Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet MRDAML (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most aggressive and deadliest cancers with frequent relapse. Although initial therapies eliminate most AML blast cells, rare cells with leukemic stem cell (LSC) activity can persist and likely generate minimal residual disease (MRD) to re-initiate AML. Thus, targeting resistant LSCs during MRD might provide a unique opportunity to prolong remission and prevent relapse. However, because it is notoriously challenging to identify rare LSCs present within the vast number of normal blood cells during MRD, the phenotype, plasticity, function and mechanisms of LSCs in resistance and relapse remains poorly understood.  Previous study from the Trumpp laboratory demonstrated a convergent pathway via hypermethylationn to drive initiation and progression of AML with IDH mutations or BCAT1 overexpression. However, the common and distinct mechanisms driving resistance in the two AML subtypes has not been explored, despite the observation that BCAT1 expression is upregulated in LSCs and upon relapse.  Thus, in this proposal, I will first perform systematic phenotypic characterization of IDHmut/BCAT1hi AML cells to develop a high-quality LSC enrichment strategy. Subsequently, I will combine cutting edge single-cell multi-omics technologies to deeply characterize the mutational, transcriptomic and epigenetic dynamics of individual LSCs at diagnosis, MRD-positive remission and relapse. State of the art analytical methods will be used to integrate these data to dissect IDHmut/BCAT1hi AML with unprecedented resolution, examine the contribution of LSCs in MRD, and identify molecular regulators mediating LSC survival and resistance. Functional validation using pharmacological intervention, genomic editing in cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models will be performed to uncover causal relationships of the identified regulators. Overall, this work will lead to better mechanistic insight of MRD and therapy resistance in IDHmut/BCAT1hi AML.

Mots clés : leukemic stem cells, acute myeloid leukemia, minimal residual disease, therapy resistance, relapse, single cell multi omics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, genome editing, resistance mechanisms

Participants :
- Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet Sex Dimorphism (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cardiometabolic traits and risk factors including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension are the leading causes of death worldwide. These conditions exhibit some degree of sex differences, including differences in incidence or prevalence, age of onset, severity, disease progression, susceptibility, response to treatment and pharmacological adverse events. Unfortunately, the reasons behind this sex dimorphism are largely unknown, hampering the realization of an effective personalized medicine. My project will focus on understanding the genetic and molecular components that differentially impact men and women. I will first carry out sex stratified genome-wide association studies for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity using large population biobanks to evaluate the effects of known-genetic variants within each sex and to identify novel loci that may have been previously undetected. I will then use molecular quantitative trait loci (QTLs) to identify specific gene expression changes and proteins modulated by these variants and that are likely to be involved in sex-specific development of cardiometabolic traits and modulation of risk factors. I will then validate putative causal genes using Mendelian randomization approaches. This will lead to optimize therapeutics and find new drug target to perform equally well in males and females and will open the door to improve personalized and precision medicine in the near future.

Mots clés : sex differences, mendelian randomization

Participants :
- Conseil national de la recherche (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211665.68 €
Projet Cryo-GraPoTSS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Gram-positive (G+) bacteria, such as the Enterococcus species faecium and faecalis, cause around half of hospital-acquired infections. These infections are increasingly antimicrobial-resistant (AMR), which presents a major challenge for tackling the global burden of disease. AMR arises from mutant genes, which can be inherited, and also spread between bacterial species by conjugation through type 4 secretion systems (T4SS), which are protein complex. T4SS are an attractive target for new antibioitics, but development has proven difficult without detailed structural information on these molecular machines. Information is especially lacking for G+ species, which we will address.  This project will use cryogenic electron microscopy and tomography to study the T4SS of E. faecalis and obtain the first high-resolution and in situ structures of any G+ T4SS, combining my experience with the cryo-EM of membrane protein complexes and the host’s expertise in G+ T4SS. We will reveal the molecular architecture of a critical conjugation machine and its network of protein-protein interactions. This will enable the precise mechanism of gene transfer and essential (targetable) proteins to be determined.

Mots clés : cryo em, tomography, gram positive bacteria, membrane proteins, dna transporters

Participants :
- Université d'Umeå (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 236340.0 €
Projet Arretino modo (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The present research aims to analyse the production process of the mould-made terra sigillata produced by Cn. Ateius’ atelier (20/15-5 BC). A well-known dump found in the 1950s of the Twentieth Century in Via Nardi (Arezzo, IT) referred to this atelier will be the case study. The study of this archaeological context is a unique opportunity to learn about the dynamics of the mould-made terra sigillata production. The first step will focus on the morphological and typological study of vessels, bowl-moulds and spacers referable to this atelier. The fragments will be digitised with a 3D scanner and analysed by AI in order to collect all the stamped motifs, reconstruct the decorative registers and find the traces left by the craftsmen during the production process. Thanks to these actions we will be able to define the shapes and decorations of the mould-made artefacts from the workshop of Cn. Ateius, whose production remains almost entirely unpublished. In order to explore the production process, the mineralogical-petrographic and chemical composition of ceramics, 120 samples will be analysed as follows: X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron microscopy (SEM) and polarised light microscopy. In addition, the dynamics of exploitation and depletion of natural resources in Roman times will be studied by sampling and analysing the clay deposits in the plain between Arezzo and Cincelli. Finally, all the marks left by the artisans during the production process will be studied. The study of stamps, graffiti and fingerprints will, in fact, provide information on the names, gender and age of the workers. In conclusion, the research will add new data on the various aspects of Aretine pottery production process and thanks to its interdisciplinary approach will also shed light on the individuals who made these artefacts.

Mots clés : mould made terra sigillata, pottery workshops, archaeometric analyses, stamps, graffiti, workers

Participants :
- Université de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 194074.56 €
- Conseil national de la recherche (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet RECIRCULATE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The use of homogeneous catalysis is currently limited as they lack the ability to be easily recycled, and thermal deactivation of the catalyst cannot be always avoided. These features present important hurdles for the application of homogeneous catalysts in commercial processes and represents an open challenging. Designing ways to bridge the advantages properties of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis through the creation of supported homogeneous catalysts with well-defined active sites having high stability and recycling potential creates new incentives for circular type homogeneous catalysts with application potential in synthetic chemistry. In this project, several approaches are presented to realize this challenging goal. First, well-known N-heterocyclic bases such as TBD and DBU will be immobilized onto a biobased polycarbonate and their activity optimized in the synthesis of glycidol carbonate by a sequential catalyst testing-depolymerization-repolymerization approach. The depolymerization will be facilitated by a base catalyst, while the repolymerization will be carried out through a known procedure developed at the host laboratory. This allows to optimize and fine-tune the catalyst structure in terms of active site separation, concentration and local micro-environment. In order to be able to extend the recycling of the catalyst components to a fully recyclable system, a cross-linked version will be created and tested during an industrial secondment. A second strategy builds on a controlled copolymerization of pre-functionalized biobased monomers that feature two separate catalyst components. Their successful copolymerization and variation of their relative ratio permits the optimization of the catalytic activity of this binary system in CO2 valorization through a similar catalyst testing-depolymerization-repolymerization sequence, and ultimately to a generic process that allows to recycle a homogeneous catalyst through a unique approach.

Mots clés : biobased support, polycarbonates, organocatalysis, co2 valorization, cyclic carbonates, catalysts recycling, continuous flow techniques

Participants :
- Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 181152.96 €
- Corning sas (France) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MEFF (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

