Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet DCBIO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Dendritic cells (DCs) function at the interface between innate and adaptive immunity and have a crucial role in the induction of immune responses. The goal of this project is to uncover the in vivo functions of two novel molecular mechanisms that were recently identified in vitro in DCs. DCs are rapidly activated when DNA is exposed to the cytosol, which can occur in viral infections. Recent work has revealed that DNA is also transiently accessible to the cytosol in migrating DCs due to rupture of the nuclear envelope, and is detected by the cytosolic DNA sensor cGAS. In the first aim of this project we will investigate the immune consequences of nuclear envelope rupture in DCs in vivo. The second aim of this project is to investigate antiviral specialization of DC subsets. Viral infection of DCs impairs their immune functions. Unpublished data has revealed that in humans, the CD141+ DC subset is constitutively resistant to a broad range of enveloped viruses. Resistance was associated with the expression of the GTPase, RAB15. We will investigate the function of RAB15 in DC biology in vivo to study the division of antiviral labor among DC subsets.

Mots clés : dendritic cells, dna sensor, cgas, nuclear envelope, antiviral response

Participants :
- Institut Curie (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet DC Metabolism (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in directing innate and adaptive immune responses against infections and cancer. Understanding the mechanisms that control DC development and function may reveal new ways to alter the course of complex human diseases such as cancer. Despite their importance in immunity, some open questions remain in regards to DC basic biology. Two of these questions, in particular, are the subject of this application: 1) DCs are a heterogenous population, which can be subdivided into conventional DC type 1 (cDC1) and 2 (cDC2) subsets. Although their development depends on distinct transcriptional programs, cDC1 and cDC2 descend from a common precursor under the influence of the same growth factor cytokine. What determines cDC1/2 differentiation? 2) Various loss-of-function studies demonstrate that cDC1 are key antigen-presenting cells for initiating CD8+ T cell responses to tumours and some viruses. This primarily relies on a process termed cross-presentation. How is cross-presentation regulated in cDC1? Recent studies indicate that profound changes in cellular metabolism are coupled to immune cell function and may fundamentally underpin cell-fate decisions. Based on previous observations and our own preliminary data, we hypothesise that glycolysis programs cDC1 development and activation, whereas fatty acid metabolism controls the ability of the same cells to cross-present antigens to CD8+ T cells. We propose to define the metabolic programs that drive DC formation and that underlie cDC1 and cDC2 identity and complement this approach with loss and gain-of-function experiments that will allow specific testing of our hypotheses. Globally, these studies will identify novel mechanisms of immune cell control with implications for antiviral and anticancer immunity.

Mots clés : cellular metabolism, antitumor immunity, dendritic cells, metabolomics, cross presentation

Participants :
- The Francis Crick Institute (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet MitoDyaD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Depression is considered as a common mental illness worldwide affecting around 350 million people. Chronic stress is a major risk factor for its development. Interestingly, individuals can differ in the way of coping with chronic stress and are either prone (vulnerable) or resistant (resilient) to develop depression. High anxiety-trait is a vulnerability factor to develop stress-induced depression. Furthermore, it was also linked with mitochondrial dysfunction in the nucleus accumbens and in the establishment of social hierarchies in rodents. These observations suggest an important role of mitochondria in the vulnerability to develop stress-induced depression. The glucocorticoid receptor that is activated upon stress was recently shown to regulate mitochondrial function and gene transcription. Our own data show that expression of the glucocorticoid receptor is altered in animals with high anxiety-trait correlating with the expression of several mitochondrial genes. Thus, our central hypothesis is that vulnerability to develop depression is caused by a glucocorticoid receptor-mediated dysfunction of mitochondria in the nucleus accumbens. This project will address this idea in the mouse model showing considerable individual differences in stress-induced psychopathology-like behavior. We will first examine the role of the glucocorticoid receptor in vulnerability to stress-induced depression by performing comprehensive behavioral studies. We will then evaluate the impact of the glucocorticoid receptor on mitochondrial function and structure. Lastly, we will apply a pharmacological approach aiming to mitigate stress-induced depression caused by physiological changes given by the glucocorticoid receptor. This will lead to the understanding of the contribution of the glucocorticoid receptor in the nucleus accumbens to define vulnerability and resilience to develop stress-induced depression, and might lead to novel therapeutics for counteracting stress-induced depression.

Mots clés : stress, glucocorticoid receptor, depression, mitochondria, dopaminoceptive neurons

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187419.6 €
Projet DermPlast (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Dermplast is a multidisciplinary project that combines advanced environmental analytical chemistry with innovative 3D-human skin equivalent models (3D-HSE) to study the dermal absorption of toxic plastic additives (e.g. plasticizers and flame retardants) upon skin contact with microplastics (MPs) and assess the risk arising from such exposure. Recent studies have revealed direct human exposure to MPs externally and internally, confirmed by detection of MPs in human stool. However, very little is known on the extent of human exposure to MPs via different pathways and the risk it poses to human health. While there is little evidence of adverse effects associated directly with exposure to pristine MPs, there is major concern over potential toxicity from released plastic additives (e.g. plasticizers and flame retardants), many of which have been associated with serious adverse effects including cancer. The main hypothesis that Dermplast tests is that MP additive chemicals can leach out into sweat and be absorbed through human skin; thus frequent contact with MPs can lead to significant body burdens of hazardous chemicals, with consequent adverse health impacts. This will be achieved using innovative 3D-HSE cultures as sustainable, efficient alternatives to animal/human tissues. The results will be applied to develop an advanced pharmacokinetic exposure model to estimate human uptake of toxic chemicals from dermal contact with MPs and assess the risk against current exposure guidelines and toxic endpoints for these chemicals. With current research focused mainly on isolation and characterisation of MPs in different matrices (e.g. food, water and air), DermPlast will make substantial advances to the state-of-knowledge by providing novel insight into risk assessment of MPs exposure in humans. This will benefit public health and regulators by providing the essential knowledge base required to inform policies to control human exposure to MPs.

Mots clés : microplastics, plasticizers, flame retardants, dermal bioavailability, human exposure, risk assessment, hazardous chemicals

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet Desiccation Survival (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Desiccation is a form of stress wherein extremely dry conditions cause intracellular proteins to unfold and aggregate irreversibly, resulting in cell-death. How do cells and organisms survive desiccation is a fundamental question in biology. Cytosolic Abundant Heat Soluble (CAHS) proteins, a family of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in tardigrades (a phylum of micro-animals), have been shown to be important for their survival during long periods of dryness. Under desiccation condition, CAHS proteins undergo glass-transition and gelation to form vitrified solids that protect intracellular proteins from unfolding and aggregation. However, the features of CAHS proteins that confer protection are unknown. Here, I aim to unravel the sequence determinants of CAHS protein functions, by addressing 3 specific questions: Aim 1: What are the sequence features that promote glass-transition and gelation in CAHS proteins? Aim 2: Can we discover new sequences that can rescue cells from desiccation? Aim 3: What is the sequence-to-function paradigm underlying IDP-mediated desiccation survival? I will (i) perform computational analysis of existing CAHS proteins to extract their sequence features to design a library for adequate sampling of the sequence space; (ii) screen the library with a high-throughput survival-based assay and validate the hits both in vitro and in vivo; (iii) analyse the results with machine learning algorithms to generate characteristic sequence features underlying protective glass-transition. The learned features will be tested by rationally designing and screening a new sequence library for desiccation survival. This project will provide fundamental sequence-level understanding of how IDPs promote stress response, specifically via glass-transition during desiccation. Moreover, the materials and pipeline generated and the findings of this study will aid in engineering functional biomaterials.

Mots clés : intrinsically disordered protein, desiccation survival, sequence features, machine learning, biomaterial

Participants :
- UK Research and Innovation (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet HIVGAYM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite improvements in available therapies and investments in prevention campaigns, HIV-rates continue to rise across European cities. Gay men are over-represented amongst people with HIV, thus experiencing the combined effects of homophobia and HIV-related stigma. Several studies have found a correlation between becoming HIV-positive and gay men’s decision to migrate, although most of them rely on quantitative methodologies and concern the US and Canada. In a European context we have very limited knowledge about the reasons why HIV-positive gay men choose to migrate to, and remain in, specific urban areas across the continent. This research project aims at addressing this gap in knowledge by investigating different migration patterns of HIV-positive gay men towards Birmingham and Brighton (England) and Marseille and Paris (France) at different historical times (the mid ‘80s/early ‘90s with the diffusion of the epidemic and a stigmatizing public discourse; the mid ‘90s/early 2000s with a new focus on prevention from health institutions and the introduction of effective therapies; the last decade with the introduction of a single drug-therapy and the recent introduction of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, PrEP). To better understand the complexity of factors pushing people to relocate and the perception of stigma in previous places of residence, data will be collected through questionnaires; in-depth interviews with both HIV-positive gay men of each generation and relevant stakeholders/policy-makers; and archival work to collect HIV-prevention campaigns, public health information and media news and reports among others. By shedding light on the dynamics of stigmatization still affecting HIV-positive gay men, the research project will provides an evidence base for policy makers and service providers in order to make their intervention for the well-being of HIV-positive gay men more effective.

Mots clés : gay men, migration, welfare regime, stigma, england, france

Participants :
- University of Leicester (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet CineAF (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite rising institutional concern for the gender gap in the European job market in general (EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020) and the film industry in particular, the Italian market share of films directed by women in the period 2006-2013 was 2.7%, while that by male directors was 97.3%. The Italian film industry is sealed shut even tighter for creators whose identities intersect womanhood with a non-white or migrant background. This action redresses the persistence of this staggering imbalance by addressing the near-absenting of women’s and accented voices, both in the discourse around and practice of Italian filmmaking. The aim is to provide a critical record of the contribution of women, and especially women of colour, in the period 1965-2015, as a tool for launching the rebirth of Italian cinema. Research by the European Women’s Audiovisual network has found access to funding to be the most problematic aspect hindering gender equality in the Italian cinema sector. This 50-year period is marked by two crucial moments in the regulation of funding for audiovisual production in Italy (the 1965 “Legge Corona” and the most recent reform, voted into parliament in 2016). The project will accomplish two objectives at once: the obviation of encrusted film historiography canons, and the creation of an alternative archive of cinematic creativity with the capacity to reinvent the category of Italian cinema. Through the creation of an open-access collaborative online database, CineAF will provide a set of tools to create visibility and awareness of the gender inequality in the film industry; a change of script for the way we narrate Italian cinema to ourselves and to the world; and a roadmap for the innovation of the sector. CineAF will showcase the persistence of women's creativity despite the deficits and biases of the industry, and therefore shift the onus onto industry actors to explain why they have left such a vast fount of material on the margins.

Mots clés : italian cinema, film industry, gender gap

Participants :
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171473.28 €
Projet DecoMP_ECoG (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite the critical importance of memory for cognitive function and socialization, very little is known about how information is stored for later retrieval and use. Understanding how the human brain maintains and stores information would enhance research on memory dysfunction in degenerative diseases, such as the age-related dementias, which represent a large burden for European society, and could facilitate the development of strategies for improving memory. The current proposal will use intracranial electrophysiological recordings from the surface of the human brain to investigate encoding, retrieval and consolidation of category-specific information during experimental settings, as well as during spontaneous brain activity. The proposal consists in two parts: first, electrocorticographic (ECoG) data will be acquired at Stanford University, with access to high-quality recordings and modern tools for electrophysiological data analysis. Secondly, machine learning based methodologies will be developed at the Department of Computer Science, University College London (return host) to decode spontaneous brain activity in different vigilance states. Finally, all developed methods will be implemented in an open source software, ensuring the timely dissemination of state-of-the art techniques. The methodological developments considered in this project could provide means for developing computer-aided diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases.

