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

The current proposal revolves around the dehydration induced state, anhydrobiosis - a survival strategy found among a range of life-forms in face of severe desiccation. Anhydrobiosis is defined by a reversible shut-down of metabolism (biostasis) and it seems to involve adaptations at all levels of organismic organization. The current proposal uses tardigrades as a model to gain novel insight into molecular signatures underlying this unique biological phenomenon. Several molecules have been implicated in the anhydrobiotic mechanism; however, so far studies have been returning contradictory results with respect to the differential expression of genes in pre- and post-anhydrobiotic phases. Interestingly, our preliminary, unpublished data from Møbjerg lab suggest that there could be lineage specific strategies to anhydrobiosis. Consequently, I will use transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) and ddPCR to reveal key-player genes and characterize functional pathways involved in i) different stages of anhydrobiosis of single tardigrade species and ii) between different evolutionary lineages within the phylum. The mentioned methods constitute the most important training element of my project. The overall goal of the proposal is to determine potential gene expression signatures for anhydrobiosis establishing a transcription profile that is i) characteristic of a particular physiological state and ii) that could possibly reflect the phylogenetic position of a taxon. My previous extensive experience on phylogenetic and molecular dating methods will, in this respect, be utilized to estimate the chronology of the possible diversification of anhydrobiosis within evolutionary lineages. My research will be conducted at the Møbjerg lab, which represents one of the world’s leading groups in the field of tardigrade biology. The group is situated at the Department of Biology, University Copenhagen, which is a superbly equipped institution with a high international profile.

Mots clés : cryptobiosis, tardigrades, desiccation, transcriptome analysis, differential expression analysis

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 200194.8 €
Projet BOICFT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The current theoretical description of the fundamental constituents of matter is the Standard Model of particle physics. Despite the unprecedented experimental verification, most of its predictive power is limited to the regime where particles interact weakly, hence impeding the study of bound states, such as baryons, where interactions are strong. This proposal aims to study suitable generalizations of these particle excitations – "baryonic" operators composed of a number N of fundamental fields at a common point in spacetime – in quantum field theories that possess conformal symmetry and admit a large-N limit. These conditions are essential for the methods used in this proposal, which are based on quantum integrability of the relevant theory and on techniques for analytic resummation of Feynman diagrams. The proposed research will extend in a non-trivial way the recent progress in solving correlation functions at finite coupling in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Specifically, we plan to advance the state of the art of integrability, in the form of the Quantum Spectral Curve formalism originally designed for two-point correlators, to describe a class of three-point correlators involving baryonic (also known as determinant or giant-graviton) operators. We also strive to achieve a finite-coupling description of baryonic correlators through an appropriate diagrammatical methodology. Specifically, we plan to realize this goal in the non-supersymmetric gamma-deformation of the Yang-Mills theory and, finally, to adapt it to the quantum mechanical model proposed by Sachdev, Ye and Kitaev. The complicated perturbative description of baryons is both the challenge and the novelty, compared to earlier works for single-trace operators in the same theories. This proposal details a plan for dissemination and communication of its results to specialists and the general public, as well as training for the benefit of the experienced researcher.

Mots clés : baryonic operators, cft correspondence, integrability, conformal field theory, feynman diagrams

Participants :
- Stockholm University (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191852.16 €
Projet G-Valve (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The currently available heart valve prostheses do not consist of living tissue and, hence, they cannot grow, repair, and remodel in response to changing demands. This restricts the use of valve replacements in pediatric patients, since they need multiple reoperations to accommodate somatic growth. Tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs) may be able to overcome this limitation due to their growth and remodeling potential. However, the exact growth and remodeling processes remain poorly understood, which has become evident in many pre-clinical studies where TEHVs lost their functionality over time due to adverse tissue remodeling. The goal of this proposal is to unravel the mechanisms of tissue growth in native valves and TEHVs by integrating advanced continuum mechanics and cell biology, in order to develop predictive models of valve growth that can guide and optimize tissue engineering of heart valves. To achieve this goal, I will first be trained in developing continuum models of valve growth in the lab of Dr. Kuhl at Stanford University, who is a leading expert in modeling soft tissue growth. Furthermore, I will be trained in cell biology and mechanobiology which will enable me to develop agent-based mechanobiological models as a driving mechanism for valve growth in the continuum models. I will use the obtained knowledge to analyze and predict growth of TEHVs in Europe. At this moment, mechanistic models of valve growth are not available. The models that I will develop during and after my training will provide crucial information for designing TEHVs with long-term functionality and growth potential, and will boost European excellence and competitiveness in the fields of biomechanics and tissue engineering. Moreover, the training that I will receive will significantly extend my scientific profile, and it will provide me the valuable international training at a prestigious academic institute that is required for pursuing an academic career in Europe.


Participants :
- Eindhoven University of Technology (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 174864.6 €
- Stanford University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet LateCPC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The cyclopropane ring is the 10th most commonly observed core in small-molecule drugs. This is due to the fact that cyclopropanes can positively influence metabolic stability, conformation, pKa, entropy, membrane permeability or pharmacokinetics in drug leads. The cyclopropane ring is often introduced in drug candidates at the early stages of the synthesis, however, the late-stage construction of multi-substituted cyclopropanes using C–H bonds as a functional group has not been developed yet. This concept promise to reach a “cyclopropanated” chemical space not possible by current strategies and that may impact how medicinal chemists will discover cyclopropane-based drugs that address unmet medical needs. LateCPC aims to develop an innovative technology to rapidly construct cyclopropanes from C–H bonds in feedstock and fine aromatic molecules as well as in complex drug molecules. Our approach will rely on the diazo activation of bespoke carbyne sources developed in the host group with metal catalysts, allowing the catalytic generation of metal-carbynoids. A key strength of this conceptually new and multidisciplinary proposal is the introduction of a secondment phase in Novartis (Basel) to explore real-life applications. The ambitious action merges perfectly the expertise of the host in novel C−H functionalization strategies based on the catalytic generation of innovative carbyne equivalents with the strong background of the applicant in metal-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost reactions, thus enhancing two-way transfer of knowledge between the ER and the host group. Successful development of this project will enable the ER to become a leader for the next generation in the field of chemical synthesis and late-stage functionalization techniques. The ER will be exposed to a wide range of cutting-edge chemistry and biomedical sciences in an interdisciplinary and international environment (ICIQ) that will aid the fellow’s competencies and cultivate him as independent researcher.

Mots clés : rh carbenes, hypervalent iodine reagents, diazo compounds, cyclopropenes, cyclopropanes, cyclopropenyl cations

Participants :
- Institut Català d'Investigació Química (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet MiMEtiC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The cytoskeleton plays a pivotal role in growth, development, and disease by sensing mechanical stress and mediating structural remodeling and cell functional responses. The cytoskeleton, which is linked directly to the nuclear lamina and thereby to chromatin, has recently been proposed to impact on chromatin remodeling and transcriptional activity. However, the mechanisms and biological consequences of force-dependent chromatin remodeling have remained elusive. Within this context main goals for my project are 1) to characterize nuclear rheology and stress transmission over the nuclear-cytoskeletal linkage, 2) to identify molecular mechanisms of force transmission into the nucleus and 3) to develop a numerical model of cell contractility and remodeling to systematically and quantitatively investigate the stress transmission to the nucleus to test my hypothesis that global force application to the nucleus can control nuclear mechanics, chromatin structure and transcriptional activity in a predictable, biologically meaningful way. This interdisciplinary project, integrating both cell/molecular biology of genome regulation and bioengineering, will advance our understanding of cellular mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, and carries therefore a strong transformative potential for discovering new strategies to mitigate many diseases where the interplay of mechanics and biochemistry are critical.

Mots clés : mechanobiology, cell mechanics, nuclear mechanics, cytoskeleton

Participants :
- Max Planck Society (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 114307.2 €
- University of Helsinki (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 57153.6 €
Projet EXO-EYE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The death and dysfunction of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) is a major cause of blindness in traumatic and degenerative ocular disease. For example, 60M people are affected by glaucoma with 4.5M becoming blind in both eyes, whilst optic neuritis affects 5/100,000 people and represents a significant problem for sufferers. RGC are the sole projection neurons and their axons make up the optic nerve, making them exquisitely sensitive to injury. As CNS neurons are irreplaceable, neuroprotective strategies are paramount to therapies aimed at preserving vision but as of yet, no such therapy exists. Current research has demonstrated significant neuroprotection by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) including those from the bone marrow (BMSC), acting not as replacements for RGC but rather, as paracrine-mediated support cells. Clinical trials are already ongoing to test their efficacy in patients. Despite this, the exact mechanism behind their neuroprotective potential is not well understood. Recent studies have shown that exosomes, extracellular vesicles containing proteins, mRNA and miRNA may mediate much of the paracrine support offered by MSC and thus act as an easily purifiable cell-free alternative therapy for RGC neuroprotection. This proposal aims to assess the therapeutic efficacy of BMSC-derived exosomes, their characterisation and that of their RNA cargo. We will test these exosomes in animal models of traumatic (optic nerve crush) and degenerative (glaucoma) eye disease. Specifically, this proposal employs a novel strategy to promote RGC survival (relevant to ONC and glaucoma) and axon regeneration (relevant to optic nerve crush) through the use of exosomal delivery of mRNA/miRNA into injured RGC utilizing in vitro and in vivo injury models, RNAseq and CRISPR technology.

Mots clés : neuroprotection, retinal neurons, optic nerve regeneration, glaucoma, mesenchymal stem cells

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 269857.8 €
- Government of the United States of America (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet DEEPADAPT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The deep-sea covers about two-thirds of the world’s ocean bottoms; yet, it is one of the least known environments of the planet. Given its harsh environmental conditions, life in high depths requires several specific metabolic adaptations. Surprisingly, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptation to such environments. Which and how many genes are involved in adaptation? What is the extent of convergent evolution across distantly related taxa? Brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) are a useful group of marine invertebrates to study for this purpose, as they are abundant in the deep-sea and they colonized this environment several times independently, thus highlighting their strong adaptive abilities. Here, I intend to investigate deep-sea adaptation using a comparative genomics approach and state of the art analytic tools. I will first use an existing dataset to examine adaptive protein evolution (genealogical discordance and positive selection), by comparing 400 genes across 800 species of shallow- and deep-water brittle stars spanning the entire Ophiuroidea diversity. I will then focus on five cryptic species complexes representative of the major bathymetric transitions, by analyzing >10,000 genes generated from exon-capture and focusing on specific candidate genes. Finally, I will investigate allele frequency shifts among depths for two species displaying a wide bathymetric range using a genome scan approach (generation of two high-quality reference genomes; whole genome resequencing for 120 individuals). With these three approaches spanning a wide phylogenetic range, I intend to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying deep-sea adaptation. This is of high importance because deciphering mechanisms of stress-driven adaptation may provide hints on the resilience of deep marine biodiversity to the ongoing environmental changes. Keywords: deep-sea; adaptation; phylogenomics; genome scan; positive selection; exon capture; Ophiuroidea; echinoderms

Mots clés : deep sea, adaptation, phylogenomics, genome scan, positive selection, exon capture, ophiuroidea, echinoderms

Participants :
- Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 270918.0 €
- Museums Victoria (Australie) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet NANOSPLIT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The deficient utilisation of the full solar spectrum for power generation in conventional hybrid CPV/T technologies leads to a detrimental decrease in PV cell efficiency due to elevated temperatures. The aim of this research is to break entirely from conventional design principles and to develop a novel nanofluid spectral splitter (NSS)-assisted hybrid CPV/T collector which will benefit from a step-change improvement in electrical efficiency via the optical filtering of spectral wavelengths that are inefficiently utilised by the PV cells in the form of heat, enabling the delivery of high-temperature heat and enhancing the life of the PV cells. Plasmonic nanofluid acting as the NSS will be used for visible light harvesting, while the high grade heat generated by the splitting process will be stored in a thermal storage and utilised directly in domestic or commercial applications. The NANOSPLIT project is highly interdisciplinary and covers process engineering, chemistry (nanomaterials synthesis), physics (PV), energy engineering (solar collector design, development), mechanical and chemical engineering (thermal storage and power generation). The host supervisor, Prof. Christos Markides, has world-leading experience in waste-heat recovery and utilisation and solar energy technologies. He will provide expert training and support for design and development of the innovative hybrid PV/T concept, while, Dr. Sandesh Chougule, a leading Indian researcher, will bring his knowledge on the novel application of nanofluids in solar spectral beam splitting to the host(s). In addition, design of concentrating collectors will support NANOSPLIT through a planned secondment. The high-quality two-way transfer of knowledge required for this project will ensure that research goals are achieved, whilst also presenting a great opportunity to accelerate the academic career of the researcher. Completion of NANOSPLIT will lead to significant economic and societal impacts on the EU and world.

Mots clés : solar energy, concentrating, photovoltaic thermal  cpv, t  collector, nanofluid spectral splitter  nss, heat recovery, thermal storage

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet AgeingTimeUse (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The demographic trends in the ageing population suggest that the elderly will represent a substantial proportion of the population in most industrialised societies within the next 50 years. These trends indicate that countries will have to face tough social welfare decisions to make regarding the development of further strategies on how to ensure safe and dignified ageing of its growing population of the elderly. Many countries introduce a variety of strategies in their policies of support and quality of life for their elderly. There is a range of long-term care policies as well as formal care provision services available in the industrialised countries. However, the efficacy and sustainability of these strategies remain unclear. This research will analyse the effects of different policies and elderly care strategies in the select European, North American, and East Asian countries, focusing on the UK, US, and Japan. Using sequence analysis, multiple correspondence analysis, and multilevel models with access to supercomputer facilities at the University of Oxford, I plan to define the main typologies arising in the different countries, the effects of long-term care policy interventions and formal care services in these countries, and the demographic and resource-based antecedents of why such patterns and typologies arise. I will also analyse the strain in paid and unpaid work among elder caregivers as the result of different policy trajectories, as well as the effects on gender equality of the political choices. I have access to 6 different datasets to analyse for this project: ELSA (UK), UKTUS (UK), HRS (USA), ATUS (US), SHARE (Europe), and MTUS (Europe). The project will result in at least two peer-reviewed journal articles, two reports published as discussion papers, and four conference presentations.

Mots clés : eldercare, elder caregivers, eldercare policies, elderly

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet NURoFE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The dependence of mankind on petroleum- and oil-based fuels as the main energy source is widely recognised as being accompanied by several problems that impact the global economy and environmental health. In recent years, the conversion of plant biomass to biofuels, in a process called 1st- (1G) and 2nd-generation (2G) biofuel-production, has gained significant interest as an environmentally friendly and naturally abundant alternative, renewable energy source. The EU (European Union) legislation implements that by 2020, 20% of energy must be derived from renewable sources, showing the importance that renewable energy source production will play in the future. Saprobic microorganisms, such as filamentous fungi of the genus Aspergillus, are of particular interest for this process as they secrete a vast array of plant biomass hydrolyzing enzymes. A major drawback in the production of renewable biofuels is built-up of glucose during enzymatic hydrolysis of plant biomass, resulting in the transcriptional repression of fungal enzyme-encoding genes and subsequent secretion. The here described fellowship is proposing to uncover novel proteins involved in the regulation of hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolites production in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans that can be explored for biotechnological processes. To implement this project, the candidate will be hosted at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth in the laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Secondary Metabolism, under the supervision of Dr. Ozgur Bayram.

Mots clés : biofuels, aspergillus, metabolism, enzymes, xylanases, cellulases, secondary metabolites

Participants :
- National University of Ireland (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196590.72 €