As the semester comes to a close, so does my thesis!

I have finally finished all three-time points (2hpf, 48hpf, and 96hpf) of all six of my oxidative stress regulating genes as well as three housekeeping genes. To normalize my data, I have decided to use the geometric mean of all three housekeeping genes rendering the most accurate results. My research has found that if one just normalizes against a single housekeeping gene, there is room for error. How is one to know if a certain housekeeping gene just so happens to have a lower cT value across time and treatment in comparison to others? The geometric mean allows one to normalize data with more certainty.

After normalization, I had some interesting trends presented! It seems as though the dose of my oxidative stress creating chemical- diquat- is too low to induce significant oxidative stress. However, there was a strong trend of GSR being upregulated at 48hpf. This can perhaps be due to an increase in organogenesis at this time point due to the zebrafish embryo readying for hatching. From here, I have decided to do a diquat concentration curve to discover what dose of diquat is best for induction of oxidative stress in developing zebrafish embryos. I am currently in the process of collecting data. More results to come! Be excited folks.

As far as other work is concerned, I have finally finished my dental school application for the Bates committee to review. I also (maybe) found employment for next year in Boston! Ironically the two Spanish classes I am taking this semester for fun (I already finished my minor) are drowning me in work. Who knew the classes one thought would be a breeze actually are the contrary? Anyway I digress. Thesis this semester has been going great, I am actually really enjoying myself. Looking back this past year, I am thankful I had the opportunity to work on this specific project. I learned a lot about hard work, and science in practice.

Until next time!