Mots clés : machine learning, electrophysiological recordings, declarative memory, spontaneous brain activity

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 241169.4 €
- Stanford University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SECOONDO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite the growing demand of simple and robust nonlinear optical devices, efficient optical conversion is still obtained by imposing stringent phase matching conditions on the nonlinear optical material (NLOM), critically increasing the fragility and the cost of nonlinear optics applications . The search for alternatives NLOMs with relaxed phase-matching conditions have attracted a large interest, but none of the mature alternatives is expected to satisfy market’s requirements of easy-fabrication, scalability and low-cost. Disordered NLOMs have shown the biggest potential in this direction, giving evidence of efficient and large-angle conversion without the need of phase-matching tuning. However, only few of the several opportunities provided by optical disorder has been exploited for nonlinear conversion due to materials and fabrication limitations. Therefore, the combination of multiple conversion mechanisms could generate unconventional and powerful phase matching mechanisms. SECOONDO aims at the realization of a new class of disordered NLOMs based on perovskite nanoparticles (nano-oxides) in which random phase-matching, light scattering and Mie resonances coexist, but are also independently controllable. We will explore a new physics in optical nonlinear conversion, which could open avenues to the realization of easy and efficient nonlinear optical device. The project takes inspiration from the complementary competences of the candidate in disordered photonics and of the supervisor in nonlinear nano-oxides generating new knowledge on both sides. The candidate will acquire new competences in nonlinear nano-optics and in material sciences, which combined to his past knowledge, will make his profile unique, ensuring independence and a strong future career.

Mots clés : random media, light scattering, phase matching, mie resonances, perovskite, nanoparticles, nano oxides, solution processing

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187419.6 €
Projet REVERE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite the important research available on early modern literary production and patronage by women, chiefly concerning the religious, the view of the marginality of the woman author ('author' understood then as one who wrote de suo and for publication) continues to be pervasive. My project will examine the role of gender in the construction of scholarly and commercial authorship in Spanish and English by elucidating the transnational nature of authorial and editorial practices with print during the commercialization of the literary product in the seventeenth century, thus making an original contribution to book history and gender studies. Extending the investigation of women’s literary careers beyond religion and across geo-linguistic boundaries is imperative, if we want an informed picture of the extent and implications of the mobility of print culture in this period. The awareness of the scarcity of international explorations of the cross-cultural mobility of women’s texts has encouraged some scholars to undertake transnational research in the field, but these studies are still a small minority, and their ambitions never concretely investigate how authorial and editorial practices interact with each other. For the most part, specialists continue to structure their arguments according to theme, period, geography, or language, thereby obscuring broader diachronic trends towards women’s increasing participation in the professional world of authorship. My study will interact with the ongoing MINECO-funded project, ‘Poder, espiritualidad y género (Castilla, 1400-1550): La emergencia de la autoridad femenina en la corte y el convento’, running at UPF (https://www.upf.edu/en/web/poder-espiritualidad-genero). Investigating the intercultural impact of women’s position as authors through print is in line with the primary objectives of this MINECO project, namely to enhance our knowledge of women’s authority within the court and in the convent in early modern Spain.

Mots clés : authorship, print, publication, scholars, commercial authors, spanish, english, gender, transnational

Participants :
- Pompeu Fabra University (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172932.48 €
Projet PneumoCompetence (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite the introduction of several vaccines, the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae remains one of the leading bacterial causes of mortality worldwide, killing 1 million of children each year. In developed countries, the rise of multi-drug resistance in S. pneumoniae during last decade is a serious cause of concern, since the patient is more likely to require hospitalization consuming high health resources, and increasing the risk of death. The main mechanism by which S. pneumoniae acquire and spread antibiotic resistance is by activation of the competence state that allows the uptake of exogenous DNA. Strikingly, competence is induced by several antibiotics, but the molecular mechanisms driving competence development are poorly understood. Our approach integrates the use of promoter-luciferase fusions to competence genes, transposon-mutagenesis and -sequencing, total RNA sequencing, knockout strains constructions and time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, to identify clinical antimicrobials that induce competence and unravel its underlying molecular mechanisms. Data generated in this project will provide a better understanding of the mode of action of these antibiotics and give valuable molecular insights into the evolution of antibiotic resistance in S. pneumoniae. Finally, we will test thousands of pairwise drug combinations in a novel high-throughput screen to identify inhibitors of the competence process. This highly relevant project will provide new pre-clinical data for future novel treatment strategies against bacterial infections and the mitigation of the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Mots clés : antibiotics, competence development, high throughput screening, streptococcus pneumoniae, bacterial stress response

Participants :
- University of Groningen (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165598.8 €