For several decades, ferroelectric (FE) materials (particularly lead-based perovskite materials) attained wide attention for memory (non-volatile) and energy storage applications. The FE memories offer low power consumption, high speed, and high endurance and retention. However, the conventional FE materials couldn't surpass the niche applications due to the difficulties in scaling the size below the ~100 nm node. Recently, FE properties have been reported in doped HfO2 polycrystalline thin films. HfO2-based FE materials have several advantages over conventional materials, such as lead-free, compatibility with existing Si technology and CMOS, ultrathin thickness (in the range of nm), and suitability for integration within 3D nanostructures. Therefore, fluorite-structured materials can be appropriate for miniaturized devices. These materials are extensively studied for memory and energy-related applications. However, progress is still needed, such as more control in the microstructure of the films (formed phases and defects), understanding of complex switching behavior (including wake-up, fatigue, and split-up), and improvement of device reliability. This project investigates HfO2-based epitaxial films as a model system for energy storage and memory applications. We will focus on the enhancement of endurance without retention degradation of memory devices. This project also aims to enhance the energy storage properties of HfO2-based films. Moreover, we will also use artificial intelligence to analyze the relatability of memory and energy devices.

Mots clés : hfo2, memories, ferroelectric, dielectric, energy stroage

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet AMPHISTRESS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Climate change imposes a myriad of environmental stressors to wildlife that are particularly challenging to early life-stages in animals with complex life histories such as amphibians. Poor developmental conditions have been shown to impact survival later in life. As amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class, identifying mechanisms that shape their capacity to cope with environmental stress is vital for predicting population responses. In AMPHISTRESS, I aim to investigate how early-life stress can affect resilience to climate change in amphibians by exploring the underlying neuroendocrine and physiological mechanisms mediating the interplay between environmental change, behaviour, and stress physiology. Hereto, I will employ an interdisciplinary approach exposing amphibian larvae to sub-optimal developmental conditions (elevated temperature, pond drying, hypoxia) and first assess the resulting impact on glucocorticoid “stress” hormone levels, oxidative stress, animal personality/coping style, growth, and short-term stress responsiveness before and after metamorphosis. Then, I will assess the movement behaviour of juveniles toads under semi-natural conditions to understand if early-life stress-induced altered growth trajectories interact with dispersal capacity. Lastly, I will build heuristic models to identify how individual stress-responses to climate change can scale up to affect population dynamics. AMPHISTRESS will provide novel information on the effects of climate change-induced habitat alterations on amphibians, and the importance of habitat connectivity for amphibian dispersal, survival, and population persistence thereby generating knowledge with direct conservation value. Finally, this project will be the cornerstone of my long-term research goals to link developmental conditions and life-history trajectories in an eco-evolutionary framework and would provide me with a unique opportunity to strengthen my scientific profile to advance my career.

Mots clés : phenotypic plasticity, glucocorticoid hormone, amphibian conservation physiology, climate change, oxidative stress, coping style, growth trajectories

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet AI-PhytoClim (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Phytoplankton is the base of the trophic marine ecosystem and a main regulator of global CO2 fluxes. Climate-related shifts in the dominant phytoplankton functional types (PFTs), their blooming periods, and overall productivity, are expected to have major implications on oceans’ carbon cycle. The Southern Atlantic Ocean (SAO), renowned as one of the world's most biologically productive regions and the largest carbon sink, is already experiencing profound environmental changes due to climate change. Using AI-techniques, AI-PhytoClim seeks to analyze how climate-driven changes in physical forcings influence the functioning and structure of phytoplankton, and the implications these changes have in surface ocean partial pressure (pCO2sw) and CO2 fluxes. This study is founded on the analysis of a comprehensive dataset, encompassing 26 years of satellite data (ocean color), numerical modeling results, and in situ data. The first goal is to establish quantitative relationships between climate-driven physical forcings in the SAO and phytoplankton responses at the PFT level, employing neural network pattern recognition and classification algorithms (2S-SOM, AI). The second goal aims to assess the impact of the climate variability/change on the PFTs and the influence on regional CO2 fluxes. The responses each PFT to climate variability and interconnections between each PFTs variability and the pCO2sw and CO2 fluxes will be explored through time-series analysis (CENSUS X-13) and statistical approaches (e.g. cross-wavelets, correlations). Knowing the coupled physical-PFTs relationships over the last 26 years and using the forecasted environmental changes during the next decades (CIMP6 model), I will assess how PFTs are likely to evolve in the future ocean and the resulting implications for regional CO2 fluxes. The methodologies developed in AI-PhytoClim will provide important new insights on the ocean-climate nexus and on its influence on global climate.

Mots clés : ocean color, phytoplankton functional types, co2 fluxes, artificial intelligence

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 181152.96 €
Projet MyReL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Myopia (shortsightedness) represents a mismatch between the eye’s length and its dioptric system (refracting power), which results in distant fixated objects being imaged in front of the retina. The underlying problem is typically excessive eye elongation, multiplying the risk of sight-threatening eye diseases. Faced with rapidly increasing myopia prevalence figures worldwide, and associated huge economic burdens, public health systems need more and improved myopia control in children. A recently described, controversial method for reducing myopia progression in children is “low-level” red-light therapy (LRL), with clinical trials reporting significant effects with daily, short periods of direct retinal red laser light stimulation. However, a recent report of retinal damage and reduced vision, along with inadequate safety monitoring calls its safety into question. MyReL addresses open questions regarding the underlying mechanism, ocular effects, risks and long-term safety of LRL using an established animal (guinea pig) model of myopia and complimentary studies in humans. The interdisciplinary project will allow detailed evaluation of LRL-induced structural and functional changes in myopic guinea pig eyes. Results from the latter will be used to inform a complimentary human study focused on 3 areas, in which choroidal thickness will serve as a biomarker for therapeutic effects: (1) the intensity-dependent dose-response effects of LRL (limited to established safe intensities), (2) short-term effects of ambient red-light exposure, (3) effects of manipulating the spectrum of digital device screens. Plausible outcomes of these novel studies include a prototype for hazard-free LRL, as well as recommendations on optimal spectral settings for digital devices, both aimed at controlling myopia progression in children. In these ways, MyReL will help to prevent severe eye diseases, with a significant positive impact on health and economic sectors, given EU’s aging population.

Mots clés : myopia, myopia control therapy, red laser light therapy

Participants :
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- KTH Institut royal de technologie (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 282168.0 €
Projet THz UM-MIMO (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

As the deployment of 5G networks expands into the millimeter-wave band, potentially reaching data speeds of 100 Gbps, the future of 6G networks is expected to leverage the terahertz (THz) frequency bands for even higher data transmission rates surpassing the 1 Tbps threshold. In this fellowship, under the supervision of Prof. Emil Björnson at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, the researcher, Boyu Ning, will focus on developing a new THz ultra-massive multiple-input multiple-output (UM-MIMO) paradigm and efficient algorithms for channel estimation, user localization, and data transmission, to achieve a complete way to operate the physical layer in THz UM-MIMO. With a dedicated research focus on THz communications over the past five years, Boyu Ning has established myself as a prominent doctoral candidate in this field, publishing over 50 top-tier IEEE journal and conference papers. Prof. Emil Björnson (IEEE Fellow) has performed MIMO research since 2006, with more than 31000 citations and more than 30 patent applications. The integration of THz technology and MIMO methodologies stands as a pivotal juncture in advancing THz UM-MIMO. This strategic confluence necessitates a symbiotic partnership between experts versed in THz systems and MIMO paradigms, rendering Prof. Emil Björnson an ideal supervisor for this fellowship. To maximize the impact of the research conducted, the researcher will prepare scientific research results for publication in leading journals such as IEEE TWC and IEEE TCOM, and will present conference papers at premier international conferences such as IEEE GLOBECOM and IEEE ICC. The results will also be disseminated through tutorials, videos, and simulation code. By investing in cutting-edge research in this field, the European Union (EU) can stay at the forefront of technological advancements and secure its position as a leader in the development of future wireless communication standards, driving economic growth and enhancing competitiveness in the global market.

Mots clés : mimo, channel estimation, localization, beamforming

Participants :
- KTH Institut royal de technologie (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 252180.0 €