Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet JAM-HAS-IT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy, and a leading cause of death. Although molecular technologies have led to new therapeutic targets for breast cancer, much remains to be done to reduce its societal and economic impact. This project focuses on an emerging cancer drug target – Junctional Adhesion Molecule-A (JAM-A), an adhesion protein that Dr Hopkins (Supervisor; RCSI) and others have implicated in breast cancer. This proposal centres around recent data suggesting that JAM-A controls the expression of HER2 and HER3, key tyrosine kinases associated with aggressive breast cancer. I will test the novel hypothesis that combining a JAM-A antagonist and an anti-HER2/HER3 drug (Pertuzumab) exerts synergistic anti-tumour effects in breast cancer settings. This will be accomplished by: Testing the combination of a JAM-A antagonist and an anti-HER2/HER3 antibody for anti-tumor efficacy in 2D and 3D models of breast cancer in vitro; Using chick embryo xenograft assays (cell line-based and patient-derived xenograft-based) to test the combination of a JAM-A antagonist and an anti-HER2/HER3 antibody in vivo; Identifying new JAM-A antagonists and test them for synergism with an anti-HER2/HER3 antibody in breast cancer settings;Validating a possible JAM-A-HER2/HER3 signalling axis in breast cancer patient datasets and samples. Combining an innovative, multi-faceted approach, and offering an academic multidisciplinary environment which will both complement my industrial skills and enable me to transfer valuable industry-centred knowledge, this project presents a wealth of opportunities to enhance by career prospects and enable a transition back to academia. As there are currently no anti-JAM-A drugs on the market or in clinical trials, this is a timely and important project which will give valuable new translatable knowledge into the treatment of certain aggressive breast cancer phenotypes.

Mots clés : breast cancer, tight junction, junctional adhesion molecule a, jam a, her2, her3, antagonist, pertuzumab, peptide synthesis, perjeta, 3 dimensional cell culture, organoids, chick embryo xenograft

Participants :
- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215534.4 €
Projet AURORAS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Urogenital neoplasms, common in middle-aged patients, cause pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction. limited access to specialized services for urogenital cancer survivors (UGCS), necessitating alternative ways. Using a mixed-methods design and participatory design approach, this project will integrate 3 studies and aim to develop a web-based sexual health support program (WBSHP) based on survivors’ unmet psychosexual needs and to determine its acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy in managing pelvic pain and sexual function difficulties, ultimately intended to promote pelvic, mental, and sexual health and QoL in UGCS and their partners. Study 1 is a systematic literature review, following PRISMA guidelines, and will inform studies 2 and 3. Aims to summarize existing literature on online and e-mental and sexual health care services for promoting pelvic, mental, and sexual health of UGCS. Study 2 is a qualitative thematic analysis, conducted via in-depth interviews with a group of UGCS and their partners with maximum variation and focus groups with health care providers to explore the impact of UG cancers on survivors’ QoL and their unmet psychosexual care needs and to develop an evidence-based intervention program, integrated with the systematic literature review results, tailored to their needs. Study 3 is a pilot study assessing the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a co-developed WBSHP intervention (AURORAS) among UGCS and their partners. Eligible participants, recruited from 3 research sites in Iran, after ethical approval, informed consent, and pre-test assessment will be randomized to either the experimental group receiving intervention (N = 30) or the waiting list group receiving treatment as usual (N = 30). Mid-test, post-test assessments, and follow-up at 3 months after program completion will be conducted. The waiting list group will receive AURORAS access and the same treatment protocol after 8 weeks of randomization.

Mots clés : sexual dysfunction, urogenital neoplasm, neoplasm, cancer, pelvic, internet interventions

Participants :
- Institut de Recherche et d’Innovation en Santé de l’Université de Porto (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 207183.12 €
Projet cryoDerm (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. It has a variety of functions and it is organized in three different layers, the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, all three of which have a different anatomy and function. The epidermis itself is also composed of several layers divided from the inside to the outside and these layers illustrate the various stages of keratinocyte differentiation, which is the process by which the basal layer proliferates and produces new cells that will differentiate towards the skin’s surface. Skin integrity is maintained by the relationship between keratinocytes and the specialized matrix of lipids they are embedded in. This project will use state-of-the-art cryo-focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy lift-out milling and cryo-electron tomography of natively preserved skin tissue to obtain insights into the ultrastructural organization of the epidermis. More specifically we aim to describe and quantify how the keratin microfilaments network is arranged throughout the skin layers and contributes to skin resilience and strength, and in what way this organization is correlated to the lipid formation and delivery. Our initial results reveal new insights into the architecture of the outermost skin layers, specifically their intermediate filaments organization and lipid layer organization to provide strength and separation between different cell layers, respectively. ISTA is the ideal research institute for this project, due to the abundant access to high-end electron microscopes necessary for this project achievement. The outcome of this will be a high resolution in situ structure architecture that will allow a better understanding of skin homeostasis. Results will be disseminated through key research conferences and high-impact open-access publications. Communication activities will be achieved through 3D rendered visual scientific illustrations targeting social media platforms and institute-organized public outreach events.

Mots clés : cryo electron microscopy cryo electron tomography cryo fibsem skin epidermis keratinization

Participants :
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 199440.96 €
Projet ForceDelivery (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Biophysical research over the last two decades has revealed that an impressive number of mechanical signals are key regulators of cell behavior. So far, the focus has been on understanding fundamental mechanosensing and transduction mechanisms in health and disease. As increasing numbers of molecular players and signalling pathways are identified, the time has come to utilize this knowledge for diagnosing and treating diseases where mechanical processes play a role. In this proposal, I aim to target integrins to deliver reporter molecules and drugs to cells with a distinct mechanical phenotype. Integrins are transmembrane receptors through which cells can sense, transmit and discriminate biomechanical forces. During cell adhesion and migration, integrins engage with specific ligands in the extracellular matrix and undergo integrin recycling through continuous endo- and exocytosis. This known endocytic pathway, integrin clustering during adhesion and overexpression in disease states has made integrins a prime target for drug delivery. However, the chemical and physical factors governing integrin-mediated uptake of drugs and their intracellular fate are unknown. I propose to utilize molecular force sensor (MFS) technology to deconvolute the key factors in integrin-mediated drug delivery. Using rational protein design, a series of coiled coil MFSs with distinct chemical (charge and hydrophobicity) and physical (mechanical and thermal stability) properties will be produced. The molecular constructs will be appended with the integrin-targeting RGD motif, a fluorescent protein to investigate the intracellular fate and an actin-binding protein as a model drug that may potentially interfere with the cytoskeleton architecture. This MFS-based drug delivery system will enlighten the pivotal factors of integrin-mediated delivery, provide a diagnostic assay for discriminating cells based on their mechanical phenotype and open up the road towards mechano-targeted drug delivery.

Mots clés : mechanobiology, drug delivery, mechano targeting, fusion protein, integrins, molecular force sensor, coiled coil, biomolecular design, fluorescence

Participants :
- Université de Linz (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183600.96 €
Projet PURAQUA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not effective in removing substances from our daily basis, acting as the main release point of Contaminants of Emerging Concerns (CECs), Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (ARB) and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) to the environment. Aligned with sustainable development goals, recently, the European Commission approved minimum requirements at the European level to reuse safely treated wastewater as an alternative source for irrigation to cope with water scarcity. PURAQUA aims to enhance wastewater treatment efficiency at a lower cost by developing photoactive membranes with antifouling properties, through additive manufacturing, that can be applied as a post-treatment process after the conventional WWTPs. This challenge will be tackled by: i) producing new highly active and stable photoactive catalysts; ii) preparing antifouling membranes by addictive manufacturing; and iii) designing and developing a prototype reactor for wastewater treatment at continuous flow. The proper design and fabrication of 3D printed photoactive membranes will allow the generation of reactive species at the membrane surface for the oxidation of persistent pollutants, enhancing the water permeability at higher and more constant permeate flux with an impact on the treatment cost.

Mots clés : wastewater treatment processes contaminants of emerging concern membrane filtration photocatalysts additive manufacturing

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut de Recherche et d’Innovation en Santé de l’Université de Porto (Portugal) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université d'Aveiro (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172618.56 €
Projet Ship Clones (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Ship Clones: Characterization and search for biomarker of marine transmissible cancers Clonally transmissible cancers are cell clones that are transmitted between individuals via the transfer of living cancer cells. There are only three known types of naturally occurring clonally transmissible cancers, one of which is a disseminated neoplasia (DN) found in marine bivalves. DN is a leukemia-like cancer characterized by the proliferation of hypertrophied cells. In later stages of the disease, these cells spread throughout all tissues destroying their normal architecture and causing the death of their host organism. A polyphyletic origin of the DN has been detected in the common cockle Cerastoderma edule. DN has appeared on at least six different occasions and the six clones currently known coexist in cockle populations of the European Atlantic coast. In the present proposal high resolution lipidomics and proteomics will be used to screen for clonal biomarkers of DN and help to better understand the biological systems of transmissible cancers. Marine transmissible cancers are interesting biological models to better understand cancer transmissibility and metastasis. Marine clones likely ship using ocean currents to colonize new hosts in different regions. It is likely that they may also be unintentionally introduced by the action of man in disease-free regions. Hence, these cancers represent a potential threat for marine ecosystems, as they negatively impact keystone species (bivalves), that also have important socio-economic value for fisheries. As such, it is paramount to successfully identify, monitor and characterize the prevalence of clonal DN in marine bivalves, before any successful prevention and mitigation actions can be applied.

Mots clés : transmissible cancer, disseminated neoplasia, marine cancer, cokles, cerastoderma edule, shellfish

Participants :
- Université d'Aveiro (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 156778.56 €
Projet ProDNA-Nano (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

WHY: The detection of specific proteins that are overexpressed in different types of cancers is critical for early diagnosis and targeted cancer screening. Existing methods for quantifying these clinically-relevant proteins, including the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), have the disadvantage of being a multi-step, reagent-intensive and laboratory-bound process which result in relatively high costs, limiting its applicability at the point of care. To overcome these limitations, new methods and approaches are urgently needed. WHAT: ProDNA-Nano aims to address this need with the development and characterization of a general class of cell-free DNA-based systems that can be used to quantify different cancer-related proteins through electrochemical and optical methods to maximize the versatility and applicability of the technology. Specifically, the innovative cell-free system developed in this project couples the specificity of protein-ligand binding with the high sensitivity of RNA-based detection, thus providing a versatile and efficient platform for protein quantification. Moreover, the proposed system will allow to quantitatively measure different protein concentrations directly in biological media in an orthogonal fashion, with reduced complexity and cost and rapid turnaround time. The modular nature of the system will also allow its adaptation to a wide range of targets, thus making it a versatile nucleic acid-based tool. HOW: Through a multidisciplinary approach, I will receive training in molecular biology, optical/electrochemical biosensors, and DNA nanotechnology. Prof. Ricci's group at the University of Rome Tor Vergata (UNITOV) offers extensive expertise in these areas, being at the forefront of DNA nanotechnology and biosensors development. Thanks to this MSC Fellowship, I will diversify my scientific knowledge and acquire cutting-edge competences as well as complementary skills, which will become the foundation of my scientific independence.

Mots clés : biosensors, cell free dna based systems, electrochemistry, optical read out, nucleic acid chemistry, point of care tools, dna, rna

Participants :
- Université de Rome « Tor Vergata » (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 193643.28 €
Projet TeraExc (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

At present, mobile networks and emerging wireless technologies (internet of things etc.) require broadband channels to exchange rapidly a huge amount of data. The usage of frequencies from 0.1 to 10 THz has potential to increase the state-of-the-art high speeds by 2 orders of magnitude. However, despite the latest advancements in THz technology, we still lack proper materials to realize suitable THz photonic components. This project aims to understand principles of designing THz devices based on carbon nanostructures integrated into a monolithic flexible and durable substrate. The route to harnessing THz radiation for compact devices is seen in the usage of carbon nanostructures as building blocks for detectors, emitters etc. Such carbon nanostructures, as nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons, exhibit unique electronic and optical properties that make them very promising candidates for THz components. However, carbon nanotube and nanoribbon monolithic on-chip integration is challenging because it may results in significant change of their intrinsic properties after an embedment into a substrate. We propose to investigate with first principles and theoretical methods the successful routes of such integration and calculate electronic and optical properties of the integrated structures. We shall model such systems with 2D graphene superlattices. In these structures, quasi-metallic and dielectric regions can be alternated, for instance, either by selective hydrogenation of graphene or by embedment of boron nitride regions. The project will focus on (i) spin-orbit interactions and the topological edge states at interfaces; (ii) topological singularities in optical matrix element and (iii) excitonic effects. This project has a significant impact in THz technology and wireless communications. Its success can lead to the realization of ultrafast wireless networks for multi-user environment. The potential benefits can ensure EU leadership in the global telecom market.

Mots clés : ab initio calculations, dft, tddft, many body perturbation theory, green s function, quasiparticles, gw approximation, optical properties, bethe salpeter equation

Participants :
- Université de Rome « Tor Vergata » (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 188590.08 €
Projet DiShape (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Research on displaced people is often reduced to the vocabularies and imaginaries of the nation-state and multilateral and international humanitarian organisations. This research seeks to open up new perspectives in studying displaced people by moving beyond institutionalised (and fragmented) definitions and instead probing deeper into their differentiated experiences under differentiated regimes. The need for new perspectives becomes urgent as conflicts multiply and displacements of various communities are prolonged while simultaneously, the scope of asylum becomes narrower. Given this socio-political background, the project seeks to foreground a specific cadre of displaced people: those carrying out (in)formal roles in humanitarian organisations. Their mobilisation will be examined through the lens of brokerage to uncover how they are not just intermediaries or by-products of a volatile situation but rather disruptive and (re)constructive forces in a field that is in flux. To do so, a mixed methods approach that combines participant observation with elite interviews and focus groups will be applied in the case of Afghan and Syrian ‘displaced brokers’ in Turkey. This study will make three key contributions: (1) through a detailed study of the dynamic between ‘displaced brokers’ and humanitarian organisations, it will produce new data on contemporary mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion of displaced people under the differentiated protection regimes in Turkey, (2) it will make a theoretical contribution to knowledge about the transformative capacity of brokerage by linking the distinctive attributes of the contemporary Turkish refugee governance and global humanitarian mechanisms to the context of different groups emerging from different conflict contexts (3) it will provide policy-relevant analysis to reveal the role of displaced brokers as aid agents, prompting policy acknowledgement to streamline their brokering within humanitarian processes.

Mots clés : forced migration, displaced people, brokerage, humanitarian organisations, turkey, displaced syrians, displaced afghans

Participants :
- Université de Leeds (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet FESSA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

"Fabrication and Evaluation of SpinFET for Spintronics Applications” (FESSA) is a project that aims to demonstrate a miniaturized, low-power, and contact resistance engineered spin Field Effect Transistor (spin-FET) with a channel formed from a topological insulator (TI) rather than a conventional semiconductor material. Besides the opportunity for original results in materials science device physics, and it provides an innovative approach suitable for integrating into spintronic-CMOS hybrid circuits that address the need for low loss electronics to mitigate climate change. FESSA will use an interdisciplinary approach with multi-physics concepts to achieve a compact design with potential performance suitable for instrumentation systems for low noise, highly sensitive, rf/microwave, and mixed signal measurements/detection. The spin-transistor action will be achieved using gating effects to modify the spin transport properties of the TI channel between ferromagnetic (FM) source and drain contacts. FESSA will be achieved using high quality films deposited using the multi-chamber Royce deposition system (one of its kind) for efficient interface engineering, achieving low impedance mismatch at a TI/FM interface with high spin transparency. The fabrication of spin-FET will be achieved using Leeds Nanotechnology Cleanroom facility of ISO 5 (class 100) containing a range of state-of-the-art equipment to suit micro and nano-fabrication. Spin-FET action will depend critically on the TI/FM interfaces, and will be optimised electrical characterization with various geometries using the phenomenon of spin Hall effect and its inverse (STFMR, SHE, ISHE, non-local & AC/DC measurements, and GHz probe station measurement system). FESSA will have widespread implications in the field of high-speed operation capabilities and in the development of new hardware-based quantum and microwave devices with advanced device properties.

Mots clés : spin field effect transistor topological insulator

Participants :
- Université de Leeds (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €