Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet YouCDF (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Promoting new-born and children’s health is a policy priority for sustainable development and the EU takes action to “promote inclusive and child-friendly societies, health and education systems” (Thematic area 2 of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child). Nevertheless, within country differences exist in children’s access to essential health care especially among the vulnerable groups of undocumented migrants and children living in poverty. An obvious obstacle for access to health care for the irregular migrants is lack of universal health coverage. Another significant determinant of restricted health care utilization of these vulnerable children is the challenges associated to the socioeconomic status of the parents. There is little research to show methods to eliminate the health risks associated to displaced children and children living in poverty and to integrate them into the European health system. The overall goal of YouCDF is to provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the amount, types and short- and long-term consequences of parental investment to children from the perspective of health economics. YouCDF will: -investigate the extent to which the limitations in the household level (restricted financial resources available to the main caregivers) could be compensated by a universal health care system, -test the empirical implications of the model, - inform policy makers about the potential risks to the public health system caused by underinvestment to children, and related inequalities. YouCDF addresses one of the potential public health challenges for Turkey and the EU: The number of children who have limited access to nutritious food increases as a result of hosting refugee children from Syria and facing increased food prices due to the war in Ukraine.

Mots clés : health economics, health care use, child health, inequality in health, public health, vulnerable children, maternal bargaining power, universal health care, burden of disease

Participants :
- Université du Minnesota (system) (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université technique d'Istanbul (Turquie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171521.28 €
Projet LAMs4LIFE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Macrophages are innate immune cells present in almost every organ of the body. While previously considered to be a homogenous population, thanks to recent advances in single cell technologies, it is clear that each tissue harbours multiple distinct populations of macrophages especially in the context of tissue injury and inflammation. One subset of macrophages that has gained attention recently are the lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs). Originally described in obese adipose tissue, macrophages with very similar phenotypes have since been described across a range of diseased tissues in both the mouse and human. The widespread presence of LAMs across many important human diseases, makes them an attractive target for future therapeutic strategies with the potential to improve patient health. However, despite this potential, our understanding of the biology and functionality of LAMs remains in its infancy. Therefore, I hypothesize that gaining a more in-depth understanding of LAMs will enable the design of novel therapeutic approaches which could benefit numerous patients. Thus, this project aims to further our understanding of LAM biology and functionality. We will focus this project on the context of chronic fibrosis of the liver and lung, as fibrosis is a common feature of many diseases and LAMs have been identified in this setting both in the mouse and human.

Mots clés : liver, lung, lipid associated macrophages, fibrosis

Participants :
- Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 216240.0 €
Projet ThalamoLinkIT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Sensory processing is frequently altered in disorders like autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Neuronal circuits from the thalamus to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) play a critical role in sensory processing. Dysconnectivity of such circuits is implicated in disorders associated with sensory processing impairments. The posteromedial thalamic nucleus (POm) connects to intratelencephalic (IT) layer 5 (L5) pyramidal neurons (PNs) of S1, regulating somatosensory processing. The mechanisms regulating connectivity and function of the POm>IT L5 PN circuit remain unknown. Cell surface proteins (CSPs) drive circuit formation and specification. I hypothesize that a unique combination of CSPs orchestrate the structural and functional connectivity of this circuit, and can explain vulnerability to certain disorders. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved in POm>IT L5 PN connectivity in mice, I will first isolate POm>IT L5 PN synapses and characterize their molecular signature with mass spectrometry. Next, I will use these data and information from public databases on the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders, to select 5 postsynaptic CSPs to further study. Using genome engineering, I will next knock-out the selected CSPs, one at a time, and analyze the impact on the structure and function of the circuit. Last, to deepen our mechanistic understanding of these proteins and gain insight to the downstream pathways, I will map changes in the molecular composition of these synapses. This project will allow us to study for the first time the molecular correlates of the functional specificity of this circuit and provide insight in the pathomechanisms of associated disorders. The experience of the de Wit lab in studying mechanisms of synapse function, the cutting-edge technologies provided by the host institute and my scientific background will enable me to push the boundaries of existing methods and achieve the highest possible quality in this project.

Mots clés : thalamocortical circuit synaptic cell surface proteins pom intratelencephalic l5 pyramidal neurons neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders

Participants :
- Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 200400.0 €
Projet NeuroTIC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Neuroplasticity is the essential ability of the brain to respond and adapt to extrinsic and intrinsic stimuli, and it is strongly influenced by the environment we live in. Exposure to e nvironmental enrichment (EE) leads to neurological changes paralleled by changes in the immune system. EE promotes neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, and ameliorates neuroinflammation in both rodents and humans. Microglia and brain T cells also adapt their phenotype and T cell number increases, suggesting a connection between neural activity and immune response. How brain T cells or other lymphoid cells and microglia are able to respond to EE and eventually modify the brain is unknown. I hypothesize that EE instigates a neuroimmune crosstalk between lymphoid cells and microglia to support the neuronal changes. To test this, I will use high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry and CITE-seq to map the changes in the intercellular communication networks induced by exposure of mice to EE and identify key cellular and molecular mediators. Next, I will combine depletion tools and genetic models to assess the specific role of different subsets of lymphocites in EE-induced brain plasticity. The final ambition of this project is to identify key molecular targets mediating EE-induced lymphocites-microglia crosstalk. I will then use a gene therapy approach to deliver candidate biologics to the brain. Using a mouse model of Autism, I will provide impactful proof-of-concepts for the ability of immune molecular mediators to stimulate pathways of brain plasticity and mimic the benefits of environmental enrichment in neuropathology.

Mots clés : environmental enrichment, neuroplasticity, neuroimmune crosstalk, t cells, innate lymphoid cells ilcs , fragile x syndrome model

Participants :
- Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 200400.0 €
Projet NanOptCD (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

NanOptCD aims to facilitate the sensitive use of plasmonic enhanced circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in research & development (R&D). Many molecules possess weak CD signals below the measurable limit. Interactions of molecules with plasmonic nanoparticles are very promising for generating strongly enhanced CD signals. Nevertheless, this enhancement mechanism needs further theoretical characterisation in order to facilitate mature applications in R&D. NanOptCD will offer this by analysing the fundamental dependencies of plasmonic CD enhancement with ab initio calculations. Furthermore, NanOptCD will deliver tools for the analysis of plasmonic enhanced CD spectra and customised nanoparticles for optimal plasmonic enhanced CD spectra.

Mots clés : ab initio spectroscopy chirality plasmonics nanoparticles

Participants :
- Université technique du Danemark (Danemark) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Graz (Autriche) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université d'Hambourg (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Aalto (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215534.4 €
Projet E-static softSensors (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

E-static soft sensors is an investigation into manufacturing self-powered triboelectric textile sensors with regular materials (for e.g. wool, polyester and conductive yarns) for high-accuracy activity recognition in smart home applications. Triboelectricity is generated when materials such as human skin and synthetic fabrics repeatedly rub together. This form of electricity is considered annoying or can even be dangerous. However, when handled safely it can provide unique insights into our everyday interactions with textiles and present an environmentally-friendly solution for sensing different kinds of activities for smart home applications, such as fall detection for elderly care, assistance in indoor navigation or sports tracking and game design. Recent advancements in textile-based triboelectric nano generators(tTENG) have highlighted the rich potential of using this energy for powering low-power devices. However, their sensing capabilities remain limited to a single repetitive movement. Additionally, the current work in tTENG present one-off prototypes and are not at a stage where they can be manufactured on a larger scale. With an aim to tackle these challenges, the project develops an approach for constructing high-performance self-powered triboelectric sensors without the need for specialised materials using industrial production techniques of weaving, tufting, and embroidery. These sensors will be evaluated and optimised for high accuracy self-powered activity and gesture recognition by applying advanced textile construction knowledge to optimise the structures and using AI models to fine tune the sensing analysis. Additionally, their tactile and interactive properties would be evaluated in order to improve their suitability and acceptance of embedding them in everyday use-contexts. The results of the project, including the patterns files for the sensors would be documented online and shared openly for supporting reuse, adaption or commercialisation.

Mots clés : e textiles, wearable computing, triboelectricity, soft sensors, woven sensors, textile interactions

Participants :
- Université Aalto (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215534.4 €
Projet SOUNDTRACK (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

SOUNDTRACK is a project that combines deep learning methods in acoustic data analysis with field sampling and fisheries science to investigate the ecosystem impacts of the Antarctic krill fishery and to improve its management. Antarctic krill is a key species in the Antarctic marine ecosystem and the target of a growing commercial fishery. Given krill's ecological importance, concerns have been raised about potential negative ecosystem impacts from fishing. Resource-efficient approaches to support fisheries monitoring are particularly valuable in this context due to the high costs associated with data collection in Antarctica. In SOUNDTRACK, we will first develop a segmentation model to extract dives of air-breathing krill predators, such as whales, seals and penguins, from historical acoustic data recorded by krill fishing vessels during their operations. Acoustic data from fishing vessels are under-utilised, but provide a rich archive of observations of krill swarms and vessel interactions with krill predators. Analysing the frequency of vessel-predator interactions, and their temporal and spatial occurrence in relation to krill distribution and predator demand for krill, will provide new perspectives on the ecosystem impacts of the fishery, using cost-effective data and platforms as a co-benefit. We will complement the analysis of the acoustic data by conducting an ecosystem survey at the Antarctic Peninsula in autumn 2027, coinciding with the fishing season in this region. By combining the scientific survey data with acoustic observations from fishing vessels from the same region, their fleet movement patterns, and the life stage composition of the krill caught, this approach will allow us to provide a detailed analysis of ecosystem impacts of the fishery. The implications of our analyses for fishery management will be communicated directly to CCAMLR, the management body for the krill fishery, and the segmentation model will be provided as a new monitoring tool.

Mots clés : antarctic krill, southern ocean, fishery impact, baleen whales, penguins, active acoustics, deep learning, fisheries management

Participants :
- Institute of Marine Research (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Washington (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 401232.0 €
Projet POND (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Glacier retreat is accelerating in response to climate warming, leading to an increase in the number and total area of proglacial lakes globally. Proglacial lakes have the potential to modulate glacial runoff via sediment immobilization and in-lake biogeochemical cycling, with implications for the productivity and biodiversity of valuable downstream ecosystems. However, a quantitative understanding of the impact of proglacial lake modulation on the export of glacier-derived suspended sediment (SS), nutrients and organic carbon (OC) is currently lacking. POND will fill this critical knowledge gap by quantifying relationships between proglacial lake physical characteristics and changes in riverine fluxes of SS, nutrients and OC in rapidly deglaciating landscapes in Norway using a combination of remote sensing, field sampling, and biogeochemical analyses. Results will be used to inform a novel and globally relevant conceptual model of proglacial lakes as 'biogeochemical modulators' of glacial runoff. POND will be hosted at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, facilitating unrivaled low-carbon impact access to Arctic and temperate glacial field sites. This highly interdisciplinary project unites my track record in glacial dissolved organic matter chemistry with UiT's expertise in glacier biogeochemical cycling and landscape evolution at regional to global sales. A secondment at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate will facilitate access to glacier and glacial lake inventories, supporting my training in the use of remote sensing and ensuring close collaboration with a water resource management stakeholder with direct interest in POND research findings. POND's unprecedented quantitative evaluation and conceptual model of the biogeochemical impacts of proglacial lake growth on SS, nutrient and OC export to downstream ecosystems will inform future ecosystem management and policy in glacially-influenced mountain regions worldwide.


Participants :
- Université de Tromsø (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 251578.56 €
- Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ARCTIVITY (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Climate change is primarily driven by atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, making it crucial to identify the Earth system processes that regulate these gases in order to better predict and mitigate climate impacts. While the ocean has long been considered the primary driver of atmospheric CO2 fluctuations, oceanic processes alone cannot fully explain the magnitude of the variations or the observed carbon isotopic signatures. In this context, the vast ancient carbon reservoirs stored beneath Arctic ice sheets, which reconfigured in sync with glacial-interglacial climate cycles, likely represent an additional carbon source released during past ice sheet retreats. The overarching aim of ARCTIVITY is to evaluate the reactivity of organic carbon remobilized by Arctic ice sheet retreat, focusing on its impact on the carbon cycle and paleoclimate change. ARCTIVITY will utilize multiple advanced techniques and methodologies to investigate different aspects of the reactivity of glacially-derived organic carbon, archived in marine sediments. These assessments include: (1) thermal reactivity – assessing carbon reactivity in response to thermal decomposition by applying RPO-14C on Northeast Greenland shelf sediments; (2) bioavailability – determining carbon reactivity through its accrssibility to microbial assimilation by leveraging CSRA of IPLs in Northeast Greenland shelf sediments; (3) weathering intensity – evaluating carbon reactivity in response to environmental exposure using sedimentary δ187Re analysis in Beaufort Sea sediments. These analyses will generate new insights into the linkage between Arctic ice sheet retreat and the global carbon cycle, as well as its potential impact on past climate change.

Mots clés : arctic carbon cycle organic carbon carbon reactivity radiocarbon rhenium isotope

Participants :
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 202125.12 €
Projet DEXTSTIM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Upper limb dexterity is a unique human ability commonly compromised by stroke. I suggest that the upper limb dexterity after stroke may be compromised as a result of dysfunctional inhibition of the nearby muscles. In patients with mild motor impairment, this results in a lack of independent finger movements. In moderately-to-severely affected patients, the pathological synergies pose a major problem, affecting both proximal and distal joint movements. I will develop methods for evaluating the neural origins of the upper limb dexterity and its recovery after stroke, and for improving compromised motor control by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with electroencephalography, electromyography, and structural magnetic resonance imaging. I will perform multi-muscle cortical mapping using a novel neuromodulation technology, namely multi-locus TMS (mTMS), which allows stimulation of the nearby cortical targets with millisecond-scale delays between the pulses without moving the stimulator. This unique feature of mTMS will enable us to determine local excitation/inhibition (E/I) interactions among the cortical representations of different upper limb muscles. I will evaluate whether abnormal control of independent finger movements can be structurally and functionally explained in terms of the local E/I balance at the motor cortex. Then, I will utilize this information to develop unprecedented mTMS protocols that take into account the individual organization of the motor cortex and the possibility of its selective neuromodulation. In summary, I aim to demonstrate that (1) the intricate patterns of local E/I balance at the motor cortex are involved in the orchestration of muscle synergies, (2) the malfunctioning of this complex circuitry after stroke can lead to abnormal muscle-specific corticospinal excitability and impaired upper limb motor function, and (3) the local E/I balance can be manipulated with physiologically tuned multi-site mTMS protocols.

Mots clés : transcranial magnetic stimulation tms , manual dexterity, stroke, upper limb, rehabilitation, motor cortex, excitation inhibition balance

Participants :
- Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Aalto (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215534.4 €