Eline De Roo wins the Flemish Thesis Prize 2025
Eline De Roo (Ghent University) wins the Flemish Thesis Prize 2025 with her master's thesis on personalised breast prostheses after breast cancer. In Belgium, more than 11.000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. This means not only a medical battle, but often also a loss of body identity. Using 3D models, personalised designs and co-creation, De Roo developed lighter, breathable and tailor-made breast prostheses that better fit women's bodies and self-image.
Every year, SciMingo vzw awards the Flemish Thesis Prize to recognise strong and newsworthy final projects by Flemish graduates. From 498 entries, the jury, led by chair Lies D'hondt (Uitgeverij Lannoo), selected De Roo (22) as the winner. During the ceremony on 17 December at Kortrijk City Hall, she received the coveted trophy and a cash prize of 2.500 euros.
A prosthesis that really fits
For women who undergo a mastectomy, an external breast prosthesis is often essential to restore the symmetry of their body and their self-confidence. "Today, there are only 10 to 15 standard prostheses on the market", says De Roo. "They are often too heavy, warm or uncomfortable. Every woman is different, but the current range hardly takes this into account. My goal was to design a prosthesis that does fit the woman's body and meets her needs."
Co-creation and customisation
What makes the research special is the central role played by the patients. De Roo involved women in the design process from the outset. Their experiences and wishes formed the basis for a digital design model that can be used to automatically adapt prostheses to each woman's body based on 3D scans.
De Roo also collaborated with medical and industrial experts, such as plastic surgeon Prof. Philip Blondeel and the German company Anita Dr. Helbig GmbH. "Their feedback on comfort, fit and aesthetics was crucial", says De Roo. "This collaboration increases the likelihood that the designs will eventually find their way to market."
The prototype demonstrates that customisation via 3D printing is technically feasible.
Lightweight, breathable and modular
Unlike traditional silicone prostheses, De Roo developed an open internal structure that makes the prosthesis lightweight, sturdy and breathable. The design is modular, with a removable nipple, which simplifies personalisation and printing. She experimented with different materials such as silicone and created a fully functional prototype. "The prototype demonstrates that customisation via 3D printing is technically feasible", concludes De Roo. "However, further research and validation are still needed for medical applications."
Unanimous praise from the jury
The jury was full of praise for De Roo's work. "Eline combines scientific depth with socially relevant innovation", says jury chair Lies D'hondt. "Her master's thesis is almost like a start-up: she developed a technical and empathetic product that really helps women after breast cancer. If this project is further developed, the impact will be limitless."
Two awards
During the ceremony at Kortrijk City Hall, the main prize and other prizes in the competition were also awarded. Eline De Roo won the Eos Prize and thus took to the podium twice. Other winners were:
- Sofie De Roeck, who won the Bachelor's Prize with her thesis on the loss of a child in multiple pregnancies.
- Jana Kerfs, who won the Klasse Prize with her toolbox on self-management in the first grade of primary education.
- Sebastiaan Malfait and Matthijs Van Duyse, awarded the mtech+ Prize for their work on making shipping more sustainable with a converted diesel engine running on methanol.
- Earlier this year, Indy Verheyen won the NBN Sustainability Award for his research into poplar as a sustainable construction material instead of firewood.
