Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet MetALS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Background: Exposure to toxic metals are proposed as risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite this, evidence remains mixed, with only evidence for lead exposure supported by recent meta-analysis. Many studies neglected that biomarkers may be affected by kidney and liver function. Additionally, the heat shock protein (HSP) response is triggered by toxic metal exposures, and there is evidence for altered HSP metabolism in ALS. Methods: Using available samples (105 ALS cases, 307 controls), blood HSP’s and toxic metal exposures will be measured primarily in urine (inorganic Hg, lead, chromium, aluminium, selenium, zinc, cadmium, copper and manganese). Confounding variables such as kidney and liver function, and bone turnover will be measured. In addition, prospective recruitment of a further 100 cases and 100 controls will be carried out. For prospectively enrolees, repeat blood and urine samples will be taken three-monthly. Statistical analysis: Multivariable logistic regression will be used to compare HSP’s at baseline, while Bayesian models will be used to model correlations between HSP’s and multiple toxic metals. Longitudinal trends will be modelled using Bayesian mixed effects models. Ordinary differential equations will be used to construct elimination kinetics models. Power calculations indicate 90% power to detect an odds ratio of 2.0 at baseline, and 87% to detect longitudinal differences in trend of 15% or more between cases and controls. Impact: MetALS will employ new methodology to generate fresh insights into the role of toxic metals in ALS. MetALS will confirm or refute the finding of HSP’s as biomarkers in ALS, and provide the first insights into longitudinal behaviour of HSP’s as the disease progresses. MetALS will also provide the first combined study of both HSP’s and toxic metal exposure in an ALS cohort. These novel enquiries are expected to provide fresh insights into HSP’s and toxic metal metabolism in ALS.

Mots clés : amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Participants :
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 162806.4 €
Projet EV-LNC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Background: The concept of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has drastically changed from the initial non-functional debris to the current of key mediators of paracrine signalling. The cargoes of EVs comprise all kinds of macromolecules, and recent evidence has demonstrated the presence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in such vesicles. These RNA molecules have numerous potential regulatory functions and results obtained so far guide us to presume a determinant role in vascular cell differentiation, proliferation and repair. Besides, the increasing data emerging in the field are significantly changing the way in which we interpret molecular mechanisms driving cardiovascular diseases and offers a brand new set of molecular targets for therapy. For all these reasons, study of lncRNAs in vascular biology and disease is state-of-the-art. Objectives: The main aim of this project is to study extracellular vesicle mediated cell-to-cell communication between human smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, evaluate its relevance in vascular injury in an in vitro model of pulmonary arterial hypertension, and determine the significance of long non-coding RNA in this crosstalk. Methodology: For imaging EV transfer among vascular cells, we will use a pioneer approach based on Cre-loxP recombination which results in a fluorescent colour switch of cells upon EV uptake. Cells will then be sorted according to fluorescence by flow cytometry and analysed by cutting-edge proteomics and bioinformatics, in order to elucidate intercellular signalling triggered by EV transfer. The lncRNAs present in EVs will be analysed by RNA-Seq. Mechanistic insight of enriched lncRNAs in EVs will be evaluated using gain- and loss-of function approaches in vascular cells using lentiviral vectors and GapmeRs/siRNAs, respectively. Integration of all these analyses will provide key information to define implications of EV-mediated delivery of lncRNA for vascular repair and regeneration.

Mots clés : extracellular vesicles, non coding rna, lncrna, pulmonary arterial hypertension, vascular, cell to cell communication

