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

Hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction is a common clinical feature of several metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Mitofusin 2 (MFN2), a transmembrane protein necessary for mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum tethering, is decreased in T2D and NASH. Moreover, its liver-specific ablation promotes the manifestation of NASH and increases the susceptibility to developing liver cancer in mice. Recently, the Zorzano lab has identified several interactors of MFN2 involved in lipid transport. The "MITOTUA" project focuses on the study of FATP2, a fatty acid transporter/acyl-CoA synthetase predicted to participate in mitochondria-associated autophagosome formation during starvation. We plan to perform a battery of in vitro and in vivo experiments to properly characterize the mechanistic implications of MFN2-FATP2 interaction to autophagy activation and mitochondrial function. The "MITOTUA" project will also investigate the relevance of FATP2 to the hepatic alterations connected to the metabolic syndrome by using murine models of liver steatosis (ob/ob and db/db mice) and NASH (CDAHFD diet) and analyzing liver biopsies of patients with fatty liver disease. The combination of my strong background in complex metabolic syndromes and the well-recognized expertise of the Zorzano lab in the study of autophagy and mitochondrial metabolism will undoubtedly result in a well-conducted scientific project and a successful reciprocal transfer of knowledge. Overall, this fellowship represents a unique opportunity to enroll in a prolific research group of a distinguished institution, taking advantage of an ecosystem shaped to maximize the potential of this proposal and acquire new competencies that complement my scientific preparation, reaching the professional maturity necessary to become an independent researcher in the forthcoming years.

Mots clés : mitochondria, autophagy, mfn2, fatp2, non alcoholic steatohepatitis nash , metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes

Participants :
- Institut de recherche en biomédecine (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet NPLAMR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and plastic pollution are among the top ten emerging global challenges identified by the United Nations Environment Programme, posing significant threats to environmental health. Recent studies suggest that nanoplastics (NPs) can penetrate bacterial cells and potentially enhance horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. However, the mechanisms by which NPs invade bacteria, and the potential for reversing this process, remain unclear. Therefore, the NPLAMR project aims to identify the types of NPs that most contribute to the emergence and spread of ARGs, determine the size threshold of NPs capable of penetrating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and elucidate the mechanisms of NPs invasion and their roles in the propagation of AMR. The project will qualitatively detect NPs in environmental samples and quantitatively assess key NP types, ARG classes, and mobile genetic elements that facilitate the spread of ARGs. Through culture experiments, NPLAMR will determine the size threshold of NPs capable of invading antibiotic-degrading bacteria and evaluate potential hazards by analyzing changes in the resistome, mobilome, and metabolome of these bacteria. Finally, microcosm experiments will co-culture NPs with environmental microbial communities, isolate invaded microbes, and assess their HGT rates to determine which antibiotic-resistant bacteria are most affected by NPs. The cutting-edge metagenomics and bioinformatics facilities at ICRA (the host), along with its specialized expertise, will enable the fellow to become a leading expert in microbial ecology. The project will present its findings in an accessible way to raise public awareness about plastic waste and AMR, thereby increasing attention to environmental health. It will also offer scientific support for developing strategies and policies to address AMR and NPs pollution.

Mots clés : antimicrobial resistance, plastic pollution, horizontal gene transfer, environmental settings

Participants :
- CERCA Institution (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 194074.56 €
Projet SynCAN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Climate change and environmental degradation caused by greenhouse gases (GHGs) and reactive nitrogen (Nr) emissions threaten our future. Two urgent, interconnected goals in Europe and globally are reducing GHG emissions to address climate change and curbing Nr pollutants for food security and ecosystem protection. However, most current studies identify technologies and pathways for "GHG reduction" or "Nr mitigation" separately, and the policies focus on mitigating either GHGs or Nr in isolation, Such narrow approaches face high costs and social barriers, conflicting with the multidimensional needs of integrated environmental policies and cost-effective solutions. Coordinated efforts to simultaneously address GHGs and Nr (GHG-Nr) could promote synergies and cost savings through shared implementation costs while driving effective, efficient reductions. To enable synergistic and cost-effective mitigation policies, SynCAN will: (1) analyze interactions and drivers of GHG-Nr emissions in Europe; (2) identify feasible sectoral mitigation options and cost-effective pathways of coordinated GHG-Nr emissions, targeting efficiency gains and cost savings; and (3) Assess the systemic changes and national gaps associated with coordinated GHG-Nr mitigation efforts in Europe. To achieve this, SynCAN will employ interdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches that bridge natural science, environmental science, economics, and management. To ensure successful implementation, I will conduct this research at IIASA under the guidance of Prof. Wilfried Winiwarter, a leading scholar. This project will strengthen my academic profile to become a tenured scholar and obtain advanced funding, allowing me to establish my own research group. Funding SynCAN is crucial to develop solutions that address today's urgent, interlinked climate and environmental challenges efficiently and effectively.

Mots clés : nitrogen pollution ghg mitigation synergies cost effectiveness mitigation pathway

Participants :
- Institut international pour l'analyse des systèmes appliqués (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 199440.96 €
Projet InProSpecT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

Protein structures, including their complexes, determine their specific function and the molecular working mechanisms. The astonishing developments in X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM allow insights into atomic levels of protein structures, however, commonly on their static, solid state conformations. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, on the other hand, allow observations of protein dynamics in solution, in real-time. In particular, specific intermediate and long-range interactions can be measured using paramagnetic resonance enhancements (PRE) or single molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET), requiring site-specific labelling with paramagnetic or fluorescence probes, respectively. Naturally, the choice of the label and its covalent attachment to the protein are critical, however, traditional approaches rely on random cysteine labelling with only a handful of available probes, making measurements difficult to interpret and laborious. As such, there is an urgent demand to develop custom-tailored, selective, orthogonal, easy to use chemical biology probes with excellent spectroscopic properties (for smFRET and PRE) to drive the field of protein structure and dynamics. This proposal tackles current limitations in the peptide/protein labelling field by creating state-of-the-art fluorophores for red/far-red smFRET. Building on this, the best performing dyes will be unleashed to defined labelling of intrinsically disordered and native proteins, in vitro and in cellulo, respectively. Next, these concepts will be expanded to be merged with intramolecular PRE probes to combine to date mutually exclusive spectroscopic properties. InProSpecT (Innovative Protein labelling strategies for Spectroscopic high resolution Techniques) pushes a bottom-up approach, from fluorophore design and labelling strategies ultimately linking two worlds to allow unprecedented, simultaneous studies of protein distances and dynamics.

Mots clés : chemical biology probes, single molecule foerster resonance energy transfer, paramagnetic resonance enhancement, intrinsically disorder proteins, orthogonal protein labelling

Participants :
- Forschungsverbund Berlin (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet SPECTR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is a highly powerful tool employed across different disciplines including structural biology, material science, quantum information processing and many others. EPR provides essential information about a local unpaired electron spin environment, electronic properties and dynamics of various paramagnetic centers. However, a relatively low sensitivity of a conventional EPR often limits its applicability to study small-volume systems (e.g. single biological cells). Recently, major advances in the EPR sensitivity enhancement have been achieved in the field of quantum information processing using superconducting microresonators and low-noise cryogenic microwave preamplifiers. The full potential of this highly sensitive EPR approach to investigate typical spin systems in other areas still remains to be shown, which is critical for its wider application in different scientific disciplines. The main goal of this Marie Skłodowska-Curie project is adaptation of these developments to study conventional spin systems and their application to solve currently EPR-inaccessible intriguing problems in biochemistry. The spin systems to be studied include a miniature amount of spin labels, a single RNA-binding protein droplet and spins in a single bacterium. The researcher, dr. Mantas Šimėnas, will be employed in his home country (Lithuania) at Vilnius University (VU) under the supervision by prof. Jūras Banys. He will bring to VU a valuable experience on EPR of various spin systems, cryoprobeheads and microresonators gained during his postdoctoral fellowship at University College London. During the project, the researcher will grow as a specialist of highly sensitive EPR techniques and their applications, acquire new knowledge of spins in biochemical systems and reach scientific maturity.

Mots clés : electron paramagnetic resonance, magnetic resonance, high sensitivity, superconducting microresonators, cryogenic amplifiers, cryoprobeheads, rna binding proteins, magnetotactic bacteria, spin labels

Participants :
- Université de Vilnius (Lituanie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 158597.76 €
- École polytechnique fédérale de Zurich (Suisse) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet RIFF (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

WHO estimates that 2 billion people worldwide consume drinking water that has been contaminated with faeces, yet scientific testing for faecal contamination in water currently takes at least 10 to 24 h, as per UNICEF reports. Thus, there is an urgent need for methods that allow to unequivocally test drinking water quality on site, therefore significantly contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular to SDG 6 (access to clean water and sanitation). However, currently, no rapid, portable, sensitive and cost-effective method or device for the detection of faecal pigments outside of a lab is available. The proposed sustainable method to be developed in RIFF represents a shift from a faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) to a faecal indicator pigment (FIP) paradigm in faecal contaminant detection technology. This interdisciplinary project will demonstrate (1) a rapid and cost-effective sensory device for the real-time analysis of FIPs having as (2) a key element, a specifically tailored hybrid filter membrane for selective and sensitive FIP enrichment and detection (10 pg/L to 1 µg/L). Besides membrane tailoring for selective FIP capture, interfacial chemistry and assay integration will enhance the detection performance of a final device. The proposed method eliminates the need for solution-based FIP analysis, thus mitigating the technical issues associated with real-time water quality testing as well as bringing user-friendliness and operational stability. Hence RIFF will have a significant societal impact towards providing novel solutions for health challenges associated with drinking water contamination. The successful completion of the project will give me the opportunity to acquire multidisplinary skills in the field of sensor material development, device construction and rapid testing, which is necessary for establishing my future research career as an independent researcher in the field of water research & water quality monitoring.

Mots clés : faecal pigments analysis, rapid analytical methods, hybrid membranes, chemically modified graphene oxide, fluorescence spectroscopy and water quality testing

Participants :
- Federal Institute For Materials Research and Testing (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet MycoHeterogeneity (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project aims to investigate the mode-of-action of quaternary ammonium compound-based disinfectants (QACs) against Mycobacterium in comparison to the model rod-shaped bacterium, Escherichia coli. Additionally, it seeks to explore the role of phenotypic heterogeneity in the mycobacterial population’s response to disinfectant exposure. Inappropriate application of QACs may lead to the emergence of tolerance or resistance to these compounds, and possibly cross-resistance to antibiotics. Currently, there are only a few reports discussing the influence of disinfection on anti-tubercular drugs action. It is hypothesized that the specific composition of the cell wall in mycobacteria, along with the potential ability to modify this composition, and their elongation mode, contributes to high population heterogeneity, which might facilitate the adaptation to the stress imposed by QACs. To address this, the following project objectives are planned: 1) to characterize whether and how single-cell heterogeneity influences the response to QACs in rod-shaped bacteria, and 2) to elucidate the population heterogeneity-derived changes in the tolerance and resistance mechanisms of Mycobacterium against QACs. By using a fluorescently labeled analog of the commonly used benzalkonium chloride (BAC), NBD-DDA, it will be possible for the first time to conduct real-time investigations of the compound's accumulation and its effects on rod-shaped bacterial populations. The project outcome will shed light on the mechanisms underlying the emergence of tolerance and resistance to disinfectants in Mycobacterium and will help to understand the basis of potential cross-resistance between disinfectants and anti-tubercular antibiotics. Given the recent increase in disinfectant usage and the high annual incidence of mycobacterial infections, studying the potential interactions between these groups of compounds is of great importance and could guide future disinfection and treatment strategies.

Mots clés : mycobacteria, quaternary ammonium compounds qacs , phenotypic heterogeneity, resistance to disinfectants, tolerance to disinfectants

Participants :
- Federal Institute For Materials Research and Testing (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 202125.12 €
Projet BetaBatt (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Long-life and maintenance-free energy sources for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) in extreme environments is a research challenge in the field of micro-energy worldwide. One of the most promising solutions to this challenge is the development of micro-energy batteries that utilize isotope decay energy. Although isotope batteries have significant advantages over other energy sources in terms of operating environment, usage time, and energy density, the main engineering application bottlenecks of isotope batteries currently are their low energy conversion efficiency and low power density. Current research is constrained by two major limitations: poor matching between the sources and energy conversion materials, and the lack of energy conversion materials that can efficiently promote the separation of charge carriers. Therefore, research on tritium water electrochemical isotope batteries based on "new structures" and "new materials" is an inevitable choice. This project BetaBatt intends to use software simulation to guide experimental research methods, develop long-life and high-efficiency micro-power sources. The objective is to achieve an ECE of no less than 20%, an output power density of no less than 5 μW/cm3, and continuous power supply for no less than 10 years, thereby, eliminating obstacles for the practical engineering application of MEMS across multiple environmental conditions. This research aims to develop an efficient and clean battery for the micro-energy field in Europe. The ER will achieve abundant research experience and scientific skills from the project and the capability to launch her own research group in future.

Mots clés : micro energy, titanium dioxide, mems, hydrogen isotope

Participants :
- University of South-Eastern Norway (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 267418.56 €
Projet SCILLED (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

For several decades, Europe has been investing substantial efforts to boost national, institutional and individual engagement in education and training for adults aged 25-64, also referred to as lifelong learning (from now 'LLL'), to drive sustainable growth and to build a more inclusive society. However, the majority of European contexts has neither reached nor approached the set threshold of aspired lifelong learners, which had been defined in the light of the constantly changing demands on the labour market. Accordingly, LLL in general, and high-quality, timely, tailor-made opportunities for on-the-job training in particular have been declared one of the top priorities for the strategic 2030-goals within the European Education Area.  On this account, the SCILLED project questions how (professional) LLL is planned, practiced and experienced in one of the largest and most profoundly transforming industries worldwide: the healthcare sector. This research concern has been put in the context of gender and migration studies and is thus exemplified with the case of female migrant healthcare workers, key resources in the contemporary European socio-demographic and political landscape.  SCILLED has been projected as a multi-site, pluri-instrumental research in 3 Scandinavian countries that are considered at the vanguard of LLL governance. It uses thus both, qualitative and quantitative data, to bridge the national, institutional and individual perspective on lifelong and lifewide professional adult training in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The SCILLED research design provides for a replicable pilot study that builds on a holistic view of LLL linking academic and non-academic fields of work. In this vein, project findings will be exploited through a co-created podcast series that involves the SCILLED research participants as protagonists of the production and stimulates hence knowledge generation and science diffusion from citizens for citizens.

Mots clés : skill building in healthcare professions, female migrants, professional integration, lifewide learning, citizen science

Participants :
- Université métropolitaine d'Oslo (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 267418.56 €
Projet SYNOPSIS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cancer is currently the second cause of death worldwide; however, the World Health Organization expects it to become the first one by 2060. Breast and Prostate Cancers (BC and PC) are highly aggressive tumours linked to top cancer-related mortality rates in the world, with the skeletal tissue as one of the primary sites of metastasis.  This project, called SYNOPSIS, an acronym for “SYNergic multimodal platform for high-throughput anti-cancer bOne-metastases theraPy ScreenIngS”, aims at studying therapeutic agents against BC and PC in the perivascular niche around the bone-tissue within a lab-on-chip, with a multimodal approach involving time-lapse microscopy (TLM) and impedance optical-deformability cytometry (IODC).  The proposed project is divided into four key phases: 1. Organ-on-chip platform: design, fabrication, and testing of the microphysiological system (MPS), including the culturing of bone and cancer cells under fluid shear stress conditions and the administration of chemotherapeutic agents. 2. IODC: design, fabrication, and testing of the module. 3. Data acquisition: TLM videos of the cells in the MPS and IODC measurements. 4. Data Analysis: optimise processing strategies for TLM and IODC data to leverage the various signals available for evaluating therapy efficacy.  The action will bring: (1) a new MPS, mimicking cancer in the bone perivascular niche, overcoming literature’s limitations; (2) a novel IODC platform probing cell’s electro-mechanical features; (3) a first-time combination of TLM and IODC measurements in MPS. The principal objective of this action will be the realization of a multimodal platform for anti-cancer bone-metastases drug-efficacy evaluation (4), combining TLM video, IODC with a minimum of 10^3 cells/s, and data analysis reaching 95% accuracy on test data coming from independent experiments, providing the user with the rationale of the decision process, finally decreasing cancer-related mortality.

Mots clés : lab on chip, time lapse microscopy, impedance cytometry, deformability cytometry, drug screening

Participants :
- Université de Rome « Tor Vergata » (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 412700.52 €
- École polytechnique fédérale de Zurich (Suisse) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €