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

Cancer immunotherapy is considered an effective cancer treatment strategy. However, there are still some obstacles, including the unresponsive state of the immune system to tumor antigen stimulation. In the last years, researchers have found that nanomaterials can modulate the immune system. Among many excellent nanomaterials, carbon-based nanomaterials stand out due to their good biocompatibility. Compared to the rich research on carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide, the research on carbon dots (CDs) in immunotherapy is still in its infancy. In ChiralBoost, we intend to explore the application of chiral carbon dots (Ch-CDs) in cancer immunotherapy. Ch-CDs will be synthesized by hydrothermal and microwave methods using protected L/D-tyrosine and L/D-tryptophan as precursors. Then, a tumor antigen model ovalbumin peptide and the immune adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid A will be grafted onto the Ch-CDs through post-functionalization. Next, the interaction and the immune response of the Ch-CDs on primary immune cells in vitro and in vivo, such as the ability to accelerate dendritic cell maturation and the ability to stimulate cytokine production will be explored. The generated results will open the way to explore the potential of Ch-CDs in cancer immunotherapy The conduct of this project is not only expected to the development of Ch-CDs-based anticancer nanomedicines but will also pave the way for biomedical applications of chiral nanomaterials in other potential clinical applications. The assembled research team is totally capable of achieving the ambitious objectives of the proposed project. The researcher, Dr. Hu, is a multidisciplinary researcher specializing in diverse carbon nanomaterials. The main supervisor (Dr. Alberto Bianco, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, CNRS) is among the pioneers of biomedical carbon-nanomaterials research, and the secondment co-supervisor (Prof. Sara Bals, University of Antwerp) is a renowned expert on microscopic techniques.

Mots clés : carbon dots, chirality, amino acids, immune response, cancer immunotherapy

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195914.88 €
- Université d'Anvers (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet STRIM-HCC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), remains a critical global health challenge, with limited treatment efficacy, particularly in advanced stages. The rising incidence of HCC is intricately linked to metabolic dysfunctions, such as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and its severe form, metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), highlighting an urgent need for enhanced precision oncology approaches. Despite recent advances, the lack of effective biomarkers and precision therapies for HCC underscores the complexity and heterogeneity of the disease.  This proposal aims to address these gaps by integrating cutting-edge bioinformatics tools and genomic data to uncover novel mechanisms of HCC progression and treatment resistance. We will focus on three primary objectives: (1) Characterizing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) in HCC, emphasizing cell-type-specific regulatory programs and enhancer-promoter interactions that influence tumor progression and immune evasion. (2) Identifying specific cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subtypes and their role in patient response to immune-based combination therapies, particularly atezolizumab and bevacizumab. (3) Leveraging whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to pinpoint targetable mutations in regulatory regions, which can guide personalized treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes.  By analyzing single-cell data and integrating it with whole-genome and RNA sequencing, this project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of HCC's molecular underpinnings and its interaction with the TME. The expected outcomes include identifying new biomarkers for patient stratification, elucidating the role of CAFs in therapy response, and proposing actionable genomic targets for precision treatment. This research promises to revolutionize HCC management by providing innovative strategies for better-targeted therapies and improving clinical outcomes through enhanced precision oncology methodologies.

Mots clés : research interests translational oncology, liver cancer, hcc, single cell genomics, transcriptional regulation

Participants :
- Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 194074.56 €
Projet RECONSTRUCT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Human skeletal remains can offer key information on diverse aspects of past life but, like all archaeological materials, they only give a glimpse into the life of past individuals; hence, a fragmented perspective into our ancestors’ lives. Their interpretative potential is greatly inhibited by the fact that such remains are often found fragmented due to several anthropogenic and natural taphonomic agents, such as funerary treatment, animal activity, soil pressure and others. This fragmentation severely limits the information that may be extracted from human bones in terms of metric analysis, geometry and morphology. RECONSTRUCT aims at producing 3D morphable models for the main elements of the lower and upper limbs of the human skeleton, which will be then used to infer the missing morphology of fragmented or incomplete bones. In order to achieve this aim and address a major current limitation in human skeletal analysis, RECONSTRUCT will integrate approaches from osteoarchaeology, forensic anthropology, biology, engineering, and data science. The results of the project will maximize the information that may be extracted from bioarchaeological research, contributing to a more comprehensive assessment of past life parameters. RECONSTRUCT will also have major implications in forensic anthropology since the study of modern skeletal remains suffers from similar limitations in terms of partial preservation as those witnessed in archaeological bones. Finally, the source code and raw data emanating from RECONSTRUCT will be made open access, greatly enhancing the extension of this approach to zooarchaeology, palaeoanthropology, and the prosthetic implants industry.

Mots clés : bioarchaeology forensic anthropology human osteology

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Bureau de contrôle et de gestion de la recherche et de l'innovation ( Cyprus Institute) (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 164328.0 €
Projet LIMITS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Each year, 1.1 million inhabitants of Europe suffer stroke. Stroke leads to extensive neuronal loss and results in an environment filled with cellular debris, notably myelin debris. The clearance of this debris by microglia is crucial for restoring homeostasis, but it can overwhelm their phagocytic function. Consequently, damaged areas often exhibit microglia with cytoplasmic inclusions known as lipid droplets (LDs). Recent findings by one of the supervisors indicate that microglia in young mice accumulate LDs, with Plin2 being one of the most differentially expressed genes after brain ischemia.  LIMITS aims to characterize the contribution of LDs to the neurological deficits following thrombotic stroke to be exploited as (i) novel markers for monitoring and (ii) novel therapeutic targets. Additionally, we will develop new preclinical models to share with the entire research community.  The objectives are: (i) to establish a new strain of transgenic mice with a deletion of the Plin2 gene in microglia, (ii) to characterize the inflammatory response, lesion volume, and neurological function after ischemic stroke of this new strain, and (iii) to identify new pharmacological approaches targeting LDs for the treatment of ischemic stroke. My expertise in inflammation and metabolic reprogramming, the supervisors' established proficiency in clinical and basic stroke research, the lipid expertise of our collaborators, and the availability of all necessary facilities and training opportunities at the host institution will ensure the success of this research.  LIMITS project has the potential to uncover innovative therapies for ischemic stroke. Furthermore, since LDs have been shown to play a pivotal role not only in ischemic stroke but also in other conditions such as aging, obesity, and cancer, the results from this project are expected to have a significant impact across various disease areas.

Mots clés : lipid droplets, plin2, microglia, metabolism, stroke

Participants :
- Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet NEDS-6G (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The advent of sixth-generation (6G) networks promises transformative advancements in communication capabilities through the integration of large array structures such as ELAA, RIS, D-MIMO, and cell-free MIMO. However, the shift towards near-field (NF) characteristics in these systems poses challenges for traditional far-field-based location and sensing methods, necessitating a new approach for dynamic sensing in 6G networks. This project, Near-field Enhanced Dynamic Sensing for 6G Networks (NEDS-6G), aims to develop innovative algorithms and methodologies to address these challenges and unlock the full potential of 6G technology.  The primary objective of NEDS-6G is to achieve subcentimeter-level positioning accuracy for static and dynamic objects within 6G networks. This project will focus on establishing realistic NF dynamic channel models, developing efficient sensing methods, and validating these techniques through experimental measurements. Three work packages will drive this research forward: (1) NF dynamic channel modeling with well-characterizing inherent NF properties in large array structures. (2) positioning and tracking static and dynamic targets by developing accurate yet efficient sensing methods making full use of the NF characteristics. and (3) experimental validation through real-world measurements to investigate their real-world performance and compare them with existing technologies.  By characterizing dynamic NF properties, leveraging advanced signal processing techniques, and possibly integrating AI-enabled methods, this project aims to push beyond the current state-of-the-art in dynamic sensing for 6G networks. The proposed methodologies seek to enhance resource allocation efficiency, improve localization accuracy, and boost overall system performance, paving the way for the next generation of wireless communication technologies.

Mots clés : radio localization and sensing, large array structures, near field, channel modeling and characterization, experimental validation, curved wavefronts, spatial non stationarity, spatial consistency

Participants :
- École polytechnique Chalmers (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 252180.0 €
Projet Bioelectrochemistry (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The production of butanol and hexanol from syngas (CO and CO2) fermentation represents a significant advancement in sustainable chemical manufacturing. This project aims to enhance the efficiency of this process by leveraging the capabilities of Clostridium ljungdahlii, a bacterium known for its robust syngas fermentation capabilities. C. ljungdahlii can convert CO2 into valuable products like butanol and hexanol, but current production levels are limited. Existing research shows that engineered strains of Clostridium can produce butanol at levels of 6–8 g/L from syngas. With ongoing advancements in genetic engineering, these yields are expected to rise to 10 g/L, and potentially up to 20 g/L with further metabolic engineering and optimized fermentation conditions. Similarly, while current hexanol production stands at 1–2 g/L, genetic engineering holds the potential to increase this to 2–3 g/L by enhancing chain elongation and managing acetate accumulation. The project here focuses on two main objectives: a) optimizing genetic modifications in Clostridium strains and integrating bioelectrochemical systems (BES) to address the current limitations. Genetic engineering efforts will target the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP), a crucial metabolic route for converting CO2 and CO into acetate. By knocking out the acoA gene (acetyl-CoA synthetase) and upregulating adhE (alcohol dehydrogenase), we aim to redirect carbon flux from acetate production to alcohol synthesis. Additionally, utilizing BES will help mitigate acetate toxicity and enhance product yields through electrochemical stimulation, which improves cellular redox metabolism and supports the conversion of excess acetate into butanol (C4) and hexanol (C6). In effect, this combined approach will increase the production of multi-carbon chemicals in the system, which will provide new insights and improved efficiency in BES for increased CO2 fixation and bioconversion.

Mots clés : bio electrochemistry, microbes, carbon sequestration, acetate, butanol and hexanol

Participants :
- École polytechnique Chalmers (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 252180.0 €
Projet DeepScalePPIs (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Understanding, predicting and engineering protein-protein interaction (PPI) affinity and specificity is a key problem in molecular biology. In particular, we do not know how sequence-to-affinity encoding works at a quantitative and mechanistic level and we cannot predict and engineer the effects of mutations on PPIs. To tackle this problem, we need to generate large amounts of quantitative biophysical measurements. Until now this was not possible due to the low throughput of classic biophysics techniques. Here we propose to expand high-throughput deep mutational scanning (DMS) methodology to quantify the effects of tens of millions of mutations on hundreds of PPIs. To generate a dataset of sufficient size and diversity to train models to predict changes in binding affinity from sequence, we will perform combinatorial trans mutagenesis by combining single mutants in the interaction interface of each partner of a given PPI and quantify the change in binding using a highly-validated protein complementation assay (PCA). To establish the platform, we will first focus on mutating PPIs of the KRAS oncoprotein. We will then scale up this approach to mutate at least one hundred structurally diverse PPIs. The resulting dataset will be of unprecedented size and standardisation, serving as a landmark reference dataset for us and others to train and evaluate models to predict the effects of mutations on interaction affinity. These data and models should transform our ability to understand clinical variants affecting PPIs and allow us to better understand, drug and engineer PPIs critical for medicine and biotechnology. “DeepScalePPIs” will be supervised by Prof. Ben Lehner (CRG, Barcelona), whose group has pioneered the use of deep mutagenesis to understand protein structures, dynamics and interactions. In this unique environment I will be able to learn and combine knowledge from different fields s as genomics, systems biology, biophysics and computational biology.

Mots clés : biophysics, dms, deep mutagenesis, high throughput, protein protein interactions, genomics, computational biology, machine learning, 

Participants :
- Centro de Regulación Genómica (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 194074.56 €
Projet METABOLISM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

In recent years, the number of microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 mm) in the environment has exploded and is expected to continue to increase in the coming years. They are now found in the air we breathe, in drinkable water, in food and even in human blood or organs. Unfortunately, this pollution issue is accentuated by the environmental contamination with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS), known as "forever chemicals" and linked to cancer problems. These chemicals are also found everywhere, up to the human body and tend to adsorb on plastics. However, the understanding of the interaction of PFAS or microplastics with complex shapes, sizes and chemical compositions on living systems is missing. METABOLISM seeks therefore at adapting physicochemical and biophysical techniques and models to understand the adsorption/attachment of these systems, the stretching dynamics and the unzipping mechanism of lipid bilayers, mimicking cell membranes in the presence of contaminants. The project aims at developing an integrated platform to simultaneously image and measure the stress distribution within the bilayers and the adhesion forces at play, in order to quantify the dysfunction of the cell machinery. The stability of lung cells will also be probed to have new insight into the damaging induced by pollution on relevant living systems. Gaining understanding about this problematic will provide important new knowledge on the impact of contaminants on health and highlight the need to improve remediation strategies.

Mots clés : interfacial tension, lipids, pfas, microplastics, adsorption dynamic, membrane

Participants :
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Biofisika Bizkaia Fundazioa (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 261380.64 €
Projet VAPOR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Atmospheric dryness, which is often quantified as a vapor pressure deficit (VPD), exerts significant influences on vegetation productivity and global carbon cycles. VPD is expected to rise in a warming world, but how this increased atmospheric dryness will impact the carbon uptake by vegetation remains largely unknown. One major challenge is the lack of long-term measurements, which limits studies to the recent decades when satellite and flux measurements are available. Moreover, disentangling the effects of VPD from other highly correlated factors such as soil moisture is difficult. This lack of understanding hampers our ability to make skillful predictions of how future VPD changes induced by climate change will affect vegetation productivity globally. The VAPOR project seeks to address the existing knowledge gaps through a multi-timescale approach. First, the sensitivity of tree growth to VPD variations will be quantified on the decade-to-century timescale by leveraging global long-term tree-ring measurements as a proxy for forest productivity. Second, the independent effects of VPD and soil moisture on forest productivity during heatwaves will be disentangled using sub-diurnal high-resolution satellite observations from the last decades. Finally, output from global coupled climate simulations will be evaluated based on the insights from the previous findings, and emergent constraints will be applied to mitigate uncertainties in future projects of forest productivity based on relationships emerging from the multi-model ensemble and current observations. The constrained model results will then be used to evaluate the implications of future VPD changes on forest productivity and functioning. By embarking on this endeavor, I aim to deepen the understanding of the influence of VPD on vegetation productivity, while concurrently developing and improving my own research capabilities.

Mots clés : vapor pressure deficit, forest productivity, carbon cycle

Participants :
- École polytechnique Chalmers (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €
Projet OCOMM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Acoustic metamaterials and circuits allow to shape and control the propagation of vibrations, i.e., phonons, in an artificial material. Using the interaction of phonons with light in so called optomechanical devices, single material sites can be interfaced and mechanical properties be locally tuned. Optomechanically controlled acoustic circuits hold great promise for a wide range of applications from routing and manipulation of vibrations in integrated acoustic circuits, over topological optomechanical materials and non-reciprocal devices, to optomechanical arrays. So far, optomechanical control of acoustic metamaterials on the scale of only up to two interface sites has been achieved by optomechanical crystals or coupled microdisks. The limited access to interface sites and the dominating disorder in those systems poses fundamental restrictions on the size, complexity, and amount of control over the acoustic layer.  My project will realize a new platform for optically interfaced, integrated acoustic circuits that lifts the present restrictions. To this end, I will interface InGaP-membrane resonator arrays, i.e., the acoustic metamaterial, fabricated over a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) substrate using flexibly positioned micromirrors on optical fiber tips. This system establishes an out-of-plane optical interface using a membrane-in-the-middle cavity scheme. The microscopic Fabry-Perot cavity approach enables large optomechanical spring effects that are used to individually control the acoustic material sites and that surpass both disorder and the direct mechanical coupling of acoustic resonator sites. This novel approach will allow for an unprecedented and hitherto unachieved level of optical control over acoustic metamaterials.  The platform established within this project will be suited for a vast number of applications complementing other integrated device platforms and opening a pathway to concepts so far only studied in theoretical proposals.

Mots clés : light matter interaction, cavity optomechanics, acoustic metamaterials, optical fiber fabry perot cavities, multi mode mechanics

Participants :
- École polytechnique Chalmers (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €