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

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal brain malignancy in adults and is associated with a poor prognosis. Therapy options in GBM patients are largely limited by the highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Identifying and disrupting these immunosuppressive communication circuits between immune cells and the tumor is key to reinvigorate the immune system’s ability to fight the tumor. Here, we combine my previous experience in the analysis of single cell data at the neuro-immune interface with Prof. Zeiser’s patient-centered expertise in developing novel therapy options to combat tumor immune escape. In this highly complementary setting, we propose a data-driven approach to trace and perturb inhibitory communication circuits elicited by the TME across space and time with the aim to discover novel immunotherapeutic targets in GBM. Using a novel temporal single cell technology, we will 1) assemble a multi-layered spatio-temporal single cell roadmap to characterize and model how individual immune cells are affected by the TME in a murine model of GBM. 2) We will develop a computational framework for spatial transcriptomics to dissect single cells into niches defined by similar interaction programs with neighboring cells. 3) Using this tool, we will quantify the niche organization in human patients and identify ligand-receptor interaction pairs crucial for niche maintenance. 4) Candidate genes will be genetically ablated in either the tumor or the immune compartment and evaluated with regards to their in vivo efficacy in suppressing tumor growth. Our cutting-edge analytical pipeline from the identification of driver molecules for immune escape to the assessment of in vivo efficacy in a preclinical model of GBM will reveal novel targets for treatment. Our study thereby works directly towards the Horizon Europe Mission to understand, treat and beat cancer.

Mots clés : glioblastoma, immunotherapy, single cell genomics, systems immunology, tumor microenvironment

Participants :
- Université de Fribourg-en-Brisgau (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet INTERZEB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Rapid information exchange between individuals is key to coordinated behavior. In a traffic lane, a well-timed brake can signal the presence of an obstacle to the drivers behind, avoiding a vehicle pileup. In a crowd of people, individuals can infer the position of an obscured exit from the movement of their neighbors. How do individual behavioral patterns enable efficient information transfer in a group? Animal biodiversity displays a vast amount of remarkable collective phenomena that can provide us insight into this question, such as the behavior of fish schools, manifesting almost instantaneous information transfer between individuals. The INTERZEB project will use zebrafish as a model system to experimentally establish the behavioral algorithms that enable individuals to transmit information within a group. By employing immersive virtual reality techniques for freely-swimming fish, the project will pursue two objectives:  1) Extracting the functions that enable information transfer from individuals in the front (leaders) to those in the back (followers) arranged in long transmission chains.  2) Establishing how information transfer in the above settings is modulated by feedback sent by followers to leaders.  The resulting algorithms will be implemented in agent-based models and tested in collective simulations as well as in hybrid interactions between multiple fish and algorithm-controlled virtual “avatars”. The achievement of the project’s objectives will provide a substantial contribution to linking individual decision-making and collective animal behavior, will foster interdisciplinary exchange, and will offer potential inspiration for biomimetic technologies. The project will also strongly contribute to the Researcher’s professional growth by granting interdisciplinary training, leadership, and mastering of cutting-edge methodologies for the study of behavior.

Mots clés : collective behavior, perceptual decision making

Participants :
- Université de Constance (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet FeelTheBeat (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The organization of time is fundamental to how we perceive and understand music. Different aspects of musical time have been extensively studied (such as how meter and rhythm relate, the connection between musical time and memory, the continuity of musical time, etc.), but so far limited scholarly attention has been given to syncopation, a way of disrupting the regularity of musical time. Specifically, modern scholars and musicians understand syncopation as the shifting of a stressed beat before or after its normal position. But the definition and perception of syncopation actually underwent dramatic changes between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries. This project will reevaluate the early history of syncopation (c.1300–1600) in notated Western music, exploring the relevant theoretical sources and connecting them to musical practice in contemporaneous compositions, in order to create a more detailed and accurate representation of the phenomenon. Thus it will broaden our knowledge of how musical time was conceived and will further our understanding of meter and rhythm in music as a whole.

Mots clés : syncopation, musical time, music theory, rhythm

Participants :
- University of Regensburg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 202125.12 €
Projet NANOSEED (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The NANOSEED, Nucleation and Analysis of Nanobubbles Observed by Single Entity Electrocatalysis in microDroplets, project seeks to directly electroanalyze microdroplet-confined nanobubble properties to elucidate the physical chemistry of their formation and reactivity. Its success will develop the first stochastic electrochemical method for nanobubble nucleation in microdroplet reactors, calculate important physical parameters of heterogenous nucleation processes under femtoliter confinement, and address the topical literature controversy regarding redox species generated and/or stabilized at gas|water interfaces.  When a microdroplet collides with a microelectrode surface it forms a nanoscale contact area. By loading these microdroplets with acid, and applying a sufficient bias to the microelectrode, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) will occur at the microdroplet|microelectrode interface. Under conditions where the evolved hydrogen exceeds the critical concentration, a hydrogen nanobubble will nucleate in the microdroplet. The nanobubble is detected as a sharp decrease in cathodic current due to the insulating phase physically blocking molecular flux of the electrochemically active species (i.e., proton) to the microelectrode surface. Bulk mathematical models are re-derived for microdroplet reactors to relate the transient current-time profiles to nanobubble sizes and nucleation rates. Finite element simulations will validate the equations and provide additional information on the nanobubble geometry and nucleation site. The microdroplet is further used to confine radical oxygen species that may be produced at the nanobubble interface by accumulating the redox species to electrochemically-detectable levels. The detection of reactive oxygen species will provide clarity to an ongoing debate that may, in turn, reveal opportunities to leverage the harsh physical properties at the dielectric gas|water boundary to drive remarkable interfacial chemistry.

Mots clés : confined electrocatalysis nanobubble nucleation single entity electrochemistry bhydrogen evolution reaction microdroplet reactivity

Participants :
- Université de Leyde (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217076.16 €
Projet ECODEM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

In the aftermath of the First World War, European cities witnessed a massive expansion of producer cooperatives in the building sector. Drawing on ideas for industrial reform that were shared widely across borders, these producer cooperatives, or building guilds, aimed to not only improve urban housing, but also democratize the construction industries and society more broadly. Local cooperatives quickly merged into national associations that promoted distinct models of collective decision-making and shared ownership. By the early 1920s, pan-European federations had started to distribute information and organize exchange between construction cooperatives that stretched the entire continent. Despite their rapid growth and initial success, however, the construction cooperatives of interwar Europe have been virtually forgotten. ECODEM offers the first comprehensive historical analysis of this transnational movement. Focusing on England, Germany, and Spain, the action has the following four objectives. First, it will reveal the democratization measures that were implemented to improve participation on the shop floor, at the work site, and in management. Second, it will show what urban vision this trade union movement formulated, and how this vision compares with the urban vision of architect, planners, and municipal officials, which have received far more attention in scholarship. Third, ECODEM will investigate under what conditions employees accepted measures aiming at rationalization, even if those measures had negative consequences for labor. And fourth, it will analyze the factors that determined success and failure of construction cooperatives in distinct national settings. By studying a forgotten yet highly popular trade union movement, ECODEM not only advances scholarship in Labor and Urban History as well as the interdisciplinary scholarship on economic democracy, but it also contributes to debates in the wider public about the future of work and urban housing.

Mots clés : labor history, urban history, interwar europe, trade unions, economic democracy, history of housing

Participants :
- Université polytechnique de Catalogne (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université technique de Berlin (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €
Projet LIPQUORUM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Global food security and sustainable agriculture challenges demand innovative crop protection approaches. This project investigates interkingdom signaling between beneficial bacteria (Bacillus subtilis species complex) and a fungal pathogen (Sporisorium scitamineum) causing sugarcane smut disease. While bacterial lipopeptides are known for their antimicrobial properties, their potential as signaling molecules at sub-inhibitory concentrations remains unexplored for basidiomycete plant pathogens. This research aims to unravel how lipopeptides (iturin A, fengycins, and surfactins) impact S. scitamineum's growth, morphology, mating, and virulence in sugarcane. I will characterize lipopeptide effects at various concentrations, investigate their impact on fungal virulence, elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms, and explore their ecological relevance in soil and on plant surfaces. Using advanced techniques like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry, RNA-seq, and High-resolution Desorption Electrospray Ionization, I'll reframe traditionally viewed antimicrobial compounds as potential signaling molecules. The project includes greenhouse trials at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, enhancing its translational aspect. This Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action program at Leiden University, supervised by Prof. Ákos T. Kovács, will advance scientific knowledge and provide comprehensive training in research techniques, project management, and science communication. The project's interdisciplinary nature, combining microbiology, biochemistry, and agricultural science, will foster new collaborations and enhance career prospects. By bridging fundamental research with practical applications, this project may revolutionize our understanding of microbial ecology in agricultural systems. The findings could lead to novel, eco-friendly biocontrol strategies, contributing to sustainable agriculture and global food security.

Mots clés : bacillus subtilis species complex, sporisorium scitamineum, interkingdom signaling, lipopeptides, iturin a, fengycins, surfactins, quorum sensing, sugarcane smut disease, biocontrol, microbial ecolog

Participants :
- Université de Leyde (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217076.16 €
Projet TeraNanoLIGHT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hold great promise for the engineering of modern nanophotonic devices that will operate at terahertz (THz) speed rates, with reduced energy requirements. Particularly, their nonlinear properties at THz frequencies, are expected to be the key element for the development of THz nanodevices that can generate new frequencies, control light propagation or act as nonlinear optical modulators. The TeraNanoLIGHT project aims to study with nanometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution, the ultrafast interaction of 2D nanomaterials with atomically strong (multi-MV/cm) THz fields, promoting the light-matter interactions into the non-perturbative regime. Intense THz transients will be combined with a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) to achieve atomically strong fields. Initially, THz surface plasmons (SPs) will be resonantly coupled in graphene, and their nonlinear behavior will be studied by monitoring their formation, propagation and temporal evolution as the THz field strength increases into the nonlinear regime. Furthermore, non-resonant nonlinearities will be explored, exploiting the oscillating THz field as an ultrafast AC bias. The possibility to observe high harmonic generation (HHG) with characteristics similar to those of atomic gases, will be studied in monolayer TMDs and heterostructures of different layers number and twist angles, excited by an out-of-plane polarized THz field. Finally, the opportunity of exploiting the extremely nonlinear interaction of light with matter, to improve the spatial resolution of SNOM, will be investigated. TeraNanoLIGHT project, envisions to facilitate our understanding about the ultrafast interaction of intense THz light with 2D materials and their high-order nonlinearities. This understanding is expected to trigger innovative research on the development of the future THz lightwave electronic devices.

Mots clés : terahertz, nonlinear, 2d materials, nanoscopy, graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides

Participants :
- University of Regensburg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 94843.68 €
Projet RECeSS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

In 2021, drug development pipelines last 10 years in average, and cost around $2 billion, while facing high failure rates, as only around 10% of Phase 0 drug candidates reach the commercialization stage. These issues can be mitigated through drug repurposing, where existent compounds are systematically screened for new therapeutic indications. Collaborative filtering is a semi-supervised learning framework that leverages known drug-disease matchings to make novel recommendations. However, prior works cannot be leveraged because of their lack of focus on human oversight and robustness to biological data. This project aims at bridging the gap between drug research and collaborative filtering by implementing a RECeSS classifier, that is (1) Robust: deals with class imbalance in drug-disease matchings, and missing drug/disease features, by semi-supervised learning; (2) Explainable: connects predicted matchings to perturbed biological pathways through enrichment analyses, based on the learnt importance of features in the model; (3) Controllable: guarantees a bound on the false positive rate using an adaptive learning scheme; (4) Standard: algorithms are trained and tested by a standardized open-source pipeline. Predicted matchings will be independently validated by structure-based methods. This innovative interdisciplinary project relies on a solid basis of newly curated data (up to 1,386 drugs, 1,599 diseases, 12 feature types). It is primarily supervised by Pr. Olaf Wolkenhauer, at SBI Rostock, whose team has an expertise in drug repurposing, in systems biology and data imbalance in machine learning. This project will help the fellow develop new skills, and enhance her professional maturity in academia. In the short term, this would yield the first method that fully integrates biological interpretation and risk assessment to collaborative filtering-based repurposing. Long-term outcomes might help define sustainable and transparent drug development for rare diseases.

Mots clés : drug repurposing collaborative filtering in silico drug screening statistical testing

Participants :
- Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Rostock (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189687.36 €
Projet QEDControl (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Introducing molecules into quantum cavities to enhance selected physical properties or to control chemical processes is a highly active domain of research. The coupled system of molecules and the resonant electromagnetic field, called a molecular polariton, have properties very different from those of free molecules, providing a possibility of non-invasively influencing molecular systems on a quantum level. Developments in experimental techniques and electronic structure methods continuously open up new possibilities of tuning polaritons for specific applications. The description of molecules in quantum cavities requires models deeply rooted in quantum electrodynamics and necessitates novel perspectives in wavefunction-based methods. Although it is now possible to calculate the potential energy surfaces of polaritons, the description of other properties, especially response functions, is an open challenge.  In this project, we aim to develop theories and methods for the calculation of polaritonic response properties in quantum cavities, with the goal to understand the possibilities of quantum control of intra- and intermolecular processes. Our developments are expected to provide experimental and fundamental research with a theoretical framework and software implementations for the future design of chemical processes in quantum cavities. Achieving this result will rely on an interdisciplinary work between theoretical molecular physics, high-performance software development, as well as applied computational chemistry methods. This synergy between electronic structure theory expertise of the Host with the background in response function theory of the Applicant will also be supported by a larger effort at the Saarland University to utilize quantum cavities in molecular science. Overall, the successful project will give a theoretical background for planning polaritonic devices for tailored applications by a non-invasive altering physical and chemical properties.

Mots clés : coupled cluster theory, quantum cavities, polarizability, response functions, quantum electrodynamics, polaritonic chemistry, quantum control

Participants :
- Université de la Sarre (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 217965.12 €
Projet EdropSpread (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Pesticides are critical to enhance crop production, with global usage reaching 4.3 million tons, double the amount used in 1990. They are typically formulated as oil-in-water emulsions, where active ingredients are dissolved in oil and stabilized with surfactants to improve adhesion to plant surfaces. After deposition, the water phase of the emulsion evaporates rapidly (<1 minute), while the dispersed oil droplets coalesce to form continuous films that spread outward, a process significantly slower than evaporation. However, less than 1% of the pesticides are absorbed by biological targets, with the majority lost during wetting and spreading on leaf surfaces, contributing to substantial environmental risks. This project, aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal, aims to develop a deeper understanding of the dynamics of emulsion drops at surfaces to optimize pesticide-emulsion formulations and handling protocols, thereby increasing their efficiency. The properties of pesticide-emulsion drops at biomimetic surfaces will be explored for key variables such as surfactant concentration, oil-to-water ratio, and dispersed droplet size. The macroscopic behaviour of emulsion drops during evaporation shall be investigated by optical observations including the internal movement and coalescence of dispersed oil droplets and the formation and spreading of a nanoscopic oil layer by fluorescence microscopy and interference techniques. The microscopic properties of the tested emulsion formulation, like dynamic surface tension, micelle size, and disjoining pressure of the spreading micellar film shall be determined by methods such as dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy and force-distance curves. By quantitatively linking the nanoscopic emulsion properties to the macroscopic behaviour, a predictive model shall be developed, providing a foundation for optimizing the formulation of pesticide emulsions enhancing pesticide uptake and minimizing environmental impact.

Mots clés : emulsion drop evaporation droplet coalescence thin film dynamics wetting and dewetting surfactants

Participants :
- Université de la Sarre (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 202125.12 €