Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet PROPS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Plant health is vital for sustainable development. Plant pathogens threaten economies, food security, and rural livelihoods. Existing plant disease research focuses on ecology, epidemiology, and economic losses. This overlooks social questions such as what makes farmers vulnerable to plant disease and what enables them to adapt. Without this knowledge, it is difficult to develop equitable solutions to manage plant disease. During my MSCA fellowship, I will work with the Laboratory for the Analysis of Social-Ecological Systems in a Globalised World (LASEG) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Working with experts on environmental governance and rural wellbeing, I will develop a novel approach to understanding the political ecology of plant disease. My empirical focus is Xylella fastidiosa, an invasive bacteria that is considered the most serious threat to EU plant health in generations. I will conduct fieldwork in two regions of Spain facing an outbreak of XF: the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community. During preliminary research in these regions in 2019 and 2022, I built a team of stakeholders that includes farmers, government officials, agricultural cooperatives, scientists, and more. I will 1) use Q-method to map stakeholder perspectives on Xylella governance; 2) interview farmers to understand Xylella’s impacts in terms of differential vulnerability and ability to adapt; and 3) conduct participatory Photovoice workshops to engage rural communities in envisioning possible rural futures for living with Xylella. Through a six-month traineeship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), my findings will feed into ongoing science and policy dialogues on Xylella. By foregrounding place-based knowledge, my approach will help inform more equitable plant health policies. Specifically, we will answer calls to merge ‘top-down’ efforts to manage plant pathogens with ‘bottom-up’ approaches that take into account farmers’ lived experiences and realities.

Mots clés : political ecology, social vulnerability, rural development

Participants :
- Autorité Européenne de Sécurité des Aliments (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226441.2 €
Projet REVALUE-PG (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

REVALUE-PG aims to explore the historical relationship between global extractivism, socio-ecological transformation, agrarian/environmental justice movements, and the politics of postgrowth transition through a conceptual and methodological integration between development studies and environmental studies, particularly the fields of historical sociology and political economy of development, ecological economics, and political ecology. The growth of the social metabolism of the world economy has engendered a global extractive expansion into the rural-natural ecosystems through the formation of extractive commodity frontiers. A central hypothesis is that the current economic rationality of growth grounded in capital accumulation facilitates commodification of nature leading to its socio-cultural and ecological devaluation. The purpose of this project is to understand how global extractivism produces a politics of socio-environmental movements that operate as anti-systemic social forces calling for alternative social forms and practices of organizing and regulating social metabolism and social relations of (re)production and, thereby, shaping grassroot frameworks for a systemic postgrowth transition. In exploring antisystemic environmentalism, it proposes a socio-ecological understanding of class and aims to deepen an account of class dynamics present in socio-environmental conflicts and politics in challenging and politicizing the capitalist relations of extraction. It seeks to explore how postgrowth transition requires a political-economic revaluation of nature outside the commodity form, predicated on socio-ecological rationality. REVALUE-PG focuses on the geographical instance of Türkiye to conduct an in-depth empirical research, as Türkiye has recently exposed the links between the extractivist expansion in rural areas as one of the main backbones of the national politics of economic growth and the expansion of the political field of environmental justice.

Mots clés : extractive expansion, rural resource extraction frontiers, socio ecological transformation distribution valuation conflicts, socio environmental movements, environmental justice, postgrowth

Participants :
- Université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet NEARCOAST (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

NEARCOAST will advance our understanding of Neanderthal behavioural and foraging ecology, and the role of coastal environments to Neanderthal adaptive capacity and resilience through the Middle Palaeolithic. The project will apply a suite of bioarchaeological and molecular techniques on faunal remains recovered from key Neanderthal coastal sites (Figueira Brava, Complejo del Humo, Los Aviones and Üçağızlı II) located between the eastern Mediterranean and the Atlantic Europe. NEARCOAST will test the hypotheses that i) investment in shellfish procurement responded to a longitudinal gradient in intertidal profitability; ii) intertidal resources were mostly secured in colder months of the year, in response to the seasonally controlled altitudinal mobility of large ungulates, as proposed for Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolihic groups in these region. The fellow (Asier García-Escárzaga) is an archaeologist who integrates malacology, trace elements and shell stable isotopic analysis to study Mesolithic coastal adaptation. With NEARCOAST he will expand his research portfolio to the Middle Palaeolithic and receive training in vertebrate zooarchaeology, palaeoproteomic and on recent developments in trace elements. The project will elevate our scientific and public knowledge on Neanderthal coastal adaptation. It will expand the fellow’s transferable and specific skills in bioarchaeology, while placing him in a unique position for a career independence. NEARCOAST will make an impact in the field of Middle Palaeolithic Archaeology, and so doing will enhance the visibility of the fellow and institutions involved. The fellow will be supervised by Colonese (PI of the ERC-CoG project TRADITION), and will be part of the new generation of biomolecular archaeologists trained at the Department of Prehistory and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology.

