Francesca Nicolanti

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About

Francesca Nicolanti is a pioneering figure in the emerging field of robotic radioguided surgery, where her work bridges nuclear medicine and surgical robotics. Her primary research focuses on developing and validating novel detection technologies for intraoperative use, particularly the DROP-IN β-probe, a device designed to enhance the precision of tumor resection by enabling real-time, robot-assisted tracing of radiopharmaceuticals. Her landmark 2024 study, "First-in-human validation of a DROP-IN β-probe for robotic radioguided surgery," represents a major contribution to the field, as it not only demonstrated the clinical feasibility of this technology but also defined the optimal signal-to-background discrimination algorithm—a critical step for translating receptor-targeted radiopharmaceuticals from preoperative PET/CT imaging to intraoperative guidance. With 14 citations in its first year, this work has quickly become a foundational reference for researchers exploring the integration of targeted tracers with robotic platforms. Nicolanti’s achievements underscore her role at the forefront of a paradigm shift toward more precise, minimally invasive cancer surgeries, making her research essential reading for students and clinicians interested in the future of surgical oncology.