Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet PAHsSIB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project PAHsSIB aims to advance binder-free anode development for battery current collectors, focusing on sustainable sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). It seeks to overcome challenges in SIB anodes by using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via Pulse Reverse Electrodeposition (PRE). The project has four main goals: 1) Develop a scalable PRE method for stable PAH-based films with a yield exceeding 90%, 2) Customize film properties for optimal Na+ storage, 3) Enhance hierarchical PAH film porosity with asphaltene, and 4) Investigate PAH-based films as binder-free SIB anodes and prototyping as a proof-of-concept. PAHsSIB responds to the need for alternative energy storage due to limited Li resources, ethical concerns, and safety issues in LIBs. SIBs, powered by abundant Na resources, offer a responsible solution but require improved electrode materials. Various materials have been explored, including metal alloys/oxides/sulphides and carbon-based materials. "Janus" nanographenes show promise but face properties and synthesis challenges. Hard carbons are crucial anode materials but their microstructure design remains unclear. The project also addresses solid electrolyte interphase formation to enhance SIB performance.  PAHsSIB combines synthetic techniques to control PAH-based anode growth overcoming the problems mentioned. Scalable electrochemical techniques and asphaltene waste materials are used to create porous hierarchical PAH-based anodes. It comprises four research work packages: 1) Fine-tuning the PRE method, 2) Designing non-planar PAHs-based films, 3) Creating hierarchical PAHs-based films from asphaltene, 4) Integrating PAHs-based anodes into SIB cell prototypes and evaluating performance. In summary, PAHsSIB addresses challenges in energy storage by developing advanced binder-free SIB anodes and utilizing innovative methods and materials for improved performance (prototype cell: >250 mAh/g, >5000 cycles), scalability, and sustainability in SIBs.

Mots clés : polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, novel anode materials, electrochemical techniques, waste to energy, sodium ion batteries

Participants :
- Université de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet ORBIT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The forces governing the nano-biointeractions are essential to understand the biological behaviour and pharmacokinetics of the nanostructures. So far, these understandings have been limited to nanoparticles. However, it should be noted that the NPs´ chemical synthetic methods render non-homogeneous dispersions, even when low polydispersity is reached. In addition, the modification of NPs with a specific number of ligands is still challenging and there is no agreement about the most effective configuration or number of ligands to achieve efficient targeting in vivo. The programmability of the DNA-nanostructures (origamis) allows the synthesis of predictable and controllable sizes and shapes with almost atomic precision. In addition, the origamis can also be designed to include additional molecules, with high accuracy on the valency and the orientation. Thus, this technology offers a powerful tool to study and understand the biological behaviour of objects at the nanoscale since precise control over the size, shape and attachment of molecules can be achieved when other methods are unable to. Based on the structural organization and spatial distribution of natural and specific bionanoparticles, such as viruses, this project will exploit the atomic programmability of origamis to design a library of DNA nanostructures inspired on viral particles. The biomolecular corona will be studied to understand its impact on origamis´ biodistribution, a topic still not studied yet. Finally, the cell response will be evaluated in terms of targeting and immune response. These results will help to a better understanding of the mechanism between nano-structures and living systems and to formulate guidelines to synthesize more efficient nanomedicines. Overall, this project will allow me to carry out a 2-year project independently, growing towards a mature, professional and independent researcher in the DNA nanotechnology field, reinforcing my expertise on the nanomedicine field.

Mots clés : nano biointeractions, biomolecular corona, targeting

Participants :
- Université de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet KDM6B-BACHROM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a pathobiont that is a top 10 WHO priority pathogen. Whilst it is commonly carried in the nasal cavity of healthy populations, it also causes invasive disease in vulnerable populations causing pneumoniae, meningitis, and septicaemia. However, the host factors involved in maintaining colonisation or triggering an immune response are currently unknown, and my research project aims to address this knowledge gap. In line with the expertise of the Hamon lab, the project will focus on bacteria-induced histone modifications which corelate with altered host gene expression. Following on the discovery that a colonising and asymptomatic strain of S. pneumoniae activates the histone demethylase KDM6B for immune homeostasis, the project will characterise the KDM6B-mediated response at the molecular level in a physiological model of nasal epithelium. Specifically, the research objectives are to: 1) Identify KDM6B binding partners during S. pneumoniae challenge 2) Define the nasal tissue response to S. pneumoniae 3) Characterize the KDM6B-mediated nasal tissue response to the bacteria The host laboratory has a powerful model of reconstituted nasal epithelium model in which responses to a colonising or an invasive strain of S. pneumoniae can be evaluated. I will use and gain expertise in cutting edge techniques such as mass spectrometry to determine KDM6B binding partners and single-cell RNA sequencing along with spatial transcriptomic technology (MERFISH) to analyse host cell responses at the single cell level. The field of bacteria mediated histone modifications is in its infancy and offers a large margin of discovery. Altogether this project will advance our understanding of the signals and pathways that regulate the balance between homeostasis and infection and will identify and characterise original mechanisms of host chromatin-bacteria cross talk which could be targeted for therapeutic purposes.

Mots clés : chromatin, histone methylation, s pneumoniae colonisation, 

Participants :
- Institut Pasteur (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet FACTORS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Vector-borne diseases are caused by pathogens transmitted by hematophagous arthropods (vectors) and affect millions of people worldwide. The rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, is a major vector for several pathogens, including Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague. Despite periodic outbreaks of this and other flea-borne diseases, research on flea biology remains neglected. Understanding the biological processes underlying flea physiology and their ability to transmit human pathogens is crucial for comprehending the dynamics of flea-borne diseases and implementing sustainable control strategies. This project aims to uncover the biological FACTORS in fleas that contribute to pathogen transmission, with a specific focus on the plague agent.  Under identical experimental conditions, different rat flea strains exhibit variations in blood feeding, colony development, and Y. pestis infection, leading to the hypothesis that strain-specific biological factors in fleas impact their physiology and the transmission of the plague agent. Through comparative studies between flea strains from regions with high or low plague prevalence, FACTORS aims to uncover the role of (1) genes expressed in the gut, (2) flea-associated microbiota, and (3) immune cells in flea feeding, development, and Y. pestis infection, all of which dictate pathogen transmission.  FACTORS will address a largely neglected area of flea biology, generating profound insights into the biological processes contributing to the dynamics of plague, while also identifying new targets for the development of innovative vector control strategies. This aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal of promoting health and well-being. Additionally, the training in soft skills, expanded networks, and the excellence of science resulting from this fellowship will be invaluable for the applicant's career goal of becoming a distinguished scientist.

Mots clés : flea, plague, vector competence, hematophagy, hemocytes, microbiota, insect microbe interactions

Participants :
- Institut Pasteur de Lille (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242260.56 €
Projet MOSAIC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most prevalent arbovirus worldwide and its ability to rapidly evolve and adapt complicates efforts to control its spread. A key factor in the replication cycle of DENV is the multifunctional non-structural protein 1 (NS1), which is involved in viral replication, transmission, and pathogenesis. Despite its importance, the evolutionary constraints and host-specific functions of NS1 remain poorly understood.  To address this gap, I propose MOSAIC: a comprehensive approach to map the impact of NS1 variants on DENV infection. Using deep mutational scanning (DMS), I will generate diverse viral populations to assess the fitness effects of DENV NS1 variants in mosquito and human cell lines, uncovering host-specific selective pressures. These diverse populations will then be used for in vivo mosquito infection to generate a detailed atlas of NS1 variant distribution across mosquito cells and map the corresponding mosquito transcriptome at single-cell resolution. By combining my expertise in virus evolution with the leading work of the host lab on insect immunity, MOSAIC will uniquely integrate DMS and single-cell transcriptomics, establishing the foundation for novel ways to understand virus evolution at high resolution.  MOSAIC will reveal insights into the evolutionary constraints of DENV NS1, identify transmission bottlenecks in distinct mosquito organs and cell types, and explore the interaction between DENV and mosquito immunity. This work will advance our understanding of flavivirus biology and host-virus interactions from a novel perspective, informing the development of new vector control strategies, vaccines, and therapeutics to combat DENV and other arboviral diseases in line with EU global health priorities. Finally, MOSAIC will provide me with multidisciplinary training in advanced genomics, vector biology and bioinformatics, strengthening my expertise in infectious disease research and preparing me to become an independent researcher.

Mots clés : dengue virus, deep mutational scanning, single cell transcriptomics, flaviviruses, virus evolution, host virus interaction, insect immunity, mosquito infections

Participants :
- Institut Pasteur (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 226420.56 €
Projet VibOysCopper (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Oceans health is intimately linked to animal and human health in a One Health framework. Marine zoonotic diseases threaten animal and human health and well-being, ecosystem integrity and economic development of marine coastal systems. Coastal waters, where oysters are produced, are low inerty systems highly sensitive to contaminants, which can also accelerate the emergence of epidemics/epizootics and zoonotic diseases in marine ecosystems. Among them, copper is a widespread pollutant that acts as a major selective pressure influencing microorganism survival and evolution as it can be deadly for many bacteria. Vibrio aestuarianus subsp. francensis is an emerging pathogen that threatens European aquaculture since 2011. Recent work revealed that this bacterium is an oyster-restricted specialized pathogen. The IHPE laboratory has evidenced that an intimate relationship between virulence and copper resistance conferred by a pathogenicity island could be key in the adaptation of the subspecies to the oyster host. This proposal aims to evaluate the role of copper resistance in V. aestuarianus francensis adaptation to oyster, and to unveil the copper resistance molecular pathways underlying this key phenotype and infection outcome. Specifically, we will address the following questions: -Is copper resistance required for V. aestuarianus adaptation and virulence to its host? -What is the diversity of V. aestuarianus copper resistance mechanisms? -Does accumulated copper in oyster have an impact in the host-pathogen outcome? By investigating resistance to copper and virulence as interlinked phenotypes of pathogens and its impact on oyster immunity, we will bring knowledge on the way copper influences the pathogens´dynamics, driving their evolution and specialization in marine ecosystems, but also modulating host-pathogen interactions. Ultimately, the project should help shellfish farmers and policy-makers mitigate the effects of anthropogenic pollution on aquaculture services.

Mots clés : emerging pathogens, oyster disease, copper, copper pathogenicity island, aquaculture, infection, vibrio aestuarianus, crassostrea gigas, pathogenesis, host pathogen interactions, niche adaptation

Participants :
- Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet HERMEX6 (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

HERMEX6 aims to elucidate the role of interpretative processes in our dealing with the global reduction of biodiversity, commonly referred to as “sixth extinction”. The contention is that, in this case, the difficulty to attribute value to scientifically attested facts is a problem of interpretation: we lack qualitative frames to elaborate the extinction event and the knowledge that describes it. The project intends to define, analyse and address this set of issues with regard to contemporary European societies. After testing the initial hypothesis, the research project will formulate an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to the epistemic status of sixth extinction. HERMEX6 addresses a European top priority (with reference to the EU 20230 Biodiversity Strategy) and aims to fill a major gap in environmental humanities: it is therefore particularly timely. The whole project is tailored to the scientific profile of the candidate and to the characteristics of the host institution, the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). The project is planned to provide the candidate with an increased set of notions and skills and to sensibly boost the candidate’s career perspectives. UPF is an internationally renowned environment with several groups and initiatives addressing complex ecological problems in a transdisciplinary perspective. The indicated supervisor, Professor Santiago Zabala, is a leading expert in hermeneutics and philosophy of environmental emergencies. In its more far-ranging implications, HERMEX6 aspires to improve science communication and the uptake of scientific results, raise collective awareness, inform more effective conservation programmes and generate added value in the field of policy guidance and advisory.

Mots clés : sixth extinction biodiversity loss environmental communication environmental hermeneutics

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet Leave4NextGen (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Recent evaluations show that paternity leave reforms have successfully increased fathers’ involvement in childcare and have contributed to a shift in gender norms. But whether this shift in gender norms can be passed on to the next generation and affect children’s real-life decisions remains to be seen. This study thus fills an important gap since preference formation and social norms have been found to be the main contributor to the persistence of gender inequality over time.  The objectives of this research project are twofold. First, it will determine whether the introduction of paternity leave can promote counter-stereotypical attitudes that are transmitted from parents to children. A survey of young adults exposed (or not) to a father eligible for paternity leave will be conducted to measure attitudes toward gender roles. Second, the study will evaluate whether paternity leave has spillover effects on the next generation’s real-life decisions. As such, it will use register data to observe whether young adults’ human capital, labour supply, or fertility decisions are affected by their father’s use of paternity leave.  To evaluate the intergenerational spillover effects of paternity leave, this research proposes to analyse the 2002 Belgian paternity leave reform, which offers an appealing setup. Indeed, Belgium was an early adopter of paternity leave policies, introducing a two-week leave in 2002. The children of Belgian fathers have therefore entered adulthood and will be 22 years old in 2024. To measure the causal effects of the paternity leave reform across generations, the study will use a natural experiment that relies on the fact that when paternity leave was introduced in Belgium in 2002, only fathers of children born after July 1 were eligible to take the paid leave. Using a Regression Discontinuity Design, this research will therefore compare young adults born before and after the reform cutoff.

Mots clés : paternity leave, gender norms, intergenerational effects, human capital, labour supply, fertility, natural experiment

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet NETOLife (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

It has long been suggested that the laws of thermodynamics may specify thresholds for the origin of life, in terms of minimal free energy fluxes needed to perform basic life-like functions such as self-maintenance and self-replication. Such thresholds have yet to be derived, however, in large part because conventional thermodynamics is restricted to systems that are in equilibrium, macroscopic in scale, and that do not exchange information with their environments. On the other hand, protobiological systems (minimal systems that lay at the beginning of life) were likely far-from-equilibrium, nanoscale, and exchanged information (e.g., via simple mechanisms of adaptive response such as chemotaxis).  Recent times, however, have witnessed a revolution in nonequilibrium thermodynamics, which has produced far-reaching results concerning systems that are far-from-equilibrium, nanoscale, and may exchange information. These results are currently finding various applications in the study of biophysics of modern organisms. While the tools of nonequilibrium thermodynamics are well-suited for analyzing protobiological systems, they have yet to be applied in origin of life research. Instead, most existing models of protobiological systems are highly abstracted and ignore underlying thermodynamics. In addition, existing research in the field has paid very little attention to the role of information exchanges in early life.  This project will address these gaps, by using techniques from modern nonequilibrium thermodynamics to study the origin of life. Specifically, it will investigate thermodynamic tradeoffs involved in three essential protobiological functions (self-maintenance, self-replication, and Darwinian evolution), including in systems that exchange information with their environment. This project will shed light on fundamental thermodynamic thresholds, which will have important implications for our theoretical understanding of the origin of life.

Mots clés : origin of life, protocells, abiogenesis, theoretical, nonequilibrium, thermodynamics, stochastic thermodynamics, chemical reaction networks, master equations, entropy production

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet HEART-TWIN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to permanent myocardial scarring, significantly increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Current risk stratification methods using ejection fraction (EF) are inadequate, as many SCDs occur in patients with preserved EF, and many implanted defibrillators remain unused. Physics-based mechanistic cardiac digital twins (CDTs) can predict VA risk stratification (VARS). CDTs are computational models that integrate multimodal clinical data, such as MRI and CT, to predict VA risk by simulating cardiac properties like myocardial conduction speeds and activation sites, which cannot be easily measured with standard diagnostics.  The HEART-TWIN (Holistic Efficient Arrhythmic Risk Twinning for Post-MI Stratification) project aims to develop, validate, and apply efficient CDT strategies for post-MI arrhythmic risk prediction using non-invasive clinical data. The project is structured around three main research objectives (ROs). RO1 will focus on characterising the largest multimodal dataset (~500 post-MI patients) using ECG and MRI data, enabling the creation of robust clinical phenotypes and providing data for CDT development. RO2 will develop an open-source CDT framework validated through verification and validation with uncertainty quantification (VVUQ). Efficient electrophysiology models, such as the pseudo-diffusion reaction-Eikonal model, will be used to simulate ECGs and enhance the accuracy of VA risk predictions. RO3 aims to link CDT simulations with clinical outcomes to achieve deep phenotyping of post-MI patients. By leveraging these data, the project will enable AI-driven discovery of phenotypic subgroups and improve VARS through personalised, mechanistic insights.  HEART-TWIN will produce the most advanced open-source digital twin framework for post-MI patients, optimising clinical decision-making and risk stratification, ultimately paving the way for precision cardiology.

Mots clés : cardiac digital twins cardiac electrophysiology modelling and simulation patient specific modelling inverse electrophysiology eikonal model bayesian inference ecg mri cardiac arrhythmias

Participants :
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209914.56 €