Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet Bi-Stretch-4-Biomed (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Staff Exchanges
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

New materials are now opening clinical treatments in which a temporary scaffold is used to support regeneration of healthy tissue. The specific need that inspires our research is for thinner and stronger bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) for coronary heart disease. BVS are poised to replace metal stents due to the excellent clinical outcomes: beyond keeping the vessel open during the first six months after surgery, the BVS leaves behind a healthy blood vessel after the scaffold is gone, being completely absorbed by the body approximately two years after surgery. The material that has achieved clinical approval for BVS is poly(L-lactic acid), PLLA. It is not as strong and stiff as metals, so the scaffold is three times thicker than the metal stents, making it more difficult for surgeons to move through arteries to reach the site of the lesion. Thinner Scaffolds that can be seen by x-ray imaging during surgery would facilitate adoption of the technology and benefit thousands of patients in the EU and US. The proposed Action will provide the fundamental understanding needed to reinforce PLLA by tungsten disulphide (WS2) nanotubes to achieve both the strength and x-ray opacity needed. Improving materials for BVS requires an interdisciplinary approach by materials science, polymer processing, and bioengineering. The proposed Action will connect EU scientists with a polymer scientist at Caltech in the US who has specialized knowledge of PLLA BVS and the relevant structure-processing-property relationships (Kornfield). European scientists bring expertise in WS2 nanotubes that are powerful additives for enhancing polymer properties (Di Luccio), compounding polymers with nanotubes (McNally), biaxial stretching to induce strength and orientation in polymers (Menary), multiscale modeling to connect nanoscale to continuum scale (Figiel), multimethod characterization of structure in nanocomposites (Schiller) and the response of cells to nanoparticles (Kornfield).

Mots clés : polymeric scaffolds, biocompatible and biodegradable polymers, inorganic nanotubes, nanocomposites, biocompatible nanomaterials, mechanical deformation, in situ syncrotron scattering experiments

Participants :
- California Institute of Technology (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Warwick (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 67500.0 €
- National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 139500.0 €
- Queen's University Belfast (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 135000.0 €
Projet FusionPAMPs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

New vaccine modalities need to be developed that can activate more potently the immune system, in this regard, adjuvants augment adaptive immune responses and can improve vaccine performance. Aluminium salt (alum) is the most commonly used adjuvant for human vaccination. However, it drives primarily TH2-effector responses and is not effective for vaccines that target mucosal surfaces. Thus, safe and potent adjuvants need to be developed that can increase and direct vaccine-specific immunity. Recent advances in our understanding of innate immune responses are providing opportunities to design better adjuvants. The innate immune system senses microbes through pattern-recognition receptors (PPRs), which include the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and intracellular NOD-like receptors (NLRs) and C-type lectin-like (CTLs) receptors that are expressed by immune cells. Activation of these receptors leads to the production of cytokines that provide early defences during infection. Cytokines also regulate adaptive immunity by controlling the quantity and quality of B and T cell activation, which in turn results in protective immune responses to pathogens. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as lipopolysaccharides, lipopeptides, and peptidoglycan fragments can activate PPRs and are attractive compounds for the development of new adjuvant. Although during microbial infection many different PRRs are activated, almost all adjuvants that are being developed rely on the stimulation of a single PRR. In this project, we propose that compound adjuvants derived by the covalent linking of two PAMPs (fusion PAMPs), for example, TLR2 and NOD agonists, will ensure that immune cells are being exposed to both, resulting in efficient cross talk of signal transduction pathways and in synergistic immune activation. If so, chimeric immune modulators (fusion PAMPs) can be employed at lower adjuvant concentrations, thereby minimizing unwanted side effects.

Mots clés : vaccine adjuvants, tlr2, nod1, nod2, pamps, carbohydrates, immune response, immunization, muropeptides, lipopeptides, listeria monocytogenes, cytokines, chemokines

Participants :
- Utrecht University (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 177598.8 €
Projet NeoPur (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Newborns are predisposed to an increased risk of developing seizures following brain injury higher than in any other moment in a person’s life. Data from experimental models and patients suggest seizures in neonates may cause increased mortality and a higher risk of adverse neurological outcomes including cerebral palsy, developmental delay and intellectual disability. Consequently, the long-term health costs associated with seizures and neonatal brain damage are very high. To date, both diagnosis and treatment of neonatal seizures remain a clinical challenge with seizure misdiagnosis estimated to be as high as 50% and only every second patient responding to current therapies. The ATP-gated P2X7 receptor, a gatekeeper of inflammation, has recently emerged as a promising target for seizure control, showing anticonvulsant and disease-modifying properties in animals. New data produced by the supervisor now also suggest a role for P2X7 during seizures in neonates. However, to bring P2X7 further towards a clinical application, we need evidence of seizure-induced release of ATP in the brain, we must determine what are the clinical outcomes of a genetic and pharmacological targeting of P2X7 during neonatal seizures and we must identify biomarkers to better identify patients suffering from seizures. NeoPur brings together a team of experts in purinergic signalling, industrial partners developing novel P2X7 antagonists and diagnostic devices and clinicians specialised in neonates. This highly interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach will add a significant contribution to the understanding of purinergic signalling during neonatal seizures providing novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The skills acquired during the research project, the excellent training record of the supervisor and host institution and the outstanding resources for learning and development available at RCSI will give me the tools necessary to become a highly employable neuroscientist.

Mots clés : neonatal seizures, hypoxia, newborns, biosensors, purinergic signalling, p2x7 receptor

Participants :
- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184590.72 €
Projet DEstiNi (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Nickel (Ni) is closely associated with export of carbon (C) from the surface ocean to the deep marine environment, as it acts as a micro-nutrient. This makes Ni a big part of the ocean-atmosphere C cycle. There is currently a major gap in our understanding of the marine cycling of Ni, with key input and output fluxes unaccounted for. The work proposed for this Individual Fellowship will (A) bridge this gap, and (B) utilise the resulting knowledge to reconstruct glacial-interglacial variations in Ni isotopes of seawater. To answer these objectives the project is divided into four sections: (1) estuarine production of desorbed Ni as key input of Ni to the ocean, (2) sediment-pore water redox conditions as major sink of Ni in marine sediments, (3) detailed analysis of sediment-pore water interaction in euxinic and ferruginous salt-marsh cores, and (4) changes in the sources and sinks of Ni on glacial-interglacial time scales. Ni has a short residence time in the ocean and is therefore useful for tracking rapid shifts in surface ocean productivity and export of C to the deep sedimentary archive. A record of temporal evolution of Ni stable isotopes from marine sedimentary archives therefore has the potential to elucidate the forces controlling the Earth’s climate on glacial-interglacial timescales. This will be achieved by a multifaceted approach including archived sample analysis, sample collection during internationally collaborative fieldwork campaigns, cutting-edge high-precision isotope analysis and numerical and analytical modelling. The knowledge gained during the fellowship will be instrumental for the exploitation of Ni isotopes as a tool to trace the feedbacks between past climatic variability, primary production and OC burial and preservation.


Participants :
- Uppsala University (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191852.16 €
Projet ECBStrainShift (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Night-active Lepidoptera are among the most speciose group of animals (~120.000 known species) and they possess a unique sexual communication system: females attract conspecific males by using a species-specific sex pheromone blend. Due to this fine-tuning, the development of novel pheromone systems is an evolutionary mystery: production of a new pheromone blend by females and preference for that blend by males must be established simultaneously, which is difficult to explain when the female blend and the male response are controlled by independently assorting genes. The pheromone strains of the European Corn Borer, Ostrinia nubilalis provide one of the best model system for a better understanding of pheromone (co)-evolution, because in these strains the females produce opposite proportions of E11- and Z11-tetradecenyl acetate, to which only strain-specific males are attracted. The genes responsible for the strain difference in female production are autosomally encoded and identified as fatty-acyl reductase while the gene(s) underlying male response has(have) been found to be sex-linked but have not been identified yet. For years they have been hypothesized to be olfactory receptors (ORs). However, we found with fine-scale mapping that the ORs map away from the Z-linked response locus and we showed two new candidate genes mapping at the male response region on the Z chromosome. The new candidates are involved in neurogenesis in other species and therefore are interesting for all olfaction and neurogenesis studies, including studies on humans. With our multidisciplinary experience, combining genetic engineering, neurophysiology and behaviour, we wish to identify the genetic change of the genes underlying male response in O. nubilalis and functionally characterize their involvement in olfaction. This approach has the potential to a) identify novel genetic mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pheromone communication and b) develop new pest management strategies

Mots clés : olfaction, ostrinia nubilalis, insects, pheromones, sexual chromosome, olfactory receptors, developmental genes, electrophysiology

Participants :
- University of Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 177598.8 €
Projet Target-N2O (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Nitrogen (N) limits primary productivity in most terrestrial ecosystems, which has led to increased use of N fertilisers within farming systems. The amount of reactive N in global circulation has more than doubled; this has global significance as the N can cascade through different chemical forms in land, air and water, leading to a range of human health and environmental impacts. In order to achieve sustainable food production systems of the future, there is a need to improve knowledge on the best management of farm N, especially under increased demand for food production under a burgeoning human population. The Target-N2O project will deliver a high quality training-through research project aiming to improve N use efficiency and reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas, N2O, from intensive dairy farms. The project will combine multi-disciplinary techniques in a novel way, including molecular ecology, stable isotope methods and whole-farm system modelling to determine the cost-benefits of an N loss mitigation strategy. The strategy would be to apply nitrification inhibitors to pasture areas which have been identified as farm-scale N2O emission hot-spots (e.g. areas of pasture around gateways, livestock shelter areas and camping areas). Such areas receive regular inputs of nutrients including labile N (through urine events) and carbon sources (via dung), which fuel microbial processes leading to enhanced and spatially variable GHG emissions. Evidence of the effectiveness of nitrification inhibitors to reduce N losses from these areas are lacking. The results of the action will have cross-sectoral impact (scientists, dairy and fertiliser industries and policy makers). The project will deliver decision support tools for farmers utilising such a mitigation strategy and will impact policy by improving national GHG inventories, establishing the effectiveness of cost-effective mitigation strategies.

Mots clés : livestock, climate change, greenhouse gas, nitrogen cycle, nitrous oxide, nitrification inhibitor, biogeochemical modelling

Participants :
- University of Melbourne (Australie) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Bangor University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276107.4 €
Projet LiDeNiAc (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Nitrogen plays a vital role in the production of sufficient crops to feed a growing global population. While atmospheric nitrogen cannot be directly assimilated by plants, bacteria can fix nitrogen under mild conditions to provide bio-available ammonia. In contrast, industrially ammonia is produced under harsh conditions in the Haber Bosch process, which is energy intensive and accompanied by massive emissions of CO2. Therefore, this project seeks to explore more sustainable pathways of dinitrogen activation and its subsequent functionalization. The utilization of renewable N2 is also in line with the “Resource-efficient Europe” flagship initiatives to optimize the use of materials in order to lower the environmental impact. Systems capable of dinitrogen activation in homogenous solution usually build on highly reduced transition metal complexes. In the proposed studies a novel class of polydendate ligands incorporating phosphaalkenes as a design feature will be synthesized to provide a potent platform for further functionalization. The experienced researcher will utilize these ligands as a donor to stabilize low-valent, highly reactive complexes of the bio-relevant metals molybdenum and vanadium. In a last step these systems will be tested in the activation of dinitrogen and their electronic structure will be comprehensively characterized, in a collaborative manner within the host institute, providing the applicant with high-quality technical training. The project links various sub-disciplines of chemistry and is therefore clearly interdisciplinary, combining the applicants experience in inorganic chemistry with the host-institute’s leadership in catalysis. It is therefore expected that the proposed studies represent an opportunity for the experienced researcher to acquire new skills in the design of ligands for novel complexes capable of nitrogen activation, which is expected to further sharpen the researcher's profile and to benefit his future career.

Mots clés : phosphorus chemistry

Participants :
- Leibniz Association (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 171460.8 €
Projet TEI (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Non DNA-sequence based inheritance has been observed in many organisms from microbes to man and likely impacts public health. The mechanisms of non DNA-sequence based inheritance remain largely unknown. However, some examples of non DNA-sequence based inheritance in mammals, plants and invertebrates are linked to the control of selfish, transposable elements in the genome. Here we propose to discover the mechanistic basis of multi-generational non DNA-sequence based inheritance, also referred to as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI), using the laboratory animal model Caenorhabditis elegans. Specifically, our goal is to identify chromatin and non-coding RNA “epigenetic” marks that transfer information from generation to generation in C. elegans. C. elegans is a great model for this work as it has a generation time of only three days, has a powerful genetics toolkit and its chromatin and RNA pathways are largely conserved in humans. Towards this goal we have established a novel assay we named piRNA-related insertional chromatin immunoprecipitation (piChIP). Using this piChIP system, our specific aims are: Aim-1: Identification of novel non-coding RNAs in the germline nuclear RNAi pathway - Method: RNA-seq Aim-2: Identification of novel proteins and histone PTMs in the germline nuclear RNAi pathway - Method: SILAC proteomics and Mass Spectrometry

Mots clés : epigenetics, rnai, nuclear rnai, pirna, 22g rna, transgenerational

Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet TITLY (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a form of cancer emerging from the transformation of a mature B- or T-cell lymphocyte. NHL is the 11th most common cancer in Europe, and the 10th most common cancer worldwide. Functional evidence of the key role of B-cell receptor (BCR) signalling in B-cell malignancies came mainly from works conducted in Dr Louis Staudt’s lab (National Cancer Institute, Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Bethesda, USA) where the outgoing phase of the global fellowship would take place. Rapid translation of basic science discovery on the BCR signalling led to the development of a specific inhibitor of a key BCR pathway adaptor named Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), which was granted for accelerated approval both in United States and Europe by regulatory medical agencies. While the potency of BCR pathway inhibitors is currently revolutionizing the management of B-cell malignancies, peripheral (ie mature) T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) still share a dismal prognosis with a 10-year overall survival barely exceeding 15%. Previous work of the experienced researcher provides strong evidence that PTCL similarly rely on T-cell receptor (TCR) signalling pathway for survival. Targeting this pathway could then lead to discovery of potent therapeutic compounds for PTCL treatment. During the 2 years of the global fellowship, the researcher would first perform a TCR pathway small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) loss-of-function screen in PTCL cell lines in the group of Dr Louis Staudt where the technic is already available and has been fruitfully applied to B-cell malignancies. Second, the researcher would identify potential pharmacological inhibitors of the previously identified targets both in vitro and in vivo in PTCL cell lines xenograft models. This second phase of the project would take place both among the outgoing team and the return group of Pr Gilles Salles (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Indolent-B-cell Proliferation Branch, Lyon, France).


Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 178603.2 €
- Government of the United States of America (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet UNCERTIR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Non-destructive and non-invasive methods of characterisation of heritage materials are increasingly in demand. Recent applications of near- and mid-IR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics provided a step change in the quantitative determination of chemical and physical properties of many heritage materials of organic origin, including their dating. However, the uncertainty of determination could reduce the acceptance of such methods by users. Therefore, UNCERTIR focuses on the analyses of the causes of uncertainty, which could originate in (a) uncertainty of reference analytical data used for method development; (b) large inhomogeneity of material properties typically associated with heritage materials; (c) the contribution of degradation products and changes in heritage material manufacture; and (d) method of spectral data collection as deemed acceptable by the conservation community, often allowing only minimal contact between the probe and the analysed material. The project methodology will be based on numerical evaluation of the contributions to the overall method uncertainty by using separate sample sets of pure model materials and naturally degraded inhomogeneous materials; by comparing different reference analytical methods, e.g. for determination of pH or degree of polymerisation; by application of different methods of statistical evaluation of groups of samples; and by using different methods of collection of spectra. Of particular interest will be methods of dating heritage materials, where significantly different accuracies have been observed for paper, parchment or photographs, the cause of which remains unknown. The project will be of significant importance to heritage and users not only because of the variety of newly developed methods but also because, for the first time, the users will be provided with a comprehensive evaluation of analytical uncertainty.

Mots clés : heritage science, infrared spectroscopy, chemometrics, uncertainty, heritage materials

Participants :
- University of Ljubljana (Slovénie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 162040.32 €