Congratulations to Robert on his PhD defence

Robert defends PhD on translational volatilomics

On the 25th of November 2025, Dr. Robert van Vorstenbosch succesfully defended his thesis entitled “Translational Volatilomics for Digestive Health - Advancing early-stage diagnosis and disease endotyping”.

In the Netherlands many people face digestive health problems, which put pressure on healthcare services. Current screening with faecal blood tests helps lower deaths from colorectal cancer, but it also leads to many costly follow-up procedures. This thesis examines whether volatile metabolites can support better diagnosis of colorectal cancer, liver disease, and IBS. Through theory, laboratory studies, and new data analysis methods, the work shows strong potential for using these metabolites in early liver disease detection and in understanding IBS. The results also indicate promising value for colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Congratulations Robert!

The full thesis is available for download here, and the recording of the defence can be rewatched here.