The Champalimaud Foundation installed a new 18-Tesla horizontal-bore MRI scanner, custom-built in Germany at the Pre-Clinical MRI Lab, a team led by Principal Investigator Noam Shemesh. The system is the strongest horizontal-bore MRI scanner constructed to date and is currently the only one of its kind.

“This is the most powerful system in the world for in-vivo imaging,” says Shemesh. “By combining an exceptionally strong magnetic field with signal-boosting cryogenic coils, this equipment enables capabilities that have not been available before.”

João Santinha graduated in Biomedical Engineering from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa during one of the longest economic crises Portugal has ever experienced and it was during this time that he heard about the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) for the first time. In a period when there were few opportunities in his field of study, a position opened up on the Scientific Software team that interested him. “I wasn’t selected,” he says smiling, but he adds proudly, “I was invited to another position a few years later.”

Albino Oliveira-Maia, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and Director of the Neuropsychiatry Unit at the Champalimaud Foundation, has been elected to serve as President-Elect for the 2026–2029 term. He will subsequently assume the full presidency of the SPPSM from 2029 to 20321. Upon accepting the position, Oliveira-Maia emphasized the importance of advancing scientific progress and ensuring its real-world impact, stating: “Through leadership of this Society I hope to continue and expand on the work needed to make science and innovation accessible to those that most need it.”

For Leonor Beleza, Rui Costa’s arrival represents an invaluable contribution to the development of the Foundation’s scientific and clinical mission in the fields of cancer and neuroscience. She highlights: “The strategic vision and remarkable career of Professor Rui Costa strengthen our ability to generate knowledge and transform it into real benefits for patients and for society. It is also an investment in the future and in the continuity of our ambition and vision.”

Personalised Medicine for Colorectal Cancer

In the Clinical Research category, the award went to Rita Fior, leader of the Cancer Development and Innate Immune Evasion Group, for the study “The zAvatar test forecasts clinical treatment response in patients with colorectal cancer: a co-clinical study paving the way for personalised medicine.” Bruna Costa, a postdoctoral researcher, is the first author of the recognised work.