In 2025, Nora graduated cum laude from the BSc programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences, completing a highly successful research project in molecular pharmacology within the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. During her internship, Nora excelled in developing new assay technologies to identify potential new medicines from snake venom. Snake venoms contain a wide range of harmful compounds that exert their toxic effects by interacting with human cells, for example by inhibiting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) or other signalling proteins in the human body. In her research, Nora developed a reliable assay to measure the bioactivity of snake venom toxins of such proteins. Snake venom toxins that are identified in this assay format can be used as starting point for development of new target-selective therapeutics. Of the five proteins she investigated, Nora successfully developed suitable assays for three, enabling their activity to be effectively monitored in human cells. The assay can be used to reliably detect changes in signalling activity, and Nora’s results demonstrate that this approach has direct potential for the identification of new potential therapeutics from natural resources, such as snake venoms.
Nora described her research findings in her thesis in a very well-structured way and with exceptional clarity and analytical depth. The thesis was not only scientifically rigorous but also showed a strong sense of nuance, supported by a highly well-reasoned discussion of the results. She also delivered an impressing final presentation, communicating complex scientific concepts in an enthusiastic, accessible, and persuasive manner. Nora achieved her results with great precision, working in a highly careful and efficient way while effectively picking up relevant information from literature and rapidly mastering new laboratory techniques. She was always willing to support and assist her fellow students. For these reasons, Nora has afterwards become a valued teaching assistant in the Molecular Pharmacology practical course for second-year BSc Pharmaceutical Sciences students. Nora’s talents are further reflected by her receipt of the Young Talent Award in pharmacy and (bio)pharmaceutical sciences, which she was awarded at the end of 2023 by the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) in recognition of her outstanding performance during the first year of her BSc programme.
Hence, the jury is confident that also this year the Karlijn Keijzer Scriptieprijs has been awarded to an excellent and highly motivated student. The prize will be presented to Nora by Jacqueline Keijzer, mother of Karlijn Keijzer. The ceremony will take place on Thursday 25 June from 16.30 h onwards in room KC-137 of the VU W&N building, following the poster market and competition for BSc students in Pharmaceutical Sciences (which will take place at W&N-M0).
About the Karlijn Keijzer scriptieprijs
The Karlijn Keijzer Scriptieprijs is established in memory of Karlijn Keijzer, who was aboard the fatal MH17 flight in 2014. Karlijn finished her MSc studies in Drug Discovery and Safety at the Vrije Universiteit cum laude in 2012, with a specialization in Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology. For her PhD studies, Karlijn joined the Computational Chemistry group of professor Baik at Indiana University in Bloomington to study amongst other organometallic complexes of therapeutic interest. In September 2014 she was posthumously awarded her doctoral degree. During her PhD studies Karlijn regularly visited the VU. Early 2014 she obtained an Aspasia research grant to stay with the Biocomputational Chemistry group in the Division of Theoretical Chemistry.
In line with Karlijn’s intellectual legacy and interests, and to stimulate talented and ambitious students in their scientific development and (international) experience, the Karlijn Keijzer Scriptieprijs is presented annually as a travel grant of 1000 Euros. The award recipient is selected by a jury based on the academic excellence and motivation of candidates who successfully completed a BSc research project in the field of pharmaceutical sciences or (bio)chemistry. Resources for the award have been made available by the family, supplemented by the VU Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences.