Francisco Melo, MSc, is a Research Technician within the Digital Surgery LAB, at the Champalimaud Foundation, since 2024. He has a MSc in Mechanical Engineering, with a special focus in Biomechanics, and he is currently working on developing patient-specific biomechanical models of the breast and simulating tissue deformation due to pose changes.

During breast cancer surgery, the patient is positioned in the supine position, while surgical planning is based on MRI scans that feature the patient in the prone position. Through the generation of personalized biomechanical models from segmented prone MRI scans and the accurate simulation of prone-to-supine transpositions, the surgeon is able to visualize the patient's anatomy in a more insightful and intuitive way, enhancing decision making and improving clinical outcomes.