Participants :
- University of Edinburgh (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet RhizoTalk (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Bacterial biocontrol agents (BCAs) are a promising alternative to chemical pesticides in sustainable agriculture. However, their use is often inconsistent in field, mainly due to the difficulty of BCAs to effectively colonize the rhizosphere and integrate in resident microbial communities. As invaders, BCAs have to face indigenous microbiota once arrived on the rhizosphere, and the establishment of interspecific interactions based on quorum sensing (QS) signals may enhance or hinder their establishment in the rhizosphere. With the objective to solve the problem of BCA inconsistency in field, our research is aimed at unveiling the response of a model BCA to main QS signals released by rhizosphere-living bacteria. To do that, we designed a straightforward working plan based on the combination of microbiology, transcriptomics and formulation technologies. We will use Lysobacter capsici AZ78 (AZ78) as model BCA and QS signals already characterized in rhizosphere-living bacteria. Firstly, we will identify main QS signaling systems included in AZ78 genome through genome mining and we will dissect the AZ78 transcriptional response to QS signals through RNA-Seq. Concurrently, we will identify bacterial strains living on tomato rhizosphere able to boost the AZ78 capacity to release antibiotics and resist UV-light, thanks to positive interactions. Finally, we will develop novel formulations of bacterial consortia (AZ78 with helper bacterial strains) incorporating also positive QS signals. The outcome of this project will be a milestone in the development of next generation BCAs relying on the interspecific interactions to favor BCA establishment in the rhizosphere. The achievement of the results will allow me to create a research group focusing on the ecology and formulations of BCAs, a topic that will meet the interest of industries investing in eco-friendly fungicides and European policy inclined to reducing the input of chemical pesticides in agriculture.

Mots clés : biological control agents, rhizosphere, quorum sensing, lysobacter, genome mining, transcriptomics, granular formulations

Participants :
- University of Trento (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 168277.2 €
Projet CHAMP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

CHAMP is a proposed training partnership between Dr Adam Standring, Professor Jonathan Davies and the Centre for Urban Research on Austerity (CURA) at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, UK. The rise of political values contrary to the aims of the European project is one of the great challenges of our time. The proposed Fellowship would be the first of its kind in examining the way morals construct and mediate political demands, from where moral critiques emanate and how they are legitimized. By exploring the moral foundations of critique, the Fellowship will develop novel perspectives on how European goals of social inclusion and sustainable societies can be achieved. Building on Dr Standring's work on anti- politics and Professor Davies' research on urban austerity, this project constructs an innovative interdisciplinary analytical framework. This framework is applied to a specific policy area especially suited to a moral critique - housing - in three countries producing different responses to austerity - the UK, Ireland and Portugal. As urban areas become sites of political contestation, fundamental in the implementation and resistance to austerity, broader political issues such as intergenerational justice, redistribution, solidarity, citizenship and community resilience are distilled into concrete conflicts. In delivering this project, the Fellow will benefit from De Montfort University's outstanding research training programme, and the field leading expertise of Professor Jonathan Davies and the CURA team. The project is closely aligned with the DMU strategic priority for researching 21st century urban living. It complements UN Sustainable Development goals and contributes to meeting EU Societal Challenges, especially ""Europe in a changing world: inclusive, innovative and reflective societies"". If successful, the Fellow will emerge from the programme as a fully independent scholar of international standing and as a credit to the MSCF programme.

Mots clés : morals, politics, housing, crisis, discourse

Participants :
- De Montfort University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet COINE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

COINE will provide the first comprehensive history of counterfeiting as an imperial crime, demonstrating that it had wide-ranging implications for market development, cultures of money and the market, and imperial authority in the eighteenth-century British Atlantic world. Combining methods from social, cultural, and political history with analysis of material and visual culture, COINE engages with interdisciplinary issues, including the dynamics between crime and economic development; the relationship of money to the state; and the evolution of money in the modern world. To accomplish COINE’s objectives, the Experienced Researcher (ER) will complete six months of field work in British archives, collecting data on British-based counterfeiting networks which will be assembled into a relational database and integrated into the ER’s existing database on counterfeiters operating in the British colonies. This data will allow the ER to accurately trace, for the first time, the movements of counterfeiters and their extensive networks in the British Atlantic world. Based at University of Birmingham (UoB) and benefiting from the expertise of the Supervisor and the Birmingham Eighteenth-Century Center, the ER will produce a monograph, Counterfeiting Empire, on money, crime, and politics in the eighteenth century. The results will also be disseminated in a single-authored article and conference presentations. COINE is thus designed to allow the ER to access critical archives, complete data analysis and writing that will be enriched by the intellectual community at UoB, and disseminate results that will change how scholars think about crime, money, and imperial politics. The ER will bring her expertise on the emerging field of the history of money to the UoB and help the institution strengthen ties with American researchers. COINE’s work programme will also augment the ER’s international research profile and position to obtain a permanent academic position.

Mots clés : history of money and capitalism, history of crime, material culture studies

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet COMMTACT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

COMMTACT is a novel, interdisciplinary research project that will bridge fundamental gaps in our knowledge about how species and communities are impacted by changing climates. Given the threats posed to natural ecosystems and their biodiversity, defining and predicting the impacts of anthropogenic climate change is a top priority of conservation and management organizations in the European Union and worldwide. By providing a platform for integrating the skillsets of the researcher (S. Stankowski) and supervisor (B. Emerson), COMMTACT will take a highly innovative, interdisciplinary approach to this problem. From a scientific perspective, the aim of the action is to provide detailed, community-wide insight into the genomic, demographic, spatial and temporal impacts of an altered climatic regime that can be used to predict future impacts of climate change. This will be achieved by combining a powerful natural climate change experiment on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) with an integrative work plan consisting of (i) community wide-genomic datasets, (ii) spatially-explicit modeling and analyses, and (iii) laboratory experiments. Through these methods, the action will address several untested hypotheses about how different biological factors influence species sensitivity to climate change. The results will contribute to a general understanding of how climate shapes species diversity and distributions, and will inform efforts to predict, mitigate and manage its negative effects.

Mots clés : species distributions, speciation, biogeography, range changes, dispersal, climatic resilience

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet MsgRNA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

CRISPR/Cas9 has been extensively studied for genome editing, but its therapeutic application has been hampered by off-target effects. Site-specific modification of single guide (sg) RNA in CRISPR system is a potential means to expand the utility of CRISPR-Cas genome editing. To address this, and reduce of synthetic burden of sgRNA we propose a ‘click’ ligation method to synthesize sgRNA where two chemically modified oligonucleotides are joined together using CuAAC chemistry. The resultant artificial linkage is biomimetic, so it should not affect Cas9 activity. This method offers significantly higher DNA-targeting specificity (i.e. less off-target effects) and most importantly provides a cost-effective means to access thousands of synthetic sgRNAs. Imaging in CRISPR-Cas9 system using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) probes have enabled significant advancements in understanding genomic structure and transcriptional control. We will explore novel approaches to image CRISPR-Cas9 system using fluorophore-quencher pairs. The activation of fluorescence can be performed upon nuclear localisation using RNase H, and upon sgRNA binding to the target DNA. These methods will provide highly fluorescent sgRNAs for live-cell imaging, potentially much brighter compared to other methods. To control CRISPR off-target effects we will also design a light induced DNA damage method where cyanovinylcarbazole nucleoside or psolaren will be incorporated in the DNA-targeting RNA. Therefore, modification of sgRNA for CRISPR system can be used to address the biological limitations of CRISPR and expand its functionality. This will open up many avenues for future development and lead to more application-focused studies on therapeutic gene editing.

Mots clés : crispr, cas9, genome editing, single guided rna, fish technique

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

CRISPR/Cas9 has untapped potential for disease modeling in the diploid amphibian model organism Xenopus tropicalis (X. tropicalis). Here, I propose to employ state-of-the-art CRISPR/Cas9 technologies (in vivo CRISPR Screening, ShCAST, CRISPR-NSID) to address two current unmet clinical needs in congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). First, I will generate a novel animal model for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and investigate the role of a potential new druggable therapeutic target (ALDH1A1). Second, I propose to couple CRISPR screening methods to classical Xenopus animal cap differentiation assays to identify genes essential in the differentiation of pluripotent precursor cells towards pronephric structures. I intend to perform in vivo validation of hits to identify genes which underlie CAKUT development in X. tropicalis. Because a molecular diagnosis for CAKUT can currently only be made in about 20% of the clinical cases, the further elucidation of underlying genetic causes for CAKUT is of major clinical relevance. In vivo validated Xenopus CAKUT disease causing genes will be integrated with clinician networks (ERKNet, NEOCYST). This interdisciplinary approach will use well-established techniques from developmental biology, state-of-the-art CRISPR/Cas9 approaches, light-sheet-microscopy and machine-learning based phenotyping protocols to model common genetic forms of kidney disease using the diploid vertebrate model X. tropicalis.

Mots clés : crispr, cas9, xenopus tropicalis, kidney disease modeling, crispr screen, polycystic kidney disease, pdk1, aldh1a1

Participants :
- University of Zurich (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet CaRe-Space (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells play a pivotal role in the development of cortical areas, by guiding the migration of principal cells. While cortical CR cells disappear soon after birth, these cells are present in the hippocampus for several months of postnatal development. However, the role that CR cells play in hippocampus-dependent memories is still unknown. In fact, the hippocampal-parahippocampal region forms a network responsible for spatial representation, in rodents and in humans. In both species, spatial navigation shows a delayed postnatal maturation, which correlates with the persistence of CR cells. CR cells are indeed located in a key position to control the development of the entorhinal-hippocampal connections, and I have previously showed that CR cells are an active part of the hippocampal circuit. I hypothesize that hippocampal CR cells play a fundamental role in the maturation of the circuits of the hippocampal region and in the development of the spatial navigation system. By using specific genetic and molecular tools, I will ablate hippocampal CR cells at early postnatal stages and then analyze alterations of the circuit of the hippocampal region and of the spatial navigation system. The last decade has seen a major global effort in trying to understand how the brain processes information. Indeed, several research groups are investigating how spatial maps are created in the brain. However, few studies have looked at how the involved circuits actually develop and what are the consequences of an improper maturation. My previous research experience on the development of neuronal circuits and specifically on CR cells will benefit me tremendously in understanding how these cells are contributing to the creation of spatial memory. The study will also help bridging a gap between developmental and system neuroscience, a goal that I will keep pursuing in my future scientific career.

Mots clés : cajal retzius cells, hippocampus, place cells, development

Participants :
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214158.72 €
Projet WILDGUT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Calls to stem biodiversity loss have generally focussed on the plight of charismatic vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish, amphibians) and to some extent, insects (like butterflies). However, although the abundance and diversity of microbial and helminth communities inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract have been demonstrated of critical importance to health in both humans and non-human animals, this microbiodiversity has rarely been considered within a conservation framework. Using recently collected fecal samples from two free-ranging tropical non-human primate species with contrasting ecological parameters, WILDGUT proposes a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the four-way interplay between habitat changes, host species, and gut micro- and macro-parasites in natural environments. The results will lead to a better understanding of the impact of human activities on microbiodiversity, and whether such changes could have an effect on wildlife health, and ultimately to a species’ conservation status. Thus, the project will explore whether the comparison of gut microbiota and helminth community diversity, functions and interaction between intact and degraded habitats can be used to develop new indices to estimate host health and informing conservation strategies.

Mots clés : gut microbiota, helminth, metataxonomics, conservation biology, habitat disturbance, non human primates, tanzania

Participants :
- Fondazione Edmund Mach (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 176203.8 €
- University of Illinois System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet PHBE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Can we transmit visions of the past? Contrary to the modern conception of scientific history, ancient historiography was supposed to reflect the past in such a vivid way that the reader could visualise it, feel impressions, so that she/he could memorise it and learn lessons from it. Such an effect, called enargeia, was also considered as a rhetorical technique, thought to arouse emotions and to help to orient the vision of the audience, and was consequently practiced in rhetorical exercises; this property brought ancient history close to literature, fiction and persuasion. But a similar visual dimension is also present in wide-spread and popular modern forms (novels, comics, documentaries) and uses (public speeches, museography) of history. This interesting parallel between ancient and modern practice can be used to investigate the effects (on the audience) of various forms of historical representation and their links with argumentation and persuasion thanks to the ancient concepts and tools and through an interdisciplinary approach. The first challenge of this research project, which I will conduct under the supervision of Ruth Webb (University of Lille, France), will be to study the practice of enargeia in ancient historiography (especially during the periods when enargeia was a part of rhetorical instruction), in order to identify its uses and functions and how it brings about persuasion. The next challenge will be to find modern uses of enargeia and to conceive pedagogical tools to unveil this dimension through practice and to develop a critical eye on the various ways of representing history.

Mots clés : rhetoric, argumentation, enargeia, ancient historiography, historical representation, teaching

Participants :
- Université de Lille (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196707.84 €