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

Understanding how neural circuits control arm and leg movements is a major challenge in neuroscience with implications for treating movement disorders, designing neural prostheses, and robotics. Limb movements are coordinated by low-level motor circuits in the spinal cord (in vertebrates) or ventral nerve cord (in invertebrates), which receive movement instructions from the brain via a small number of descending neurons (DNs). DNs constitute the critical link between the brain and the body. However, despite their importance, little is known about how specific DNs are recruited depending on the behavioral context, and how low-level motor circuits in the spinal cord or ventral nerve cord translate DN activity into limb movement. I propose leveraging cutting-edge tools to tackle these fundamental questions in the compact nervous system of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The fly’s neural circuits for controlling limbs are more tractable and experimentally accessible than those of vertebrates, but still similar in their organization and function. Focussing on DNs that have been implicated in the control of walking speed, I will characterize the activity of DNs during behavior, identify the target neurons of DNs in motor circuits in the ventral nerve cord, and quantify the influence of DNs on these target neurons. By combining intracellular patch-clamp recordings, calcium imaging, and movement tracking in behaving animals with computational modeling and connectomics, the proposed research project will provide unique mechanistic insight into the interactions between the brain and low-level motor circuits that have remained elusive in other animals.

Mots clés : motor control, descending neuron, insect, ventral nerve cord, walking, electrophysiology, calcium imaging, motion tracking, connectomics

Participants :
- Université de Wurtzbourg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €
Projet TAMMIE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Increasing evidence shows that undernutrition and overweight/obesity co-exist, affecting countries, households, and individuals. This phenomenon has been labelled the ‘double burden of malnutrition’ (DBM). It has been recognised as a public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, calling for interventions addressing all forms of malnutrition simultaneously. Despite impressive progress in reducing undernutrition, Ethiopia still has one of the highest rates of undernutrition globally, which coincides with a rising problem of overweight/obesity, particularly in urban areas. Nevertheless, funding for interventions remains focused on undernutrition. Shifting policies and programmes to address multiple forms of malnutrition requires a good understanding of the problem, the current policy/programme environment and, stakeholders’ views on the nature of the problem and potential ways of addressing it. Unfortunately, such evidence is scarce. Therefore, the TAMMIE project (TAckling Multiple forms of Malnutrition In Ethiopia amongst women of reproductive age and children under five) will assess the DBM to develop a roadmap for action to tackle multiple forms of malnutrition. For this, a 4P cycle (Problem, Policies/Programmes, People, Priority) will be assessed. The exploration of each ‘P’ will constitute a work package, utilising a range of methodologies. The DBM is multifaceted and complex, as such an interdisciplinary approach is fundamental to tackling it. The TAMMIE project is therefore interdisciplinary, drawing on insights from different disciplines (e.g., epidemiology, nutrition, public health, policy science) and methodologies (e.g., systematic review, secondary data analysis of large quantitative datasets, social network analysis, multi-criteria mapping). The gender sensitive approach of this project is key, as women are agents of change and are central to promoting healthy diets and preventing multiple forms of malnutrition for themselves and their offspring.

Mots clés : malnutrition, africa, causes, policies, programmes, priorities, ethiopia, women of reproductive age, children, stakeholders, policy makers, mixed methods

Participants :
- Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut de recherche pour le développement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 300441.6 €
- Institut International de Recherche sur les Politiques Alimentaires (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet KEYCON (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The European beaver (Castor fiber) is central to rewilding schemes in north-west Europe today due to its role as a keystone species. However, its engineering feats are also an increasing source of human-wildlife conflict. While these challenges are unique to our time, prior to near-extinction beavers interacted with humans and their environments for over 10,000 years. Yet, there is little systematic data on these dynamics in the past. KEYCON comparatively investigates the changing interactions between humans and beavers – two keystone species – during the Atlantic period (6000-3000 BC) in Denmark and the Netherlands, across the pivotal transition from foraging to farming and a period of changing climate. Few studies have considered how the critical changes in human land use and subsistence impacted human-wildlife relationships beyond diet. Achieving new understanding of these issues is hampered by the lack of knowledge of how human and wild fauna domains intersected in the past, a lack of focused studies of wild fauna remains, and a persevering anthropocentric perspective on past human-nonhuman relationships. To address these challenges, KEYCON integrates computational ecological modelling and zooarchaeological techniques in a transdisciplinary approach encompassing archaeology, multi-species anthropology, and conservation biology. Utilising the rich yet untapped dataset of prehistoric beaver assemblages from Denmark and the Netherlands, KEYCON provides a novel perspective on human-beaver interactions in the past. Using the resulting insights, KEYCON seeks also to contribute a data-driven, deep-time perspective on current rewilding schemes, the success of which is predicated on how the socio-ecological dynamics between humans and wild animals are addressed, and on robust ecological baselines. Mobilising a unique archaeological dataset, KEYCON will provide essential longue durée data and perspectives on both of these aspects.

Mots clés : zooarchaeology computational modelling rewilding hunting farming neolithisation human animal studies multispecies

Participants :
- Université d'Aarhus (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 288468.0 €
- Naturstyrelsen (Danemark) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SMALACI (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Horizon Europe seeks to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WHO–UNICEF–Lancet Commission suggests placing children at the center of the SDGs, because children are among the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized population. Child indicators calculated with surveys are limited because surveys can be outdated and do not cover all the regions of a country. In this context, the objective of the project is to develop a methodology to overcome this limitation and identify vulnerable young children in countries with outdated, incomplete, and low-quality survey information. The methodology is based on a spatial machine-learning analysis of child indicators and integrates 3 disciplines: child development, spatial analysis of satellite images, and machine-learning. Satellite images and households’ simulations will complement the missing or outdated information of surveys, and machine learning will identify children that could be left behind during the development process due to the intersectionality of gender with biological diversities, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and geographical location. The project will create new tools for monitoring the progress towards the SDGs and will help to formulate targeted interventions that increase the social impact and reduce the economic costs of poverty-reduction and development programs. If the project is funded, Dr. Rolando Gonzales Martinez will carry out the fellowship at the University of Groningen, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hinke Haisma and with support from Prof. Dr. Dimitris Ballas. A short visit to UNICEF is planned as a secondment for Dr. Gonzales Martinez, so he can work with UNICEF on improving the policy impact of the project. The transfer of knowledge between the research fellow and the host organization, the teaching activities, and the short visit to UNICEF will increase the career prospects and employability of Dr. Gonzales Martinez within and outside academia.

Mots clés : child development spatial analysis machine learning

Participants :
- Université de Groningue (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 203464.32 €
- Organisation des Nations Unies (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet NanoRet (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The incidence of chronic vision-impairing retinal diseases is increasing due to population ageing. Monthly intraocular injections are the standard of care, despite the important risks (e.g., infection and haemorrhage) associated with this practice. A promising alternative is the periocular injection of nanocarriers, which are able to enhance the permeability across the ocular membranes. However, as periocular administration relies on the drug transport mechanisms in the tissues to reach the target, animal tests are generally needed for a prediction of drug distribution after the injection. The researcher aims at the development of an ex vivo model of a whole porcine eye which will constitute an evaluation tool for periocular nanoformulations targeting the retina and will allow for a deep understanding of the ocular penetration paths. The project will (i) provide a safer alternative to intraocular injections, (ii) reduce the need for animal testing in the pre-clinical phase of product development and (iii) overcome the current limitations of mathematical models, which are generally unable to predict the complexity of nanoformulations transport. This MSCA will be implemented throughout 24 months at the University of Parma, and it will include two 3-months secondments: the researcher will be trained on pharmacokinetics mathematical models at the University of Navarra and on Organs-on-a-Chip models at Tel Aviv University. The selected methodology allows for a cutting-edge approach to nanoparticles design, promoting the synergistic use of chemistry tools (spectroscopy) with medicine and biology (ex vivo models, 3D imaging, cellular assays) and engineering tools (mathematical models, Organs-on-a-Chip). The competencies acquired during the project will complement the researcher’s background towards the ultimate goal of becoming an expert in the development of innovative and effective ophthalmic therapeutics, with a focus on alternative methods to animal testing.

Mots clés : ocular drug delivery posterior segment diseases ex vivo models ophthalmic formulations polymeric micelles global sensitivity analysis organs on a chip colloidal systems transscleral delivery

Participants :
- Université de Tel Aviv (Israël) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Parme (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172750.08 €
- Université de Navarre (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet M6ATCELL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Adoptive T cell therapies have revolutionised cancer treatment in some haematological tumours. Despite astounding advances, patients often relapse because the transferred T cells have low persistence and they lose their effector function against cancer cells. The prime challenge for improving T cell therapies is to decipher the mechanisms that define T cell effector function and memory formation. The MA6TCELL project aims to disentangle this problem by defining how m6A methylation on mRNA regulates human CD8 T cell differentiation and function. m6A is the most abundant mRNA methylation and determines gene expression by regulating mRNA metabolism, altering as such cell function. Using the miCLIP assay, I previously mapped genome-wide the m6A sites on the mRNAs of human CD8 T cells (unpublished data I will provide the host with). This map revealed that m6A occurs not only at the known DRACH sequences, but also at AU-rich sequences (AREs). Intriguingly, the host has uncovered that AREs are critical regulators of cytokine production in memory CD8 T cells (host expertise). My pilot experiments revealed that chemical inhibition of a m6A demethylase in CD8 T cells decreased cytokine production, further supporting my hypothesis that m6A methylation controls CD8 T cell differentiation and function. To test this hypothesis the M6ATCELL project will: 1) define the regulatory mechanisms of m6A methylation in human CD8 T cell differentiation and effector function and 2) test whether m6A enzyme inhibitors improve the potency of CD8 T cell therapies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Our findings will yield fundamental insights in T cell biology, which can be relevant for multiple adoptive T cell therapies. My long-term aim is to transfer my scientific findings from bench-to-bedside. Thus, I also secured a placement at the European Medicines Agency and if this proposal is granted, I will be trained on the regulatory guidelines of medicinal T cell products.

Mots clés : cd8 t cells, m6a mrna methylation, t cell differentiation and function, post transcriptional regulation, adaptive immunity, cancer immunotherapy

Participants :
- European Medicines Agency (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Sanquin (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 234530.4 €
Projet DivMass (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The importance of biodiversity in supporting ecosystem functioning, especially biomass productivity, has motivated numerous research questions. However, controversial results have been found so far while testing a direct link between diversity metrics and biomass, an approach that discards the fact that biomass is a composition of three other variables: number of stems, wood density and mean aboveground volume. It is only possible to access the role of diversity on biomass by separating the components of AGB, since diversity operates through different (and non-exclusive) ecological mechanisms that act separately on different AGB components: the selection effect (SE) and the complementarity effect (CE). The SE (or “sampling effect”) emerge as a result of a hyper-diverse community having a greater chance of containing particularly productive species, while the CE states that plant communities consisting of multiple species that coevolved to occupy different environmental niches can partition limited resources more efficiently, thus providing greater biomass compared to that expected from monocultures. This proposal aims at developing a new conceptual framework that will help test 1) how diversity drives variation in biomass and productivity through different ecological mechanisms acting on specific components of biomass; 2) whether historical disturbances influence the current effect of diversity on biomass and biomass productivity and; 3) whether the effect of diversity on biomass and biomass productivity differ among the Neotropics, Afrotropics and Asian tropical forests. These objectives will be achieved via i) disaggregating AGB in wood density, stem density and mean aboveground volume components and ii) separating the effect of SE and CE to assess the effects of diversity metrics on AGB components through specific indirect pathways, including effects related to variation in forest characteristics across continents and canopy packing.

Mots clés : diversity, biomass, disturbance, biogeography, canopy packing, forest recovery

Participants :
- Institut de recherche pour le développement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195914.88 €
Projet HERO (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

As of 2024, more than 90% of the global insulin supply is controlled by just three conglomerates. Patents and license agreements restrict the use of optimised expression vehicles such as E. coli, S. cerevisiae, or P. pastoris, by the small/medium scale enterprises (SMEs) who can decentralise insulin production and cater to local demands. Project HERO (HEterozygous expRession of insulin in NannOchloropsis) aims to develop a novel microalgal platform technology for sustainable and accessible transgenic insulin production using Nannochloropsis oceanica as the model organism. The project builds upon the applicant’s recent discovery that N. oceanica (an ω-3 lipid rich, phototrophic microalgae) secretes the protease serine decarboxylase (SDC) during nitrogen scarcity. In this project, the transcriptome and secretome of N. oceanica under varying nitrogen concentrations will be comprehensively profiled after which, state-of-the-art plasmid designing techniques and CRISPR transformation pipelines will be used to insert the genes for insulin in the microalgal genome and express it as a fusion-protein with SDC. Controlled auto-proteolysis of the fusion-protein will greatly simplify and decrease steps in downstream insulin processing, thereby reducing overall water consumption and production costs. Moreover under nitrogen starvation, N. oceanica naturally over-produces high-value ω-3 lipids through biochemical pathways independent to SDC secretion. This offers the biorefinery benefits of multi-stream production (insulin and lipids) to further offset production costs. Finally, the engineered N. oceanica strain will be cultivated at pilot scale (100 L) to assess insulin yields, perform lifecycle analysis and establish its commercialisation potential. By empowering local SMEs to economically and sustainably produce insulin and supply them to their local communities, Project HERO intends to help democratise access to this life-saving drug to people across all financial tiers.

Mots clés : microalgal, insulin, crispr, nannochloropsis

Participants :
- University College Dublin (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 517435.92 €
- Attenuate therapeutics ltd (Irlande) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Carnegie Institution for Science (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet Reformarchy (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This project offers the first comprehensive account of the Counts of Bernstorff and the part they played in the making of enlightened reforms in eighteenth-century Denmark. Through a detailed study of the personal and intellectual networks of Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff (1712-1772) and his nephew Andreas Peter von Bernstorff (1735-1797), two reform-minded Hanoverian counts, who served as chief ministers to the Danish monarchy, REFORMARCHY reconstructs a series of intellectual exchanges between Copenhagen, Geneva, and Göttingen. In so doing, the project elucidates the efforts of the Bernstorffs to reform the Danish monarchy in view of contemporary challenges to the European states system and recovers their main contribution to Enlightenment thought, that is, their vision of modern liberty in a commercial monarchy. Drawing on intellectual currents introduced to them through the various centres of their networks, this vision was moulded by such diverse languages as republicanism, monarchism, natural law, cameralism and political economy. The main objectives of the project are thus to map the personal and intellectual networks the Bernstorffs, to analyse the key concepts of their political vision, and to examine the imperial response to global commercial competition that underpinned their enlightened reform programme. Reconstructing the reforming spirit of the Counts of Bernstorff, REFORMARCHY not only makes an innovating contribution to historical scholarship on enlightened reform, it also brings into view the historical and conceptual relationship between freedom and the state. By returning the concept of modern liberty to its eighteenth-century origin in the dialogue between republicanism and monarchism, REFORMARCHY offers a novel perspective on our current political imaginary. The vision of modern liberty that comes out of this context sees the state not as an impediment to individual freedom, but rather as its requisite.

Mots clés : enlightened reform, liberty, commercial society, republicanism, monarchism

Participants :
- Université de Göttingen (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €