Bachelor Student Prize Winner

Eighteen students completed their bachelor's degree in 2020 with a thesis that was labelled ‘excellent’ by their faculty. Here you will find a short introduction to these excellent theses in the form of an "elevator pitch" from each student, plus a video in which the supervisor briefly addresses the lucky winner.

Gijs Bongaarts

 Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences | Bachelor Medicine

"Biomarkers of oxidative stress'"

Gijs' elevator pitch 
In the Honours project “Biomarkers of oxidative stress” my team and I embarked on a journey exploring the potential of a greatly underestimated technique called Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy. We validated a method for direct quantification and identification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in blood with EPR Spectroscopy, using spin trapping agents that enable conservation of these highly reactive molecules. By validating a method able to measure ROS directly, we provided a tool that can both contribute to preventing and managing chronic diseases as well as provide a basis for evidence based-environmental health protection. Finally, we conducted a self-experiment to examine the effect of particulate matter on ROS-levels