Mots clés : coastal archaeology, human evolution, neanderthal behaviour, human environment interactions, geochemistry and biochemistry

Participants :
- Université de Cantabrie (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet RESTART (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cities are considered the most vulnerable areas to climate risk since they are strongly affected by the impacts of climate change, mainly extreme events. Despite most cities worldwide are developing adaptation plans, scarce consideration is given to the unequal impacts of climate change and adaptation actions, raising scholar’s attention on the issue of justice. Furthermore, such plans lack standardized approaches to perform holistic and integrated analysis of risk. Answering to this urgent challenge is at the core of the climate debate in cities. RESTART aims to re-address the discussion by focusing on the issue of justice to face climate change in cities, by integrating the three dimensions of climate justice (procedural, distributional, recognitional) and designing an operational framework for the adoption of a model for just and inclusive adaptation plans. Padua (Italy) and Tempe (US) represent two paradigmatic case studies for climate extremes (heatwaves) where I aim to respond to three timely and ambitious objectives: SO1) mapping the spatial distribution of heatwave hazard, SO2) identifying the distribution of the present adaptive capacity of cities (distributional justice) and recognizing the socio-economic vulnerabilities of citizens (recognitional justice), and SO3) implementing a spatially-based and inclusive methodology (procedural justice) that integrates SO1 and SO2 results to identify and map the urban sectors and population to be prioritized. The GIScience interdisciplinary approach is adopted to integrate the complex dimensions of heatwave hazard, socio-economic vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacity of urban territory, by combining quali-quantitative approaches, with the added value to include stakeholders perceptions. In conclusion, RESTART will contribute to a replicable standardized methodology that facilitates holistic analysis of (in)equity and (in)justice to be incorporated in European and international adaptation strategies and plans.

Mots clés : urban climate justice, adaptation strategies, gis, climate change, urban resilience, social inclusion

Participants :
- Université de Padoue (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 288859.2 €
- Arizona's Public Universities (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet HIPPNADEV (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Many brain disorders with cognitive impairment originate during development, when synaptic and neuromodulatory circuits progressively emerge, mature and give rise to function. In the hippocampus, stereotyped sequences of brain activity patterns in early life are thought to set the stage for coherent cognitive and memory processes in adulthood, for which noradrenaline neuromodulation is also critical. However, surprisingly little is known about the developmental origins of hippocampal neuromodulation in general, and of noradrenaline transmission in particular, neither in health nor disease. In project HIPPNADEV, I will investigate the contribution of noradrenergic transmission to the post-natal development of the hippocampus: In other words, “if”, “when” and “how” noradrenergic signals acquire their cellular and circuit-level properties in the developing hippocampus. I will use a highly innovative, translationally relevant, multi-disciplinary and multi-scale approach, combining in mice anatomical and functional interrogation using cutting-edge technology including spatial transcriptomics and in vivo all-optical dual imaging of noradrenaline release and single-neuron calcium activity. Further, this project will compare the developmental trajectories and functional significance of hippocampal noradrenergic signals at baseline and in rodent models of schizophrenia. Altogether, it will significantly advance our understanding of hippocampal neurodevelopment on one hand – implicating neuromodulatory noradrenergic transmission therein – and vice versa elucidate still-unknown developmental aspects of noradrenaline transmission. Such breakthroughs will offer promising bases for future fundamental study of the neuromodulatory correlates of neurodevelopment, as well as a solid preclinical framework to better combat schizophrenia syndromes and associated psychoses.

Mots clés : hippocampus, noradrenaline, post natal development, neuromodulation, schizophrenia, circuit neuroscience, systems neuroscience

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet CROSSBONE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Bone fractures are common traumatic injuries and a significant global health challenge. Successful healing depends on skeletal stem progenitor cells (SSPCs) producing cartilage and bone via a complex process. New vessel and nerve formations in the bone microenvironment are also crucial to determine the healing outcome. When disrupted, bone healing is impaired and fibrosis emerges, impacting patients’ life. In current research on bone repair disorders, there is a lack of understanding of initial triggers influencing cell differentiation and healing outcomes. In Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), the host laboratory identified an early SSPC shift from a chondrogenic fate to a fibrotic fate promoting fibrosis instead of bone formation. Analysing the factors causing this cell fate shift is essential to understand altered mechanisms in pathological conditions. CROSSBONE will address these needs by unveiling the SSPC niche initial regulatory mechanisms influencing bone healing and fibrosis. It will analyse healthy fracture healing, detailing angiogenesis, reinnervation and SSPC interactions. Then I will investigate NF1 pathological mechanisms, focusing on this crosstalk and how it can disrupt healing. The project will use complementary in vitro and in vivo experiments, single-cell transcriptomics, and advanced tools to dissect spatial-temporal crosstalk after fractures. These interdisciplinary methodologies will provide a comprehensive understanding of bone healing in healthy and pathological conditions. CROSSBONE will enhance my professional development, boosting independence and competitiveness for my future career. The findings will potentially impact the management of diseases where fibrosis influences bone healing, benefiting scientists, clinicians and patients in related fields. Integrating various disciplines and techniques, CROSSBONE aims to contribute pioneering insights into bone healing and fibrosis, supporting new therapeutic strategies.

