Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet HAPPY-QC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Protein homeostasis is a delicate process which keeps the synthesis, folding, trafficking and degradation of proteins in balance. Its disruption is linked to various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and ageing in metazoan species. In plants, protein homeostasis is critical for survival under environmental stresses like extreme temperatures, drought, and pathogen infections. As the global population nears 8 billion, ensuring an adequate food supply is paramount, especially while coping with the adverse effects of climate change. Chloroplasts (plastids), crucial organelles in plant cells, are responsible for producing most of the world's food, and require the import of over 3000 different proteins for their proper function. My research objective is to investigate the evolutionarily conserved CHIP-Bag1-Hsp70 system (CHIP), a vital quality control mechanism for chloroplast protein import and clearing of unimported and misfolded precursor proteins. CHIP is part of the larger Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS). Despite its significance, CHIP's interactions and substrates in plants are poorly understood. The goal of my research is to (1) identify CHIP interactors and substrates in plants, using techniques like affinity purification, proximity labeling, and proteomics; (2) study the structural organization of these complexes and their interactions with substrates through structural mass spectrometry; and (3) determine how these complexes interact with the proteasome using cryo-electron microscopy. This research sheds light on an inadequately understood system crucial for chloroplast regulation and various biological processes. It also lays the foundation for studying the UPS in important plant models. Ultimately, this work indirectly contributes to enhancing crop resilience against diseases and heat stress, which is increasingly relevant in the context of global warming.

Mots clés : proteasome, chloroplasts, protein homeostasis, mass spectrometry

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet FusoLipo-LFA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

In this fellowship, I will leverage recent advances in membrane-fusion-based biosensor technologies to develop an extraction-free, multiplexed lateral flow assay (LFA) for rapid, home-based viral RNA detection. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical limitations in virus diagnostics, with antigen-based kits lacking sensitivity and specificity, while RT-qPCR tests, though accurate, are slow, resource-intensive, and impractical for widespread deployment—highlighting the urgent need for field-deployable molecular assays that deliver reliable results. Given the coexistence of multiple respiratory viruses, multiplexed detection is also crucial. This project aims to combine my expertise in membrane-fusion-based biosensor design with Professor Dame Molly Stevens' (University of Oxford) expertise in LFA-based biosensors to create a multiplex LFA system for viral RNA detection using membrane fusion approach. The system will first employ cell-mimetic fusogenic lipid vesicles (FusoLipo) encapsulating CRISPR toolkits, facilitating viral membrane fusion, RNA capture, and CRISPR-mediated detection. By utilizing two types of FusoLipo, the platform can simultaneously detect influenza A (H1N1) and SARS-CoV-2 without the need for complex RNA extraction, minimizing contamination risks. Once the vesicle’s cargo is applied to the LFA, catalytic nanoparticles (Nanozyme) will amplify the signal at the detection bands, increasing sensitivity. This platform ultimately provides a accurate, and user-friendly solution for home-based multiplexed viral RNA detection. Through this fellowship, I will gain access to specialized expertise and cutting-edge facilities in lipid vesicle formulation, molecular technology, LFA development, and inorganic materials synthesis in the Stevens group, alongside advanced instrumentation to characterize vesicles at the single-particle level and further study virus-FusoLipo membrane fusion, significantly advancing my capabilities in diagnostic biosensor innovation.

Mots clés : membrane fusion lipid vesicle lateral flow assay nanozyme multiplexed viral rna detection crispr cas technology nanodiagnostics virus detection point of care testing

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet Multi-R-NPs (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

My research aims to advance drug delivery by developing multi-silencing polymerized RNA nanoparticles (Multi-R-NPs) for customized treatments across a wide range of diseases, using engineered microneedles to enhance efficacy. This versatile platform can be adapted for applications such as stem cell differentiation and biosensing, with immediate potential to treat fibrotic diseases like cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis, reducing preventable mortality and improving patient quality of life. Therapeutic transdifferentiation of cardiac fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells could address the limitations of conventional cardiac fibrosis therapies, which typically only manage symptoms and do not prevent the progression of the disease. However, current transdifferentiation strategies face challenges such as low transfection efficiency, uncontrolled gene expressions, and immune responses to viral vectors. This proposal aims to develop multi-silencing polymerized RNA nanoparticles (Multi-R-NPs) through rolling circle transcription (RCT) to enable unique combination therapies that synergize multiple nucleic acid therapeutics. Moreover, to minimize the side effects of untargeted delivery and overcome barriers to cardiac delivery, we will use microneedles to enable local Multi-R-NP transfection. I anticipate that combining two state-of-the-art technologies, RCT and microneedles, will enable the delivery of synergistic nucleic acid therapeutics and promote more optimal cardiac repair through efficient transdifferentiation. During my fellowship at the University of Oxford in Professor Dame Molly Stevens’ lab, I will apply precise control polymerization of therapeutic RNAs and formulate multi-layered polyplex structures. The strong collaborative networks with the British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence and the co-supervision of Prof. Stevens and Prof. Riley will bring out the full translational potential of this project.

Mots clés : nucleic acid engineering, rolling circle transcription, cardiac fibrosis, transdifferentiation, microneedle, cardiac organoid

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet ARFMW (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) adopted by the European Union recognizes biological treatment processes as sustainable and cost-effective solutions for pollutant removal from wastewater, thereby mitigating ecological damage. However, there is a growing awareness that the biological units within wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as hotspots for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which presents significant health risks. Preventing the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) while maintaining the wastewater treatment efficiency is a great challenge for WWTPs. ARFMW project focuses on functional microbes in WWTPs, which are not only pivotal to pollutant degradation but also potential reservoirs for ARGs. Our objective is to employ a multidisciplinary approach that integrates ecological and engineering principles with cutting-edge multi-omics analyses and molecular techniques, to elucidate the AMR characteristics of functional microbes and their impact on wastewater treatment. Hosted by the Water Technology group, Aarhus University, under the supervision of Prof. Barth F. Smets, I will expand my core research skills in microbial technology and water engineering to operate lab-scale bioreactor for investigating the relationship between the spread of ARGs in functional microbes and the performance of wastewater treatment. During the secondment at University of Helsinki, Finland, under the guidance of Prof. Marko Virta, I will gain complementary skills in advanced molecular techniques (epicPCR) to identify comprehensive host information of specific ARGs. Additionally, this project will augment my transferable skills such as project management, communication and leadership, thereby propelling me to become a mature researcher. ARFMW will also engage with the public to raise awareness about AMR; anticipated results will aid Europe in optimizing its wastewater-based AMR surveillance plan for regional sustainable development regarding clean water.

Mots clés : antibiotic resistance genes args , host, functional microbes, wastewater treatment plants wwtps , multi omics, nitrogen removal

Participants :
- Université d'Helsinki (Finlande) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université d'Aarhus (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 263393.28 €
Projet A-PISCES (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The exploration and responsible exploitation of geothermal resources requires accurately mapping and monitoring crustal fracture networks and fluids. Fractures provide the permeable pathways required for efficient energy production and knowledge of their subsurface distribution is necessary for optimal well placement. Locating supercritical fluids offer opportunities for enhanced energy production and identifying volcanic brines yield opportunities for the extraction of critical energy metals. Considering that drilling operations are the primary cost for geothermal projects, identifying such economically viable targets in advance of drilling activities is key to minimising financial risk. Fractures also play a significant role in induced seismic hazards as they decrease rock strength and provide hydraulic connections between fluid injection/extraction sites and faults that can be triggered by pore pressure perturbations. Clearly, characterising subsurface conditions is fundamental to geothermal exploration. To this end, seismic imaging is a well-established tool for constructing models of the subsurface. However, current methods face two important challenges/opportunities. (1) They neglect directionally-dependent material properties (i.e. anisotropy) created by the alignment of crustal fractures in response to the local stress field. This information is not only relevant for mapping fracture densities and fluid flow pathways but, if unaccounted for, can misguide interpretation of crustal properties. (2) Commonly applied imaging methods lack robust uncertainty quantification which hinders accurate model interpretation. My project, A-PISCES, addresses these issues by implementing a novel probabilistic approach to building seismic models of crustal reservoirs. This method will be developed and tested using data collected across the Hengill geothermal field (Iceland) providing a new view into geothermal fracture networks and their role in induced seismic hazards.

Mots clés : seismic imaging

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet CICERO_cDC1 (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The engulfment of dead cells by type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) is essential to maintain tolerance to self-antigens and to induce immunity to infected or malignant cells. cDC1s have the unique ability to engulf dead cells, in contrast to the closely related cDC2s. Moreover, uptake of apoptotic cells induces cDC1 maturation and serves as their key source of antigens. However, we still do not understand which receptors on cDC1s are involved in the recognition and internalisation of dead cell corpses and whether these receptors differ depending on the type of cell death (e.g. apoptosis vs necrosis) that led to corpse formation. Remarkably, our preliminary data indicates that cDC1s, unlike macrophages, 1) do not express many of the classical or canonical engulfment receptors, 2) they tend to nibble pieces from dead cells and 3) are able to ingest parts of live cells. Hence, in the proposed work, I aim to characterise live, apoptotic and necrotic cell engulfment by cDC1s and its phosphatidylserine-dependency using novel reagents and state-of-the-art instrumentation such as high-resolution live cell microscopy. Furthermore, I will use a validated CRISPR-editing protocol and establish a CRISPR screen with both primary and immortalized cDC1 cell lines to discover which receptors on cDC1s are necessary for the engulfment of live, apoptotic and/or necrotic cells. Lastly, I will interrogate in vivo the role of key cDC1-dependent phagocytic receptors in a tumour and tolerance model using novel markers for DC maturation that I identified during my PhD. Altogether, the work in this proposal will elucidate a long-standing question in the DC and phagocytosis field, contribute to our knowledge on how cDC1s mediate anti-tumour immunity and tolerance, and may open new strategies to improve anti-tumour immunity and tolerance to self.

Mots clés : dendritic cells dc activation cell engulfment engulfment receptors crispr screen anti tumour immunity tolerance

Participants :
- Institut Francis Crick (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet GDRJEWS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project offers an examination of the German Democratic Republic's (GDR) contacts with Jewish organizations, communities, and individuals in non-socialist countries that took place as of the 1950s until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, as an essential component in the development of an East German notion of “coming to terms with the past” (Vergangenheitsbewältigung). The project is the first to set the primary focus on Jewish communities of different types as a target group of the GDR international relations. By initiating these contacts, the GDR developed distinctive political and ideological approaches to dealing with the National Socialist past, different from those developed in the Federal Republic. Throughout the 40-year existence of the GDR exchange with Jews and Israelis was influenced by the East German stance towards Zionism as well as by geopolitical dynamics of the Cold War and the Soviet Union's interests in the Middle East conflict. This research project aims to fill a significant gap in the existing body of knowledge on contemporary German and European post-1945 history. The project also unveils a multitude of reactions from Jewish and Zionist players in response to the East German political approach towards its own history, Jews, Zionism, and Israel. Importantly, this project introduces fresh perspectives on the concept of "coming to terms with the past," particularly in light of the contemporary surge of right-wing populist trends in Germany and Europe.

Mots clés : national socialism, cold war, germany, israel, gdr, zionism, german jewish relations, anti fascism

Participants :
- Université de Vérone (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 188590.08 €
Projet Alt History (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This project challenges our understanding of the core canonical period of German literary and philosophical historiography (1770-1830) by asking: what concept of literature emerged in the period, and why were some authors and philosophically engaged figures marginalised through processes of canonisation, whilst others were not? This was a transformational period in German literary and philosophy culture, featuring major figures such as Goethe, Schiller, Kant, and Fichte, and these names continue to determine the narratives of the period in both fields. Through a series of three case studies, the first on social cultures of emotion, the second on gendered networks of philosophy, and the third on local canons, this project will examine the social and material contexts of literature and philosophy and ask how they influenced later processes of canonisation. I will integrate a wide variety of methodological approaches, including sociological concepts of networks imported into literary studies, and methods from book history and intellectual history. These will be used to interrogate the agency of individual mediators – readers and publishers, among others – in the development of literature and philosophy. The project will argue for a more nuanced understanding of what is understood by literature and philosophy in the period. I will specifically argue that examining literary sociability opens up other overlooked contexts that are obscured by canonisation and the master narratives that develop subsequent to the period. The fellowship will provide me with expertise in a variety of fields to expand on my background in literary studies: I will develop specialisms in the history of philosophy and in gender studies, and so will gain an interdisciplinary perspective on German studies. It will furnish me with the publication record that will allow me to apply for permanent positions (associate professorships) in academia in the UK.

Mots clés : the long eighteenth century german literature german philosophy canon formation literature and philosophy as socially mediated phenomena

Participants :
- Université de Vérone (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet SN-DIVE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are the explosive luminous deaths of accreting white dwarfs (WD) in binaries. They play a vital role in chemical enrichment, galaxy feedback, and were instrumental in the discovery of dark energy, as our most mature cosmological probe. However, next to these "normal" and cosmologically useful SNe Ia, a surprising diversity in WD explosions has been revealed, with a much wider-than-expected range in luminosities, light-curve timescales and spectral properties. These "peculiar" events indicate that there are multiple ways a WD can explode and contaminate pure cosmological SNe Ia samples. A promising path to relate these peculiar explosions with the numerous proposed theoretical models is by investigating their host galaxies and estimating the ages of their underlying stellar systems, as different progenitor scenarios involve different timescales that control the production rate of these events. The aim of this action is to outline the variety and resolve the origins of these extreme SNe Ia. I will use the current state-of-the-art "discovery transient machine", the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), to compile the largest homogeneous sample of peculiar SNe Ia, characterise their population properties and host galaxy parameters, determine the ages of their progenitors and link them to theoretical progenitor channels. By the end of this action, I will provide a detailed map of the SNe Ia diversity that will help decontaminate next-generation cosmological experiments, such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), and offer a significant advancement in understanding how a WD explodes.

Mots clés : supernovae, white dwarfs, optical astronomy

Participants :
- Université de Lancaster (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet CHIC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Magnetic molecules are at the forefront of the next technological revolution, offering the unique possibility to control and manipulate quantum spin states at the nanoscale. However, although long relaxation times have been achieved up to 80 K, there are currently no practical ways to initialize molecular spins in a pure quantum state, e.g. the fully polarized one. This is a critical roadblock to the development of any application based on magnetic molecules. Chiral phonons hold the potential to provide new ways to manipulate spin states by exchanging angular momentum, which in turn can be pumped into the vibrations degrees of freedom through circularly polarized THz light. Although this proposal for controlling spin has been experimentally demonstrated for condensed-matter systems like 2D materials, evidence for molecules still needs to be provided. At the same time, the understanding of this process is still minimal, and there is no first principles evidence on how chiral phonons emerge in a material and how they influence spin dynamics. CHIC will break new ground in this emerging field by delivering the first fully ab initio investigation of chiral phonons in molecular materials, going from showing its origin in spin-phonon coupling, to quantitatively predicting the efficiency of spin population pumping through THz light, and individuating novel chemical strategies towards the enhanced control of spin polarization. The project builds on the synergy between my previous experience with chiral chemical systems, molecular magnetism, and electronic structure theory, and the expertise of Prof. Lunghi, the supervisor, on ab initio spin relaxation and open quantum systems dynamics. Thanks to this orthogonal knowledge transfer and a comprehensive set of training activities, I will be able to make a long-lasting contribution to the field of molecular quantum technologies with far-reaching consequences for the establishment of a quantum industry in the EU.

Mots clés : molecular magnets, vibronic coupling, chirality, spin relaxation, coordination compounds

Participants :
- Trinity College (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 252728.64 €