days, many dismissed digital twins as just '3D games. So wefocused on delivering real, tangible benefits-visualized data, surgical simulations, digital dissection, andpredictive diagnostics-all grounded in measurable precision.
How is the software used in practice?
"DeepCatch is currently deployed in 25 hospitals, including Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital andSejong Hospital in incheon, mainly for health screening. We aim to expand to 50 hospitals by year-end. Sportsteams like the Lotte Giants and KT Wiz also use DeepCatch to monitor player health-analyzing muscle balancebone density, and helping prevent injury. MEDlP Pro is further divided into 'vEDlP Box' for anatomy educationand 'Urophantom' for kidney-specific applications. At the Eswatini medical university in Africa, our softwareenables cadaver-free anatomy education. Urophantom is also used for surgical planning and simulation inhospitals."
Making Care and Education Possible Without Infrastructure
How do you balance domestic and overseas operations?
"Since we're aiming to go public on KOSDA0 next year, we've been focused on the Korean market. But we're alsopursuing global expansion. The domestic digital twin market is maturing slowly, whereas the global sector isgrowing at over 30% annually. After DeepCatch received FDA clearance in 2023, we began forming partnershipswith hospitals and government agencies in the UAE, China, and Southeast Asia. In April, we became the firstKorean company to deliver DeepCatch to China's top hospital, PUMc (Peking Union Medical College). We'vealso worked with NVlDlA for the past four years, integrating MEDlP Pro with their Omniverse platform to renderrealtime digital twins from CT and MRl scans. This enables virtual surgeries, blood flow simulations, andbiomechanical analyses.
What is MEDICAL IP's long-term vision?
"Our mission is to contribute meaningfully to global health through technology. That means increasing publicaccess to medical information and narrowing healthcare disparities, For example, in low-resource countries.students can learn anatomy without cadavers, and serious diseases can be detected early without expensiveimaging equipment.
Voices from the Innovation Ecosystem"Startups aren't just about the technology-they begin with a deep desire to improve people's lives. Sang JoonPark and MEDlCAL |P have expanded the frontiers of medicine with Al and digital twins, achieving real-lifeimpact. Their story is a model for Korean deep-tech entrepreneurship."-Seung Min Baek, CEO of Honest Ventures
"MEDICAL IP is a rare health-tech company that proves both technological viability and global scalability. SangJoon Park is a founder with true domain expertise, translating real clinical problems into executable techsolutions. They exemplify the market potential and social impact of deep-tech startups."Beom Min Kim, Director, Korea Medical Device Development Fund