Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet SusCat (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

SusCat aims to develop asymmetric organocatalytic reactions using cheap, commonplace starting materials (alkenes and CO2) to achieve environmentally-friendly manufacturing of medicinally important building blocks, which are abundant in drug molecules and agrochemicals. An atom economical manufacturing of these value-added products will be realized avoiding the use of intrinsically toxic reagents and production of waste chemical byproducts. We will adopt an interdisciplinary approach by combining experiment, theory and cheminformatics. SusCat promises to open new vistas in organocatalytic unbiased olefin activation, a longstanding quest in organic synthesis. This approach will also pave the way for the use of CO2 as a C1 synthon under mild conditions, which will not only help to reduce the carbon footprint but also add to the understanding of how nature uses CO2 as a source of energy. Moreover, the state-of-the-art computational analysis and physical organic experiments will be performed to gain insights on the molecular level. A detailed cheminformatics-based approach will be adopted to build a predictive statistical model and understand the structure activity relationship between the catalyst and the substrate. SusCat will equip the Experienced Researcher with new knowledge and skills in theory and experimentation, thus broadening his scientific background and enhancing his prospects as an independent researcher. At the same time, the Action and the Host group will benefit from the advanced knowledge in chemical catalysis acquired by the researcher during his stay. Overall, this study will create a bridge among organic synthesis, computational modelling and physical organic studies, providing not only a unique alternative to environmentally deleterious metal-mediated synthesis, but also contributing towards achieving the Europe 2020 strategy priorities: sustainable growth and resource efficiency.

Mots clés : organocatalysis, dft analysis, computational catalysis

Participants :
- Max Planck Society (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 162806.4 €
Projet SyMPaBiome (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Statut du projet : SIGNED

SyMPaBiome aims to develop a synbiotic, a mixture of live biotherapeutic bacteria and a prebiotic, to modulate the Parkinson’s disease (PD) microbiome, with the threefold aim to decrease (1) the intestinal (neuro-)inflammation and (2) gut permeability associated with PD, as well as to (3) decrease the production of a recently discovered archaeal metabolite linked to PD development and progression. This synbiotic regimen will be the first mechanism-based synbiotic formulation, underpinned by functional read-outs from a unique gut-on-a-chip host-microbe interface model. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, and remains incurable. Gastrointestinal symptoms precede the characteristic motor symptoms by years to decades and there is evidence supporting initiation of the disease by enteric inflammation and changes in microbial community composition and function. Enteric inflammation in PD is exacerbated by an increased gut permeability and mucus-foraging bacteria are more abundant in the PD microbiome, while fibre-degrading bacteria are decreased. This offers the opportunity to develop prophylactic or disease-modulating products to address these changes in at-risk individuals or PD patients. Recently, the archaeal metabolite 2-hydroxypyridone (2-HP), a co-factor of the hydrogenase in hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea, has been implicated in idiopathic PD aetiology. Here, a preventive or disease modulating strategy is proposed to induce a shift in the microbiome and metabolome of at-risk individuals or PD patients and decrease 2-HP production and its cytotoxic effects on the enteric nervous system. In view of this, we aim to develop a synbiotic product that can restore the metabolic profile and microbial community in PD patients and has a protective effect on the intestinal mucus and epithelium. The outcomes of this project will be a synbiotic formulation, ready for in vivo testing, and a toolbox for mechanism-based development of synbiotic products.

Mots clés : host microbe interaction, probiotic, prebiotic, synbiotic, intestinal inflammation

Participants :
- University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166320.0 €
Projet Nod2Root (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by rhizobia takes place in specialized organs of legume host plants, the root nodules. While rather deep molecular insights into plant-rhizobia recognition, early nodule organogenesis, regulation of nodulation and nitrogen fixation are available, much less is known about how nodule integrity is maintained and the origin of the underlying morphogenetic program. Recently, NOOT BOP COCH LIKE (NBCL) genes of Medicago truncatula and Pisum sativum were found to ensure nodule integrity by repressing ectopic root formation (applicant's former project). Interestingly, soybean nodules elicited by a Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens mutant lacking the general stress response sigma factor σEcfG also formed ectopic roots (host's project), pointing to a bacteria-plant signalling system that is crucial for nodule persistence and integrity. Here, we propose to decipher the molecular determinants that maintain determinate nodule identity using the B. diazoefficiens – soybean model. We will combine plant molecular genetics, cell biology with transcriptomics and metabolomics to unravel cells, genes and metabolic networks that contribute to the checkpoint system ensuring nodule integrity. In work package 1 (WP1), the role of three soybean NBCL orthologs will be unravelled. In WP2, the nodule-to-root conversion characteristic for B. diazoefficiens ΔecfG mutants will be studied at the cellular level using root tip-specific reporter fusions. In WP3, a combination of metabolomics and transcriptomics will be applied to identify metabolites and gene networks involved in the nodule-to-root conversion elicited by ΔecfG and nbcl mutants. Altogether, results of this project will provide insight into determinants and mechanisms used by the economically important group of soybean plants to maintain the integrity of specialized, root-derived organs, an aspect that is relevant also in the light of ongoing attempts to engineer non-legumes into rhizobial hosts.

Mots clés : glycine max  soybean, bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens, symbiosis, noot, ecfg, sigma factor, homeosis, nodule organogenesis and development

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187419.6 €
Projet BIJOU (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

Symbolic material culture and personal ornaments can be used as effective proxies for tracking mobility and identity in the past: prehistoric Europe was interconnected by a network of long-distance exchange routes of shell “jewellery”. The movements of ornaments can thus reveal contact between communities, elucidating cultural dynamics and patterns of migration. In the absence of written documents, reconstructing the journey of ornaments from their place of origin to their final destination requires secure information on the taxonomy and provenance of the shells. BIJOU will develop a novel interdisciplinary approach for shell ornament identification, advancing the traditional morphological methods and exploiting the biomolecules trapped in shells as taxonomic barcodes. Integrating six state-of-the-art techniques (proteomics and amino acid analyses, macro- and micro-morphology, mineralogy, stable isotopes) and focusing on fifteen key archaeological sites across Europe, BIJOU will build the first publicly available reference collection of shells, identify the materials used to make ornaments and determine their local or exotic provenance. This will provide the long-awaited scientific basis for theories on long-distance exchange in prehistory. Building on the complementary expertise of the Researcher (archaeology and ancient proteins) and the Host Institution (shell biominerals), BIJOU will deliver long-term scientific benefits, including an ad-hoc methodology for the investigation of precious artefacts, and the establishment of an international network of archaeologists. The wealth of information on the modes and tempos of interaction between peoples in the past will be the focus of public dissemination and will inform current debate on the fundamental right of freedom of movement and perceived loss of cultural identity, contributing to building a European society that is truly “inclusive, innovative and reflective” (Europe 2020 strategy).

Mots clés : personal ornaments, shell, biomineralisation, mobility, identity

Participants :
- Université Bourgogne Europe (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet SI (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

T and B lymphocytes are effectors of adaptive immunity. Their dysregulation have dramatic health consequences, and can lead to autoimmunity and blood cancers. Recently, immune receptors involved in dictating the fate of B and T cells have expanded drastically. Once of these critical receptor/ligand immune pair is the inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) and its ligand ICOSL, which emerged as a novel T/B-cell co-signaling pathway. The multiple roles reported for this immune complex position ICOS/ICOSL at the center of attention for immunotherapy. Accordingly, several therapeutic antibodies targeting this immune complex are under clinical investigation. However, structure-function studies of ICOS/ICOSL interaction are critically lacking. This proposal aims to use integrative structural biology to provide molecular details into the function and targeting of the ICOS/ICOSL immune complex. These structural blueprints will contribute to the design of next-generation therapies against autoimmune diseases and cancer. This knowledge, will also serve as the basis to develop agonist antibodies that could act as adjuvants of B cell maturation for vaccine purposes. Therefore, this study will aim to apply fundamental mechanistic approaches to answer biomedical research questions and the outcome will result in advances to both molecular medicine and biology of disease.

Mots clés : antibodies, b cells, biophysics, glycoproteins, protein engineering, structural biology, vaccine design

Participants :
- Hospital for Sick Children (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of the Basque Country (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224683.2 €
Projet MISTRO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

T cell memory is the cornerstone of protective immunity and the key determinant of the efficacy of vaccination approaches. Memory inflation (MI) is a unique type of CD8+ T cell memory characterized by the induction of robust and durable populations of functional effector/effector memory CD8+ T cells that is elicited by latently persistent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. Accumulating evidence argues that inflationary T cells can provide exceptionally strong immune protection. Hence, several translational approaches involving MI, such as CMV vector-based vaccines, are subject of ongoing pre-clinical and clinical projects. Despite this, little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing the induction and maintenance of MI. In this proposal, I aim to identify and characterize the latently infected cell type/-s, which sustain CMV-specific inflationary CD8+ T-cells. To this end, I will combine state-of-the-art stromal cell characterization and isolation techniques with generation of novel recombinant virus-based in vivo models enabling (1) tracking of latently infected cells, (2) conditional ablation of viral peptide processing in selected cell types. The results of this action are expected to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and requirements for MI, laying the basis for the development of improved vaccination strategies. Furthermore, identification of the sites of CMV latency in vivo will have implications for development of future clinical strategies aimed at harnessing the ability of CMV to reactivate in immune suppressed patients. Thus, this proposal explores a basic biological question of broad general interest, but also has robust translational potential for applications in human medicine.

Mots clés : cytomegalovirus infection, cytomegalovirus latency, cytomegalovirus specific memory inflation, memory cd8 t cells, lymphoid organ stroma

Participants :
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 159460.8 €
Projet MT-PoINT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

T cells are a key element of the human immune system. Upon binding to antigenic peptides (called T cell epitopes), T cells can induce the death of infected cells or prime and regulate other immune cells. In cancer immunotherapy treatments, T cells are genetically re-engineered to recognize cancer epitopes and destroy malignant cells. Unfortunately, it still remains challenging to determine which T cells can target a specific epitope, both from a computational and experimental point of view. This limits mechanistic understanding of T-cell-mediated immunity and translational applications for disease treatments. Thanks to advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies, sequence data of T cells coupled with their cognate epitopes are accumulating at an unprecedented pace, offering unique opportunities to develop data-driven T cell-epitope interaction predictors. The goal of the MT-PoINT project (Motif in T cells for the Prediction of INTeractions) is to identify patterns in T cells sequences that underlie the binding specificity, interpret them at the structural level, and to develop sequence-based predictors of T cell-epitope interactions (Aim1) with a special focus on T cells targeting cancer epitopes (Aim2). My project will capitalize on a unique dataset of publicly available and in-house generated data that was not available in previous studies, and T cell sequence data from cancer patients of Lausanne University Hospital will allow me to benchmark the in-silico predictors in a clinically relevant setting. Accurate predictions of TCR-epitope interactions can narrow down the list of T cell candidates for personalized cancer immunotherapies, and significantly accelerate cancer immunotherapy clinical developments.

Mots clés : computational immunology, computational cancer biology, t cell epitope prediction, t cell based immunotherapies

Participants :
- University of Lausanne (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet TGF-BTB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

TGF-BTB (Transforming Growth Factor – Bench To Bedside) is an ambitious and innovative project, the goal of which is to not only to understand the different roles of the TGF-β isoforms as well as in cell signalling at a molecular level, but also to explore their critical roles implicated in pathogenesis of fibrotic disorders and cancer. The dysregulation or complete shutdown of TGF-β pathway is responsible for many human diseases including connective tissue disorders, fibrotic disorders and the initiation and progression of soft tissue cancers. Most recent data show the importance of TGF-β in controlling the tumor microenvironment and its significance in the course of anticancer immunotherapies. The project will employ methods of structural and cell biology, together with in silico simulations, and will include the development of new tools, such as isoform-specific peptide-based inhibitors, engineered cytokines to study and manipulate the TGF-β canonical and non-canonical pathways. TGF-BTB is not only of great importance for increasing basic mechanistic understanding of TGF-β signalling, but also in terms of discovering potential new therapeutic avenues for treating diseases driven by excessive TGF-b signaling. During the outgoing phase, The Fellow, Dr Łukasz Wieteska, will join Prof Andrew Hinck’s research group at the University of Pittsburgh, which is a world class research laboratory at the forefront of TGF-β family structural studies. the Fellow will return to the University of Leeds to continue his work with Prof John Ladbury, whose research has a strong focus on exploring the structural, biophysical, and cellular outcomes of the interplay of protein receptors in cell signalling pathways. Upon return, the Fellow will also benefit from a secondment at The Francis Crick Institute in the laboratory of Dr Caroline Hill, a leading researcher in the field of developmental biology with a special focus on TGF-β signaling.

Mots clés : tgf, betaglycan, signaling, peptide based inhibitors

Participants :
- University of Pittsburgh (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Leeds (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 271732.8 €
Projet THALES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

THALES will embed archaeological data from two excavation projects on the Milesian peninsula, Turkey, into wider discourses on economic production, landscape change and philosophical reflection in the Greek world between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. The archaeological finds from the Temple of Didyma and the nearby necropolis of Panormos (harbour of Didyma) provide vital information about the economy and ritual traditions of this lynchpin region of the Greek and Mediterranean world during a pre-modern era of 'globalisation'. The project will stimulate a transformation in the study of the early classical world with the application of state-of-the-art spatial theories to the landscape around these sites and an innovative combination of quantitative analysis to finds from both excavations, set against the context of contemporary scientific endeavours indexed by the earliest European philosophers writing in Ionia (most famous being Thales of Miletos). The high quality, multidisciplinary research results will contribute significantly to our knowledge of this formative phase of European cultural and intellectual foundations, provide cross-fertilization between disciplines and develop the Experienced Researcher’s long-term vision of modernising classical scholarship.


Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet TRANSCORP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

TRANSCORP aims to advance our understanding of the changing interface between business and society by analyzing the judicialisation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) – a phenomenon that is increasingly observed in the European Union, and notably in France, where the recent adoption of the ‘duty of vigilance’ law has opened the prospect that transnational corporations could be sued by third-parties for not taking sufficiently into account the risks generated by industrial activities across their production chains. While CSR had long been considered a matter of voluntary issue for private businesses, the on-going hardening of soft law remains an under-researched topic. This project aims to address this gap, by exploring how the agencies of a variety of state and non-state actors – such as transnational corporations (TNCs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), supranational institutions (EU, OECD) – intersect at different levels in the production of transnational legal cases that encapsulate competing claims for justice. The main contribution of TRANSCORP will be to investigate this ‘judicialisation turn’ as mirroring the overarching institutional significance that TNCs have acquired in a world power system that has become increasingly fragmented. This will help us to develop a fine-grained description of how the ‘hybrid sovereignty’ that these private entities had consolidated for themselves in a few decades of globalization has become more and more contested as human societies are faced with both an explosion of social inequality and a worrying disruption of planetary equilibriums.

Mots clés : transnational corporations, corporate social responsibility, global governance, social and environmental movements

Participants :
- Fondation nationale des sciences politiques (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet TREEPACT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

TREEPACT investigates the social, environmental, and economic impacts of urban tree pests and pathogens in the context of a changing climate. Disturbances due to tree pests/pathogens are expected to increase in cities, potentially threatening endeavours to increase canopy cover to help adapt to climate change. This novel research programme uses an innovative combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including a systematic review, surveys, stakeholder and policy analyses to assess impacts, risk perceptions, policies, and responses of city professionals involved in urban greenspace and forest planning and management. Although the study’s reach is global, it will use Munich as a case study example. The city has recently been subject to devastating tree pest/pathogen outbreaks, destroying up to 60% of the trees in entire neighbourhoods. The action will have impact in two areas. From a policy perspective, it will produce new understanding of the various policy and management responses to urban tree pests/pathogens around the globe. It will also synthesise existing knowledge on the impacts of tree pests/pathogens. From an academic perspective, it will 1) produce new knowledge about the risk perceptions and responses to tree pests/pathogens of greenspace professionals and advocates in cities, 2) develop a social network analysis method in the context of urban planning, and 3) consolidate and assess existing knowledge in a new context.

Mots clés : urban forest, urban trees, tree pests, tree pathogens, green infrastructure, stakeholder perceptions, impact assessment, policy analysis, stakeholder analysis, climate change, natural disturbances

Participants :
- Technical University of Munich (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 244209.6 €