Reyhaneh Nouri (she/her)
Reyhaneh Nouri
Who am I?
Hello!
I am from Iran and received my Pharm.D. from Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences branch. Pharmaceutical sciences’ computational applications sparked my interest in bioinformatics. Therefore, I decided to pursue a graduate degree in this field. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in bioinformatics and computational biology at UNC Charlotte.
Before joining the Phyloinformatics Lab, I was a research assistant at Drs. Cynthia Gibas and Jessica Schlueter’s COVID-19 wastewater surveillance project. Now, I am interested in studying machine learning applications in One Health.
What am I working on?
Wood is a versatile material with a wide range of applications, including construction, furniture, and shipbuilding. However, working with wood can be challenging, requiring cutting, shaping, and transporting relatively rigid materials. Imagine if wood could be made as flexible as gelatin and as tough as iron and if we could change this at will and reversibly. This would make it much easier to work with, as it could be easily cut, folded, and molded into desired shapes. While this is not currently possible with wood, it may be feasible with collagen.
Collagen is a structural protein found in animals’ extracellular matrix. It is a significant component of skin, bones, and connective tissues. Collagen has many applications, including medical devices, cosmetics, and food additives.
Our research is inspired by the ability of echinoderms, such as sea stars and sea urchins, to change the shape of their bodies. This is made possible by their ability to alter the structure of their collagen. We are developing a new technology that can be used to change the pliability of collagen. This can allow us to create new collagen-based biomaterials with more properties. These materials can be used to develop new medical devices, cosmetics, and food additives. Our work has the potential to revolutionize the way we use collagen. We can create new materials with a wide range of applications by making collagen more flexible and adaptable. This can lead to improvements in healthcare, beauty, and food production.