Mots clés : fibrosis, skeletal stem progenitor cells, fracture repair, nf1, single cell transcriptomics, genetic mouse models, periosteum, cartilage, schwann cells

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet TEHC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Gene therapies are a fast becoming a realistic treatment for patients suffering from genetic disorders. To date, systemically applied in vivo gene therapies exclusively rely on adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for gene delivery to affected cells. AAV vectors have many features that make them successful gene delivery tools and through biomining and bioengineering efforts over the years, AAV variants are able to transduce a number of clinically relevant targets. However, many cell types, including human muscle cells, are not sufficiently transduced by existing viral vectors. Another challenge is the small genome size of AAV vectors, which is frequently a problem for neuromuscular disorders where affected genes are larger than in other types of disorders. In the light of these challenges, we are proposing to tackle new avenues for viral vector engineering in two separate, but related, objectives. Objective one is a new way of viral vector re-targeting through incorporation of single domain antibodies (nanobodies) followed by a directed evolution affinity maturation step. This approach of adds value to an already published method and should create a capsid-nanobody fusion that is fit for purpose and potentially also has benefits regarding the evasion of pre-existing antibodies and improved packaging. The second and more ambitious objective of our proposal consists of the adoption of a novel bacteriophage-based viral vector capable of transducing mammalian cells and delivering up to 171 kilo base pairs of DNA. We are proposing to couple this new vector system with our experience in capsid bioengineering and gene therapy, which has not been done before. For this objective, we propose to incorporate antibody-derived targeting molecules such as nanobodies and single-chain variable fragments to highly protruding fibre proteins on the bacteriophage surface and create cell type-specific viral vectors capable of delivering large genes, i.e. human dystrophin.

Mots clés : viral vector engineering, synthetic biology, gene therapy, aav, bacteriophage, neuromuscular diseases

Participants :
- Généthon (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet DropMicS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This project will develop high-throughput 3D cell culture devices with perfusion by interfacing microfluidics and droplet printing technologies and subsequently applying them to model neuro-development disorders. For decades, 2D cell culture followed by animal testing has been the standard for therapeutic drug discovery. 3D systems have the potential to recreate more faithful physiological conditions (cell interactions, gradients, perfusion, flow). Thus, they are expected to be more predictive for efficacy and toxicity than 2D systems and minimize the use of animals. However, there is currently no 3D model which enables high-throughput (HT) and perfusion at once: spheroids and organoids in plates can be HT but without perfusion, pressure-driven microfluidics has perfusion but is not HT, droplet microfluidics is HT but cannot handle large drug libraries and has no perfusion. Here, we will leverage the physics of wetting and capillarity to design chamber arrays with liquid-trapping geometries, which can be entirely operated by external droplet injection. We will set up designs and protocols for the embedding of cells in 3D hydrogel matrices and submit them to perfusion of medium and drug, including uniform or gradient conditions in each chamber. We will demonstrate the HT interfacing with droplet printers. Finally, we will apply the device to screen compounds and monitor the modulation of microglia (the immune cell of the brain) inflammation that affects the lives of >2 million preterm babies every year.

Mots clés : microfluidics, printing, 3d cell culture, neurodevelopment disorders, high throughput, drug screening

Participants :
- École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195914.88 €
- Université de médecine de Lublin (Pologne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MicroHyperProbe (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hyperpolarized (HP) magnetic resonance imaging has emerged as a promising method for probing the biological characteristics of living tissue. A sensor molecule (e.g. pyruvate, fumarate, acetate) is hyperpolarized and injected into a patient, and the resulting metabolic flux can be used to assess cell viability, tumour response to therapy, and perform pH mapping, to name a few examples. Two significant barriers stand in the way of the widespread implementation of HP imaging: (1) the current hyperpolarization method, dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (dDNP) is cumbersome, expensive, and requires expertise to operate the equipment, and; (2) preclinical method development relies heavily on the use of animal models which inhibits rapid screening of experiments. To overcome these limitations, in this project I will: (1) implement parahydrogen-induced polarization as the hyperpolarization method, which is significantly cheaper, easier to use, and can produce the hyperpolarized metabolites at a higher rate than dDNP, and; (2) perform the hyperpolarized imaging in organ-on-a-chip devices, which closely mimic in vivo conditions but allow for experiments to be performed at a greater rate, and can use human tissue as opposed to animal tissue to more closely mimic real conditions. The specific focus in this project will be to investigate whether HP metabolic imaging can provide insight into the progression of muscular dystrophy in human muscle tissue.

Mots clés : microfluidics in vitro cell and tissue imaging

Participants :
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 206641.2 €
- Institut Weizmann (Israël) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Vitala technologies sl (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €