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

Our skin is colonized by a myriad of bacteria, fungi and viruses that are collectively called the skin microbiota. The most common and consequential bacterial skin pathogen in humans is Staphylococcus aureus. It is an invasive pathogen responsible for varied ailments that commonly evolves resistance to antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have drawn interest from the scientific community because they are less prone to resistance development. However, they typically require complex formulations to enhance their half-life due to low stability, which decrease their efficiencies when topically applied. I propose to genetically engineer Cutibacterium acnes, one of the most prevalent and abundant commensal microbes of the human skin, to produce AMPs for the treatment of S. aureus-associated skin infections. For this, I will develop a novel expression platform based on a synthetic linear plasmid with features of bacterial telomeres that will be progressively degraded after a limited number of replication cycles. I will also screen AMPs for their potency and specificity against S. aureus and the best candidates will be encoded on the linear plasmid. The use of the linear plasmid as a platform of AMPs production will (i) ensure that the delivery of the AMP is limited in time to prevent the development of antibiotic resistance, and (ii) provide a stringent biocontainment of the modified bacteria, as engineered cells eventually revert to their wild-type genotype upon programmed plasmid loss. This project merges my expertise in synthetic biology and biochemistry with that of the host in engineering the skin microbiota. The linear plasmid with pre-programmed degradation will be a foundational tool for future engineering of commensal bacteria as live therapeutics. It will also represent a paradigm shift in biocontainment for genetically engineered organisms, that will hopefully bring the use of engineered skin bacteria for microbiome-based therapy a step closer to reality

Mots clés : cutibacterium acnes, staphylococcus aureus, plasmids, biocontainment, antimicrobial peptides, skin microbiota engineering, translational synthetic biology, transient gene expression

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 194074.56 €
Projet E-YU-PRIME (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project, "European periphery and the Yugoslav Understanding of Planning: Researching Ideas for Making Environmental Strategies" (E-YU-PRIME) aims to improve contemporary environmental planning practices in the European periphery by learning from a historically unique form of planning in Yugoslavia called "social planning". This approach sought to combine democratic planning in Yugoslavia as a peripheral country of the Global South with a just green transition to a less materially intensive economy following the publication of the "Limits to Growth" in 1972, making Yugoslavia the only socialist and peripheral country with official state-backed discussions on post-growth planning one can learn from today. By focusing on the forgotten history of Yugoslavia’s planning institutes and their role in the country's industrial and economic policy via archival research and interviews with the last living generation of planners, and their contemporary counterparts in Environmental Ministries in post-Yugoslav EU countries today, the project will explore the ideas and history behind a forgotten post-growth green transition within Yugoslavia and uncover how it impacted the country’s industrial policy from 1972-1991 in order to learn how "social planning" can be used in the European periphery for Europe's Green transition. The findings, which will be published in peer-reviewed journals, a book and will include video interviews and archival footage, will then be a key contribution for contemporary policymakers in in the Western Balkans with possible use to other peripheral countries like Spain and Portugal in events organized by E-YU-PRIME.

Mots clés : planning, yugoslavia, eu, environment, post growth

Participants :
- Université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209914.56 €
Projet POSTGROWTH (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

In the face of an escalating climate crisis, social scientists are confronted with an urgent challenge: How can our research contribute to facilitating the kind of radical economic and political reorganizations necessary for reduced resource use on a global scale? European scholars and activists and are at the vanguard of this research, and many approaches have coalesced around theories of ‘degrowth’ and ‘post-growth’, which envisage the transformations necessary to create a socially just and ecologically sustainable society. However, this is not solely a European challenge – it is a global challenge. People of the Global South have been and continue to be the most impacted by the environmental devastation being wrought by the climate crisis. One of the most pressing challenges is therefore to co-construct these theories and movements with activists and thinkers from the Global South. While some research connecting postgrowth theories with existing environmental justice movements has begun in Latin America and South Asia, almost no research has been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. This project therefore proposes to work on environmental justice movements in Africa using novel participatory methods that engage African activists and scholars. The overall aim is to develop this research into a novel paradigm (post-growth anthropology) which prioritizes decolonial methods. To contribute to this novel paradigm, ethnographic research will be conducted on environmental movements which have challenged ‘growthism’ and ‘green development’ in urban and rural Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Mots clés : environmentalism, anthropology, degrowth, global south, africa, political ecology, feminist, decolonial

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215730.0 €
- Rainforest foundation norway (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université autonome de Barcelone (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet TI-LAB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Therapeutic antibodies (Abs), have become crucial drugs in modern medicine, showing success in treating various diseases, including the global COVID-19 pandemic. Although anti-infective Abs are usually administered parenterally, recent findings demonstrated that local administration into the respiratory tract of an Ab neutralizing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) not only blocks primary infection but also offers prolonged protection against secondary infections. However, the molecular mechanisms supporting the immunomodulatory features of the Ab and establishment of long-lasting protection remain unknown. Preliminary data from the host laboratory indicate that murine macrophages primed with Ab+Pa immune complexes (ICs) display an antimicrobial pro-inflammatory phenotype, further enhanced after exposure to Toll-like receptor ligands, suggesting the induction of immune memory. This capacity termed trained immunity (TI) depicts a type of immune memory within innate immune cells that recall previous epigenetically-encoded information under heterologous stimulation. Using a combination of molecular, metabolic, and epigenetic approaches in conjunction with omics-based techniques, TI-LAB (Trained immunity Induced in the Lungs by therapeutic AntiBodies) will define the capacity of ICs to induce TI. Furthermore, TI-LAB will provide a detailed analysis of the intracellular signaling pathways involved in IC-mediated TI. Finally, the protective effects of IC-mediated TI will be assessed using an in vivo model of respiratory infection. This proof of concept will be extended to other respiratory pathogens to determine if TI induced by ICs is a conserved mechanism across pathogens. Overall, our findings will reveal a new function of anti-infective Abs in immune memory and reprogramming of the innate immune system, which should help design new treatments against respiratory pathogens.

Mots clés : anti infective antibodies trained immunity immune complexes inhalation respiratory infection

Participants :
- Radboud University Medical Centre (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Tours (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet EVOCAMP (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is a pivotal secondary messenger that orchestrates a vast range of physiological processes by translating signals from hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors. While the intracellular roles of cAMP are well understood, its functions outside the cell remain largely unexplored. The EVOCAMP project seeks to uncover this hidden dimension by exploring how extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate intercellular cAMP signaling. EVs, a heterogenous group of membrane-bound vesicles, have emerged as key mediators of intercellular communication. This project aims to establish EVs as novel compartments for intercellular cAMP signaling and to elucidate their functional significance in the brain. To achieve this, the project is structured around three objectives: First, to demonstrate that neuron-derived EVs are capable of synthesizing and releasing cAMP into the extracellular space, thereby functioning as novel platforms for cAMP signaling. Second, to map the downstream signaling events triggered by these cAMP-producing EVs in recipient cells, using advanced biosensors to monitor these signaling pathways. Third, to investigate the physiological relevance of cAMP-producing EVs in vivo, using zebrafish embryos to visualize their dynamics, trace their fate, and assess their functions in living organisms. By uncovering a previously overlooked aspect of cAMP signaling, EVOCAMP will reveal a novel mechanism of intercellular communication driven by EVs with significant implications for brain physiology. Furthermore, the skills and knowledge gained through this project will be pivotal in my development as an independent researcher, positioning me at the forefront of interdisciplinary research between cell signaling and extracellular vesicle biology.

Mots clés : cyclic amp, extracellular vesicles, intercellular communication

Participants :
- Nantes Université (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet GLI-AGE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Sarcopenia, marked by the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength due to aging, presents a significant public health challenge. Despite its increasing prevalence, treatment options remain limited, focusing primarily on exercise and nutraceuticals. Sarcopenia shares several pathological features with nerve injury-induced muscle atrophy, including neuromuscular junction (NMJ) degeneration. Recent studies have shown that muscle-resident Plp1+ glial cells rapidly activate a neurotrophic program in response to nerve damage. However, despite their established role in nerve regeneration, the involvement of these cells in age-related NMJ loss and muscle atrophy remains largely unexplored. The GLI-AGE project aims to explore the potential involvement of glial cells in age-related sarcopenia. It will utilize HD Spatial Gene Expression technology (HD-ST), a cutting-edge technique that combines advanced sequencing and high-resolution imaging to map glial cell activity and interactions in aged and geriatric mice. The project’s main objectives are: (1) to spatially characterize glial cell networks in aged muscle compared to young muscle, and (2) to validate their regenerative potential by identifying molecular targets (in-vivo and in-vitro) that may be implicated in the progression of sarcopenia. Through its multidisciplinary approach, GLI-AGE seeks to uncover novel therapeutic targets to preserve neuromuscular function and slow muscle degeneration in the elderly. The project’s findings could pave the way for innovative strategies to maintain muscle health, reduce frailty, and enhance the quality of life for older adults, aligning with Horizon Europe’s goal of promoting healthy and active aging.

Mots clés : glial cells muscle ageing nmj disfunction sarcopenia hd spatial transcriptomic

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet EARLYBRID (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Hybridization has shaped the evolution of every kingdom of life. By combining highly diverged genomes, hybridization can drive genetic exchange across lineages. Hybrid genomes often present hallmarks of genome instability, but direct proof of higher rates of mutational events are lacking. What triggers genome instability in hybrids and when it arises remains a mystery. To address this question, I propose to investigate early hybrid history. I seek to conduct a comprehensive characterization of hybrid lethality, genome stability, and gene expression, employing Saccharomyces yeast as a model, due to their tractability and ability to form hybrids despite extreme sequence divergence between parental founders. These studies will focus on the early phases of interspecies hybrid clonal expansion that immediately follow zygote formation. I will first quantify how parental divergence in conjunction with environment influence the genome stability and viability of asexually expanding hybrids. Next, I will combine ultra-long read DNA-sequencing with single-cell RNA-sequencing, to assess the structure and complexity of hybrid genomes, how they evolve over time, and the genomic heterogeneity of hybrid cell populations with single-cell resolution. Finally, by conducting transcriptomic analysis of clonally expanding hybrids, I will determine gene expression dynamics at the onset of hybridization and whether the parental subgenomes converge toward similar gene expression signatures to enter the aforementioned stabilization phase. Mechanistic characterization of the interaction between hybrid viability, genome instability and gene expression phenotypes will provide an unprecedented view of how early hybrid genomes arise, are maintained and evolve.

Mots clés : hybridization, hybrid incompatibility, evolution, genome instability, genome evolution, transcriptome evolution

Participants :
- Université Côte d'Azur (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MICROCOSMS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Interactions in which all partners benefit, known as mutualisms, underpin many vital ecosystem functions all across nature. Recent work by myself and others has shown that mutualisms can readily break down via a few independence-enabling mutations, especially under environmental stress. Understanding the mechanisms that ensure mutualism stability is of increased importance for environmental, health, and societal problems. An unexplored question is the impact that large variations in mutational rates and spectra can have on in this process. Indeed, “mutator” strains, variants with highly elevated and biased mutation rates, readily take over microbial populations when there is ample adaptive opportunity, such as under environmental stress. These dramatic changes in spontaneous mutagenesis can have opposing effects on mutualism stability. On the one hand, they can lead to adaptive mutations appearing more rapidly, promoting partners survival and hence stabilising mutualisms. On the other hand, they may accelerate the acquisition of independence-enabling mutations, hence destabilising mutualism. With MICROCOSMS, I will address this open question by combining computer simulation with experimental evolution and genomics. I will experimentally evolve pairwise auxotrophic E. coli communities, genetically engineered to contain mutator variants that alter the mutational spectrum available. Pairwise communities will be assessed for mutualism stability when subject to both adaptive evolution, under strong antibiotic pressure, and non-adaptive evolution, where populations are subject to severe bottlenecking. These will be matched to simulations predicting the outcome of adaptive and non-adaptive evolution. By producing key insights into the stability of mutualisms under environmental stress, MICROCOSMS will form a knowledge base that will aide in protecting environmental and human-based ecosystems against disruptions.

Mots clés : experimental evolution, mutualism, mutation rate, mutational bias, auxotrophy, adaptive evolution, non adaptive evolution, genetic drift, ecosystem stability, 

Participants :
- Université polytechnique de Madrid (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet NWNR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The research project New Work, New Reading interrogates the relationship between new reading practices and labor. By employing computational methods to analyze reading behavior, engagement, consumption patterns and genre developments, the project investigates reading in the context of our rapidly changing workday. The project is a case study of the Scandinavian digital book market, has established partnerships with three major institutions in the Scandinavian digital literary industry and takes place at a leading Digital Humanities center in Sweden. The project studies datasets which have previously been unavailable to Danish literary scholars: literary streaming data. Drawing on my expertise in literary labor studies, I will compare reading data, surveys of contemporary readers and influential theories about the new work regime. All in all, the project contributes to studies of contemporary reading, studies of digital book publishing and computational methods in literary studies.

Mots clés : reading labor digital humanities digital literature digitization

Participants :
- National Library of Sweden (Suède) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Foreningen det digitale folkebibiotek (Danemark) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Göteborg (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €
- Saxo.com a/s (Danemark) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CO2PPER (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

CO2PPER aims to explore a comprehensive method for the under-investigated catalytic CO2 fixation in asymmetric carboxylation reactions to produce chiral carboxylic acids. Unlike traditional methods that rely on asymmetric hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated acids and hydroxycarbonylation of alkenes, catalytic CO2 fixation provides a direct and environmentally preferable alternative. Despite recent efforts in creating new chiral ligands to manage reactivity and selectivity, developing a universal catalytic carboxylation using CO2 remains an unsolved problem. CO2PPER proposes a novel approach by employing stable and easily accessible sterodefined alkylboronic esters in metal-catalyzed carboxylations to prepare a broad range of enantioenriched chiral carboxylic acids. The CO2 insertion will be achieved by the use of abundant and inexpensive copper-catalysts, taking advantage of the lowest energy barrier for CO2 insertion into a M-C bond. This project will significantly contribute to the advancement of the CO2-valorization framework and presents an innovative green methodology for chiral carboxylic acid synthesis.

Mots clés : co2, asymmetric catalysis

Participants :
- Université autonome de Madrid (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet EnantioBioIso (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The obtainment of enantioenriched molecules is of fundamental importance since two enantiomers of the same drug candidate can display completely different biological properties. In recent years, an increasing interest in employing saturated scaffolds has been observed in medicinal chemistry since they provide tridimensionality and well-defined exit vectors that give access to novel unexplored chemical space, leading to a higher success in drug discovery programs. Among them, some polycyclic bridged skeletons have been identified as suitable saturated bioisosteres of aromatic rings which represent the common two-dimensional, flat moieties that are routinely employed in the drug discovery process. The aim of EnantioBioIso is to provide novel enantioselective strategies for the synthesis of phenyl bioisosteres, enabling unprecedented approaches to obtain bridged skeletons that are of fundamental importance for medicinal chemistry.

Mots clés : bioisosteres, asymmetric catalysis, enantioselective synthesis, lewis acid catalysis, organocatalysis, transition metal catalysis, photocatalysis

Participants :
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université autonome de Madrid (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €