Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet AMRAB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

AMRAB aims to train a talented research Fellow through an interdisciplinary project focused on modelling the coupled adhesion multiphysics in the interfacial zone between crumb rubber modified binders (CRMB) and mineral aggregates under various environmental conditions. The primary deliverables of the project include a fundamental understanding of adhesion mechanisms, an accurate prediction framework and evaluation protocol for the adhesive properties of CRMB, and an implementation of industrial adhesion promoters and technologies in rubberised road construction. The Fellow will receive intensive technical training from both academic and industrial hosts, which will substantially extend his expertise from construction asphalt materials to a multidisciplinary field of chemistry (UoN), mechanics and computational modelling (Aston and KTH), experimental characterisation (UoN and RWTH) and road engineering applications (Total and AI). The Fellow will also receive inter-sectoral and professional skills training in project management, outreach, networking, and intellectual property protection. The benefits brought by AMRAB is represented by strengthening the EU industry leadership in adhesive material innovation and aiding the EU engineers in rubberised asphalt material selections, road structural design, and techno-economic analysis. The implementation of adhesion promoters and technologies for CRMB in rubberised road infrastructures will extend the road service life, increase the recycling of waste tires, and ultimately reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and consumption of petroleum bitumen. Uniquely, the project will enable the Fellow to obtain interdisciplinary knowledge and inter-sectoral complementary skills by building a new and exciting research field, which will pave a solid foundation for the Fellow towards his career of being an independent expert researcher in the areas of infrastructure sustainability and construction materials at a top European university.

Mots clés : construction materials, road infrastructures, rubber, bitumen, asphalt, adhesion, multiphysics

Participants :
- University of Nottingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet ASCUNISB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

ASCUNISB will focus on the physico-chemical properties of copper (Cu) mined from sulfosalt minerals, which are characterised by high concentrations of arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), and antimony (Sb). Despite being the earliest produced alloy, the characteristics of Cu-As-(Ni, Sb) based alloys are poorly understood, and no phase diagrams of such ternary alloys exist; consequently, material characteristics of such alloys are widely unknown. ASCUNISB aims to achieve the following research objectives: 1) Build phase diagrams for Cu-As-(Ni, Sb) alloys with 1-5 wt.% of As, Sb, Ni: investigate the phases of each alloy and identify unknown phases with desirable properties; understand initial phase formation, stability, and changes in alloys over the passage of time at different temperatures; explain and predict specific material behaviour during thermomechanical treatment; understand the effects of Ni and Sb addition on parent Cu-As alloys. 2) Create a base for new applications: Cu-As based alloys have superior ductility and corrosion resistance than pure copper and other copper alloys. ASCUNISB will provide the data for Cu-As-(Ni, Sb) alloys to enable new applications in material engineering and find modern-day uses for them, and, consequently 3) Reduce economic and environmental costs of refining and pollution: through new applications of the Cu-As alloys studied, As, Sb, and/or Ni would not need to be removed from mined sulfosalt minerals; 4) Provide a database for urgent research questions in prehistory: ASCUNISB will provide the data needed to assess the earliest metal technologies in prehistory and explain the adaption, recycling, and disregarded Cu-As alloys c. 2300 BCE. ASCUNISB applies an interdisciplinary approach by combining X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), metallographic and chemical analysis (SEM-EDXS, optical microscopy) of Cu-As-(Ni, Sb) alloys.

Mots clés : cu as  ni, sb  alloys, ternary phase diagrams, metallography, european bronze age, archaeometry, clean exploration and exploitation of natural resources, extractive metallurgy

Participants :
- University of Genoa (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 275209.92 €
Projet AWAREFOREST (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

AWAREFOREST proposes to study the sexual division of work in Ecuadorian Amazon, uncovering histories of struggles of indigenous women towards the advance of oil extractive activities. The objective is to understand if, and in which way gender constructions (characteristics, behaviors and gender roles) contribute to develop different perceptions and reactions between indigenous women and men with regard to the social and environmental impacts of extractivism. Through the concrete example of the Movement of Amazon Women Defenders of the Forest, this project will identify how these women are currently mobilizing and redefining meanings about their bodies and territories, based on shared reflections of personal and collective, local and global experiences of struggles for autonomy and self-determination. In terms of training and career advancement, the objectives will be to expand the researcher’s participation in academic networks, to consolidate her research profile and integration in the profession. As an early career researcher, this action will be fundamental for her integration in the European and South American research community. Benefiting from the supervision of experienced academics and the support of research groups, LEIJUS (Brazil) and EXPERICE/LADYSS (France), this will improve the researcher’s capacity to produce academic publications, take part in international events and collaborations, opening new career possibilities. AWAREFOREST innovative aspect translates into studying alternative knowledges and epistemologies, formed through socio-environmental struggles in the Amazonian context, opening up space for diverse forms of organization and views of life. It is crucial to promote these knowledges at a time when the world is facing the effects of rapid climate change and many other ecological disasters derived from a patriarchal, colonialist and capitalist form of using nature, destroying particularly indigenous territories, knowledges and societies.

Mots clés : indigenous women, extractivism, feminist epistemologies, ecuadorian amazon, good living, socio environmental struggles

Participants :
- Université Paris 8 - Vincennes - Saint-Denis (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 256214.4 €
- Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Costa Rica) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Brasília (Brésil) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CANCER-TECH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

About 10% of all cancers diagnosed in women worldwide, are cancers of the cervix, the organ that connects the uterus and the vagina. Alone in the European Union over 16,000 deaths are reported annually due to cervical cancer effecting women mainly between the ages of 25 and 50. Within the scope of this fellowship, hosted by Dublin City University (Ireland) in collaboration with Arrows Biomedical GMBH (Germany), a highly sensitive platform to detect Human Papillomavirus (HPV), causative agent of about 99.7% of cervical cancer, will be developed. The proposed diagnostic platform will be based on a laser textured biopolymer as device substrate, functionalized with nanoparticles produced via the Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL) technique. This on-chip immunoassay will allow rapid detection of the HPV. The novelty of this project lies in the high-quality bio-nanostructures as nano-labels via PLAL designed for ultrasensitive detection of HPV. Two major aspects of this project are: (1) the development of complex nano-labels specifically targeting high risk HPV; and (2) improvement in the performance of the developed assay increasing their sensitivity and specificity, relative to current start of the art. Ultrapure HPV-specific nano-labels will be prepared using pulsed laser ablation in liquid, a green synthesis route independent of any chemical processing. The proposed technique is advantageous due to the enhanced surface activity of laser-generated nanoparticles, which will reduce the amount of sample molecules needed for the successful detection by improving the limit of detection and overall detection time. This project aims at making substantial contribution to the advancement of cancer immunosensing based on a novel on-chip immunoassay design for medical applications. Through this project, the applicant aims to develop intellectual property related to the manufacturing of biomedical devices via laser processed surfaces.

Mots clés : laser processing of polymer, pulsed laser ablation in liquids  plal, bio functionalised nanoparticles, cancer detection, biomedical device

Participants :
- Dublin City University (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175866.0 €
Projet ARBUATEM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

About 20 million hectares of arable lands are irrigated with wastewaters in the world and almost nothing is known about the presence, evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in these fields, and their possible transmission to humans and animals via the food chain. The proposed project will address that scientific question by using analytical chemistry, flow cytometry, molecular biology, metagenomic approaches, and computational biology, in order to characterise antibiotic resistant bacterial community structures and antibiotic resistance genes in untreated wastewaters and the corresponding irrigated agricultural sites compared to control sites in low and middle income countries, as well as the influence of abiotic factors. The new scientific data arising from this project will help to determine the factors that drive resistance and can be minimized by developing strategies to prevent further spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes worldwide. The fellow, with a strong background in Microbial ecology and Biochemistry, will conduct this project under the supervision of Prof Piddock, a medical microbiologist and expert in antibiotic resistance, at the University of Birmingham.

Mots clés : antibiotic resistant bacteria, metagenomics, flow cytometry, wastewater, urban agriculture, lmics

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet AS-ABA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Abscisic acid (ABA), the major plant stress hormone, plays a crucial role in the response to the most pervasive causes of loss of crop productivity worldwide, including drought and high salinity. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are RNA-binding proteins that play crucial roles in the regulation of alternative splicing (AS), a key posttranscriptional mechanism for expanding proteome diversity and a flexible means of regulating gene expression in higher eukaryotes. While its functional relevance in plants remains largely unknown, mounting evidence suggests a central role for AS in the response to abiotic stress, in particular by targeting the ABA hormonal pathway. Using gene expression analyses, subcellular localization studies and reverse genetics approaches, this project will investigate the functional significance of six ABA-regulated Arabidopsis SR genes in stress responses mediated by the ABA phytohormone. To gain mechanistic insight into the mode of action of the SR proteins implicated in the ABA pathway, the physiological transcripts targeted by these splicing factors to achieve plant stress tolerance will be identified using a combination of genome-wide and biochemical approaches. In brief, next-generation sequencing technologies will be applied to whole transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) of plants with altered levels of an SR protein and to RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP-seq) in plants expressing a tagged version of the SR protein. In discovering new plant genes that determine the ability to cope with unfavorable environmental conditions and by revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying their mode of action, this work will pave the way for the development of new efficient strategies to improve crop productivity in specific world regions.

Mots clés : abiotic stress responses, abscisic acid  aba, alternative splicing, arabidopsis thaliana, sr proteins

Participants :
- Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 148635.6 €
Projet PiezoMagBBB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Abstract The Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) protects the brain from unwanted chemicals and provides a precisely regulated microenvironment to function normally. However, this defense barrier presents a challenge in shuttling therapeutic cargoes into the brain for the treatment of brain tumours and neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the known methods for BBB penetration poses inherent limitations which are often dangerous to the patients including the microbubble mediated ultrasound (US) driven BBB penetration. Herein we propose an innovative strategy to cross the BBB by introducing PiezoMagnetic Carbon Nanoneedles (PMCNNs) and evaluate its potential as an ideal brain drug delivery system (DDS). PMCNNs are made of functionalised carbon nanotubes (ƒ-CNT) decorated with PiezoMagnetic Nanoparticles. Due to the intrinsic piezoelectric property of PMCNNs, they convert short wave ultrasound (US) into electric pulses to electrically permeate the BBB noninvasively which is not possible by any of the known techniques so far. The main objectives of PiezoMagBBB are 1) to electrically permeate an in vitro BBB model with PMCNNs through nano-electroporation under short wave US and 2) to assess the efficacy of PMCNNs to deliver anticancer therapeutics in 3D tumour spheroids and brain tumour organoids. Thus PiezoMagBBB will design novel PMCNNs; assess their cytotoxicity in different brain cells; evaluate their BBB modulation under US and cellular uptake in BBB models; investigate their potential as a DDS for anticancer drugs in “in vivo tumour mimicking” glioblastoma spheroids and brain-tumour organoids. The fellow brings her extensive expertise in smart DDS design to the host lab, which in turn will offer world-class biological and nanotoxicological facilities and nanomedicine expertise. PiezoMagBBB also offers an industry secondment for high-throughput development of brain tumour organoids and a collaboration with an oncology consultant to enable validation of the model.

Mots clés : blood brain barrier, piezomagnetic nanoparticles, drug delivery, spheroids, organoids, ultrasound

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet POLYTHEA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Doctoral Networks - Joint Doctorates
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of active compounds that can efficiently fight microbial infections and cancer are of utmost importance for food security and human health, two main challenges for Europe. Tetrapyrrolic photosensitizers (PS) are good candidates to meet these expectations. These photo-excitable molecules induce cell death via the formation of oxygen reactive species (ROS) and present very low toxicity in the absence of light. They are already used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer or skin disease treatments or in photo-antimicrobial chemo-therapy (PACT). Unfortunately, the research and training are still largely fragmented in this field in Europe. Some scientific barriers have to be overcome to increase their efficacy, e.g. improvement of the excitation pathways, ROS production, specific cell targeting, Gram (-) bactericidal effect and prevention and/or eradication of biofilms. That is why the EJD Polythea project aims developing an integrated and multidisciplinary approach of PDT through the implementation of 10 PhD research projects. The Polythea consortium proposes to develop (i) new tetrapyrrolic PS for various types of PDT including anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and immune-activating application, improving their photophysical and biological properties; and (ii) innovative bio-inspired drug carriers or supports. In parallel, a joint doctorate structure gathering 5 countries will be created and a multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial training programme will be implemented through network events and secondments to non-academic partners. It will provide a common background on PDT to the ESRs and make them more valuable employees, effective at problem solving. Practical applications should come out of this project such as first aid bandages, new skin/anti-tumour treatments, self-sterilizing surfaces for food industry or prosthetic devices.

