Christiana Frost

MSc Student

My Masters thesis involves work on the endocrine system of early vertebrates, specifically of the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii).  I am interested in characterizing the stress steroid profile of this hagfish by identifying their primary stress steroid through stress tests and analytical chemistry approaches.  My research also delves into the examination of the steroid synthesis pathway of this organism.  I will examine stress steroid synthesis enzymes using a phylogenetic approach, isolate tissues to determine the steroidal tissue, and examine binding kinetics of the corticosteroid receptor of hagfishes.  This research will help broaden the understanding of the hagfish endocrine system and its placement in the tree of life.

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