Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet HECoW (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

HECoW's aims are to quantify and qualify an observed increase in domestic consumption in early modern Iceland (1750-1900) in order to assess the effects new household material culture had on gender relations and the wellbeing of families. This will be achieved through an truly interdisciplinary, historical and archaeological, methodology applied to two different data sources: historical probate inventories and artefact assemblages from archaeological excavations. These sources will provide information on what new materials were consumed by families during this period, how their introduction and spread varied across the social spectrum, from poorer labourers to land owning farmers, and how they were distributed through time. The project will be supervised by Prof. Lucas, who is a leading thinker in archaeological theory and practice. His supervision will provide the applicant with new abilities in archaeological analysis and increase her confidence in interpretation and communication of archaeological data. Specifically, his expertise in materially focused approaches and relational archaeology will guide the candidate in the application of the project's central theoretical concept of "household ecology" through which the affects of new material culture on gender relations and the wellbeing of households will be assessed. The project's co-supervisor is Prof. Jónsson, who will train the applicant in historical approaches and the quantitative and qualitative analysis of probate inventories. Prof. Jónsson is an expert in Icelandic medieval and late medieval history and has studied Icelandic probate inventories and their use in historical research. His guidance will supply the applicant with new transferable skills in historical research, which will increase her employability and competence as a researcher. The University of Iceland will provide a stimulative research environment and the necessary facilities to carry out this research successfully.

Mots clés : archaeology, history, probate inventories, material culture, consumption, household ecology, gender relations, wellbeing

Participants :
- University of Iceland (Islande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191325.6 €
Projet 3DviralRNA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

HIV infections cause 1.2Mi deaths/year worldwide at steadily-increasing rates, partly because of antiretroviral resistance and the impossibility of eradicating latent viruses. To expand our understanding of HIV pathogenesis, we need to unravel all molecular mechanisms involved in HIV progression. Large viral and human RNAs are emerging as key players in HIV infection. To characterize such RNAs, I will employ an integrated structural biology approach complemented by biochemical and functional assays in vitro and in vivo and I will address two fundamental questions: 1. How does the structure of HIV genomic RNA regulate HIV infectivity? HIV genomic RNA regulates nuclear export, packaging, splicing, and translation of viral proteins. 3D structures are known for short motifs (<200 nt), e.g. TAR and RRE. Such motifs are part of 11 larger domains (>400 nt), whose structures are unknown but conserved across HIV strains suggesting functional importance. We will study domain 2 (450 nt), which encompasses the gag-pol frameshifting motif and is crucial for correct protein synthesis. Our work will offer unprecedented insights into the structural complexity of the genome of an RNA virus. 2. How does the structure of human long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect the host-cell response to HIV infection? HIV infections alter expression of human lncRNAs, e.g. HOTAIR, which regulate Polycomb chromatin remodeling enzymes, e.g. PRC1/PRC2, favoring epigenetic silencing and latency of HIV genes. Interactions between HOTAIR and PRC1/PRC2 are not well characterized at the molecular level. We will study HOTAIR domain 1 (530 nt), which interacts with PRC1/PRC2 and regulates their cellular action. Such work will reveal novel mechanisms of epigenetic gene-silencing that induce HIV latency. By revealing molecular details of HIV and human RNAs, our study will enrich our understanding of HIV infectivity, potentially opening new ways for future therapies against RNA viruses.

Mots clés : integrated structural biology, rna crystallography, viral host cell interactions, long non coding rnas, human immunodeficiency virus

Participants :
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 159460.8 €
Projet Homeothermic Self (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

HOMEOTHERMIC SELF builds upon well-established behavioural and neuroimaging methodologies of multisensory integration and recent interoceptive theories to investigate the role of temperature perception in body ownership. The maintenance of optimal body temperature is a survival requirement for all homeothermic mammals, including humans. Temperature has been re-defined as an interoceptive modality, since it provides information about the internal state of the body. Interoceptive signals seem to be integrated with exteroceptive signals from the whole body in the anterior insula to give rise to body awareness, but neuroimaging evidence is still sparse. My first objective is to elucidate the role of visuo-thermal, interoceptive congruency to the sense of body ownership by means of a bodily illusion, i.e. Rubber Hand Illusion, RHI. Next, I aim to investigate the specific contribution of temperature signals to the sense of body ownership by eliciting the RHI using heat lamps, which allow to specifically activate thermal skin receptors. Finally, I will use fMRI to reveal the neural mechanisms responsible for the integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals. This project can offer a unique insight into the process that gives rise to a coherent multisensory awareness of the body. As such, it will provide fundamental advance in the fields of body representation, interoception, consciousness and multisensory research. In light of my previous clinical experience, I anticipate that the results might have important implications for neurological and psychiatric conditions characterised by lack of body awareness (e.g. right-hemisphere stroke and eating disorders). My research background in interoception and body awareness combined with the excellent environment of Karolinska Institute, and Prof. Ehrsson expertise in multisensory integration and neuroimaging methods, will provide the perfect synergy to enhance my skills and successfully complete the project.

Mots clés : body ownership, rubber hand illusion, interoception, thermoregulation, embodiment, insula, multisensory integration, functional magnetic resonance imaging, body awareness

Participants :
- Karolinska Institutet (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191852.16 €
Projet HYPERTHERM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

HYPERTHERM is a career-development project for an outstanding experienced researcher which will enable her to develop new ideas and prepare for an independent research career. In this context, HYPERTHERM will develop new materials for thermoelectric generators – devices which can generate electrical energy from waste heat. These devices have huge potential as part of the future sustainable European energy portfolio, but their deployment is currently limited by material toxicity, cost of production, scarcity of key elements (such as tellurium), and incompatibility of the materials with advanced manufacturing techniques such as printing. HYPERTHERM will investigate new thermoelectric materials, specifically hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites, which are solution processable (printable), abundant and low cost. These materials are well-known in their undoped form in solar cells, and there are good indications that their superb electrical and thermal properties are well-suited to thermoelectric applications. However, to become good thermoelectric materials, they must be electrically doped to increase their conductivity. The principle scientific aim of this proposal is therefore to learn how to control doping in these exciting materials to boost their thermoelectric performance. A successful outcome of HYPERTHERM will deliver new doped perovskite materials and a deeper understanding of their electronic and physical properties. It will train a very promising researcher in an emerging research field and provide her with the skills boost and enhanced independence she needs to become a research leader of the future.


Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet PERSOPASS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Halide perovskites solar cells are asserting themselves as possible alternative to the currently dominating Silicon based ones. Their low-cost, ease of production and the high power-conversion efficiency make them promising candidates for the next generation of solar cells. In the project PERSOPASS I will address the issue that most critically impede the advent of halide perovskite solar cells in the market: stability. Results on this subject are sparse and the reproducibility between groups is scarce. This is due to the significant influence of composition variations on perovskite properties and, also, to the lack of control of the precise (ppm) composition. I will use a straightforward microfluidic based strategy in which the composition of halide perovskite crystals is set by the contact with continuously flowing precursor or dopant solutions. Reaching a steady state, any dependence on the fabrication process will be removed. The specific configuration of this project will allow me to assess a large number of precisely controlled compositions in parallel. Together with the ability to characterize the optoelectronic properties on a microscopic scale, this experimental platform enables the drawing of a correlation between variation of composition and stability as well as doping. The hosting laboratory IPVF is a global leader in the development of advanced characterization methods with an outstanding expertise on hyperspectral luminescence and time-resolved fluorescence imaging, which will be extensively used during the action. I will contribute my expertise in microfluidics and on the self-healing chemical properties of halide perovskites. Beyond purely scientific objectives, this project also aims to provide industrially relevant strategies for damage mitigation which is essential for the widespread use of perovskite solar panels.

Mots clés : self healing halide perovskites chemical potential microfluidics stability intrinsic extrinsic doping steady state damage mitigation hyperspectral imaging time and space resolved measurements

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet ParaDinoInt (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are naturally occurring seasonal algal blooms which can have major negative impacts on human activities and health in coastal areas. While the factors triggering these high biomass blooms has received much attention in the last decades, far less is known about what causes blooms to terminate. Parasitoid infection of dinoflagellates may play a major role in the termination of HABs along the Balearic and Catalan coasts; however, very little is known about the biological or the biophysical mechanisms controlling parasitoid infection in dinoflagellates, nor how prevalent parasitoids are in natural dinoflagellate populations. The focus of this project is to unravel the interactions between parasitoids and dinoflagellates and the cellular and population levels to determine how parasitoids might be used to control HABs. I will accomplish this by: (1) studying the abundance of parasitoids and dinoflagellates of natural phytoplankton assemblages during bloom and non-bloom conditions in Cala Santanyí (Mallorca); (2) conducting a series of microfluidic experiments to study the biophysics, behaviors of and interactions between individual parasitoids, host cells, and healthy dinoflagellates; (3) modeling the interactions between dinoflagellates and parasitoids to determine the concentration of parasitoids necessary to control HABs along; and, (4) validating the model results using a series of microcosm experiments. By studying the biophysical and behavioral interactions between dinoflagellates and parasitoids at both individual- and population-based scales, the long-term goal of this project is to exploit these interactions as an effective, environmentally-friendly method to control HABs near the Balearic Islands and the Catalan coast.

Mots clés : microbiology, harmful algal blooms, microbial biophysics, population ecology, population modeling, parasitoid dinoflagellate interactions, mediterranean coast

Participants :
- Universitat de les Illes Balears (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet UNPACK PD-L1 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Harnessing the power of the immune system to treat cancer has long been a sought after goal of oncological research. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) blockade therapies, have now taken center stage. However not all patients respond, highlighting gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms of tumour immunosuppression. Upregulation of the PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) on tumour cells initiated this therapeutic direction, yet it is becoming clear that the modality of PD-L1-mediated immune suppression is not limited to the plasma membrane. Like many tumor cells, melanoma cells secrete small extracellular vesicles (EVs) with pro-tumorigenic properties. Melanoma EVs express PD-L1 that suppress T cell function and facilitate tumour growth in pre-clinical mouse models. This systemic mechanism is clinically relevant, as circulating EV-PD-L1 levels can stratify anti-PD-1 clinical responders from non-responders. Thus inhibiting EV-PD-L1 may increase anti-PD-1 efficacy and broaden the responder bracket. One plausible strategy would be to block tumor EV secretion, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms that drive PD-L1 loading and release. Herein, I intend to uncover the molecular mechanisms of EV PD-L1 release from melanoma cells using state-of-the-art optical and bioluminescent reporters to reveal novel druggable targets. This basic knowledge will be exploited to guide subsequent inhibition, through a drug screen for candidates that inhibit EV-PD-L1 release and restore T cell function. Ideally the outcome of this in vitro study will provide a strong rationale for combining anti-PD-1 agents with inhibitors of EV-PD-L1 secretion, to be tested in pre-clinical mouse models. If successful, melanoma EV blockade may remove the unanticipated bottlenecks that surround the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy. In the long term this study is meant to lay groundwork for tumor EV inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for cancer types beyond melanoma.

Mots clés : cancer, melanoma, immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, pd 1, pd l1, signal transduction, gpcr, receptor biology, kinase inhibitors, extracellular vesicles, exosomes

Participants :
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet GUIDES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Healthcare based on the best available clinical evidence can lead to better quality of care. Evidence-based guidelines are potentially important instruments, but clinicians often do not adhere to them. A computerised decision support system (CDSS) is a technology that uses patient-specific data to provide relevant medical knowledge at the point-of-care. It is considered to be an important quality improvement intervention and EU member states are recommended to prioritise investment in it. However, the significant investments do not consistently result in value for money due to content and implementation issues.This project aims to improve the impact of CDSS through better content wise development and optimised implementation. Our objectives are to (1) investigate the factors that determine successful CDSS implementation, (2) develop tools to address these factors and (3) validate the utility of these tools through the development of a tailored CDSS intervention. We also (4) develop a protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of the tailored CDSS intervention. We selected the conservative management of knee osteoarthritis as a prototype condition for the pilot. Ultimately, the better implementation of CDSS may lead to better informed decisions and improved care and patient outcomes for a wide range of conditions. This project integrates expertise from multiple scientific domains and builds upon the leading expertise from the consortium in major projects (GRADE, DECIDE, TICD). The planned research and training will lead the fellow to an essential new specialist role for the successful implementation of CDSS and will be the start of an international multidisciplinary career. The project is a response to the Horizon 2020 health priorities on transferring knowledge to clinical practice, individual empowerment for self-management of health, scalable innovation actions, better use of health data, treating chronic diseases, and active ageing.

Mots clés : chronic disease, decision support systems, patient participation, quality improvement

Participants :
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 208400.4 €
Projet VR-FIT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Hearing impairment is a common disease with a large impact on social interaction and psychosocial well-being. Partial rehabilitation is possible by providing hearing devices. The settings of hearing aids and cochlear implants have to be adjusted to fit individual needs. This fitting process normally takes place in the relatively quiet clinic or acoustician’s store, whereas hearing devices are most needed in noisy and reverberant situations in daily life. This mismatch may lead to inefficiency and suboptimal settings. Mainly because the current fitting process is based on trial-and-error: adjustments made in the clinic have to be evaluated in daily life, after which further adjustment (fine-tuning) is needed. Recent advances in virtual reality would allow for an accurate simulation of daily life situations in virtual environments (VEs) in the clinic. Using such VEs, adjustments could be tested immediately. It is hypothesized that using VEs makes the fitting process more efficient, allows for better counselling of the patient, and will lead to better final settings and a higher patient satisfaction. The proposed project aims to investigate these hypotheses. The work plan of the proposed project entails designing VEs for hearing device fine-tuning (thanks to the collaboration with University of Oldenburg, previously developed VEs can be used as a basis) and establishing the new fine-tuning procedure, in close collaboration with clinicians and patients to maximize the usability. Furthermore, an experiment is planned that compares the standard and new fine-tuning procedures between groups of hearing aid users and cochlear implant users. The project is unique by introducing VEs in a clinical setting to improve the outcome of the hearing rehabilitation process. It is also one of the few studies of the fitting process in both hearing-aid users and cochlear implant users, which is possible thanks to the unique patient population in the host institution, Erasmus MC.

Mots clés : audiology, hearing aids, cochlear implants

Participants :
- Erasmus MC (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175572.48 €
Projet SensBrain (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Hearing is an essential part of human life. We communicate through the voice, use sounds to navigate in the world and enjoy listening to music. On the other hand noise pollution in living and working environments causes serious health problems impacting millions of people and many neurological or psychiatric conditions are accompanied by sensory symptoms. The personality concept of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) describes a continuum from hyper- to hyposensitivity profiles even in the healthy population. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are unknown and an objective acoustic tool to assess auditory SPS is missing. This groundbreaking, interdisciplinary action will adress this gap by combining methods from cognitive and computational neuroscience, acoustics and psychology. I will compute mathematical models to characterize auditory performance, unravel the biological imprint of SPS using neuroimaging, and ultimately provide the scientific community with a much-needed acoustic battery to assess SPS differences objectively. Predictive coding, a general theory of neural function inspired by research in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and systems neuroscience, will provide the theoretical framework for the computational models. The interdisciplinary environment at the Center for Music in the Brain (MIB) at Aarhus University, has as its primary goal to investigate predictive coding of music. Therefore, it is the perfect location for this work and my training in psychology, auditory neurosciences and music make me the ideal person for this action. At MIB I will enhance my neuroscience (MEG), computational and programming skills. During a secondment at Oxford University I will extend the analyses to whole-brain approaches. Overall the action will foster my development as an indepent researcher capable of leading my own research group with groundbreaking potential for academia and industrial fields of application.

Mots clés : predictive coding, r package development, magnetencephalography, brain dynamics, brain network analysis, signal processing, sensory symptoms

Participants :
- Aarhus University (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 207312.0 €