Mots clés : photosensitizer design, drug carrier, formulations, anti cancer, anti arthrisis, food security, antimicrobial resistance, linear and non linear optical properties

Participants :
- Université de Limoges (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 525751.2 €
- University of Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 255374.28 €
- University of Neuchâtel (Suisse) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 265226.76 €
- Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Pologne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224137.44 €
- Bioemission technology solutions ike (Grèce) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 242386.92 €
- Trinity College Dublin (Irlande) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 797023.8 €
- University of Coimbra (Portugal) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 238356.36 €
Projet VARGAH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals has influenced past human diet up to the modern food industry. Archaeology contributes to enriching our knowledge of past societies, including the exploitation of natural resources by human groups and adaptation to various environments. Human societies associated with the beginnings of agriculture and domestication began in the Neolithic. Recent bioarchaeological studies have highlighted the role of the Zagros mountains (Iran) in the dynamics of plant and animal domestication in the Near East and their spread eastwards. This region has also witnessed the development of nomadic pastoralism throughout its history. Nonetheless, the overall subsistence strategy and beginnings of milk exploitation by these early pastoralists are not yet understood, due to the lack of analysis of absorbed food residue from pottery and difficulties in dating the mobile camps in this area. VARGAH (“mobile camps” in Persian) aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of the development of agriculture and animal management in Iranian archaeology by (1) paleodietary reconstruction, using ancient proteins preserved in human dental calculus and lipid residues preserved in pottery vessels, (2) resolving the chronology using bone collagen dating and compound-specific radiocarbon dating of lipid residues and (3) contextualisation of pastoralism through the comparison of sedentary and mobile groups. This project is based on a synergy between advances in analytical chemistry applied to archaeometry (fellow), cutting-edge expertise in Iranian archaeology and biomolecular geochemistry (host), and advances in 14C geochronology measurements (secondment). VARGAH will provide robust answers on early pastoralism in a region central to our understanding for agricultural development. The project will also enable the fellow to reach an idependant leading position by developping sought-after expertise linking archaeology, chemistry and geosciences.

Mots clés : radiocarbon dating, paleoenvironment, ancient protein analyses, pastoralism, dairy, pottery vessels, lipid residue analyses

Participants :
- Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet OCTOBER (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of an organism requires the fine-tuned balance between self-renewal and differentiation of pluripotent cells. Pluripotency is controlled by a group of transcription factors (TFs) that constitute the Pluripotency Gene Regulatory Network (PGRN). OCT4 is a core component of the PGRN and is required to specify pluripotency in vivo and to maintain pluripotency in vitro in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). OCT4 is also required for survival of unipotent primordial germ cells (PGCs). However, it is still not clear how a pluripotency-associated TF like OCT4 can also be required in both ESCs and in more differentiated cells. In this proposal, I will address the hypothesis that OCT4 function in ESCs and PGCs requires the targeting of distinct cis-regulatory elements (CREs - enhancers and promoters) in the two systems. By comparing the genome-wide distribution of OCT4 in ESCs and PGCs, I will identify the OCT4-bound CREs specific for each cell type. Using bioinformatic tools, I will identify genes associated with these elements that distinguish between the transcriptional networks regulated by OCT4 in each cell type. In ESCs a decrease of OCT4 expression correlates with an increase in OCT4 binding to chromatin. To unveil the mechanisms underpinning this phenotype, I will perturb the OCT4 concentration in ESCs by combining targeted genome editing and protein degradation assays. I will extend studies of altering OCT4 concentration to PGCs using similar approaches. In addition, I will assess the hypothesis that physical interactions between CREs play a defining role in cell-specific gene expression. I will use 3D genome assays to determine whether the context-dependent function of OCT4 in ESCs and PGCs depends upon the regulation of distinct interactions between different sets of CREs in each cell type. Using cutting-edge assays, this action will shed light on the dual activity of OCT4 in ESCs and PGCs, providing new insights into stem cell biology.

Mots clés : embryonic stem cells, primordial germ cells, oct4, cis regulatory elements

Participants :
- University of Edinburgh (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €