Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet WATER INCENT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

More than 50% of total water abstractions in Southern Europe come from the agricultural sector, rising to more than 80% in some regions. Water abstractions are particularly high and fast growing in profitable irrigated areas in the Mediterranean Basin, where agricultural demand enters in direct competition with basic environmental services increasingly often. Urgent action is needed to address this unsustainable trade-off. Economic instruments represent a means of adapting demand to collectively agreed goals and thus relief pressure over stressed EU water bodies. In particular, recent water resources research has put forward the role that can be played by agricultural water markets and drought insurance for irrigated agriculture. These two instruments have been already tested (markets) or at least explored (insurance) in a EU context, but it is still unclear what can be expected from them. The objective of my research is advancing in the design and development of agricultural water markets and insurance systems that contribute to the implementation of an effective and efficient water policy mix in the EU. In a first stage I will develop quantitative methods using Revealed Preferences Models and Agent Based Models to estimate the economic and environmental outcomes of the proposed instruments under different scenarios. In the second stage I will use an analytical framework to critically assess the efficiency and effectiveness of drought insurance and water markets in a wider policy context. Theoretical constructions will be illustrated with empirical applications in the Po River Basin District (RBD) in Italy and the Segura RBD in Spain.

Mots clés : water economics, economic instruments, water markets, agricultural insurance

Participants :
- Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 168277.2 €
Projet PICVOLC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

More than 500 million people live within the range of volcanoes whose activity can have disastrous economic and environmental impact. Being able to infer changes in the magmatic system during volcanic unrest is important for improving hazard preparedness and forecast future eruptions. PICVOLC aims to overcome the limitations in the current approach in the modeling of volcanic unrest by developing a new, original methodology that integrates seismic, gravity, and deformation data with 3D numerical inversion to create a detailed representation of the source of volcanic unrest. The current volcanic unrest at Nevado del Ruiz volcano will be the case study used to implement, calibrate, and verify this original approach. In 1985, a lahar generated by a modest eruption of Ruiz completely destroyed the town of Armero, killing 25,000 people. PICVOLC involves the integration of fieldwork with Finite Element Methods modeling and joint numerical inversions of geodetic and geophysical data. PICVOLC´s multi-/interdisciplinary nature aims to better constrain the conceptual and numerical models of volcanic unrest and reduce the ambiguity in the identification of the location, depth, volume change, and nature of the source of unrest. The project involves national and international collaboration; it is academic but has also important implications for the monitoring and reduction of volcanic hazards at Ruiz. In particular, it will provide the following innovative products: (a) definition of the subsurface structures with a new map of Bouguer anomalies; (b) 3D FEM model of the volcano; (c) 3D Image of the source(s) of volcanic unrest from inversion of geodetic data; (d) training of graduate students and the staff of the local volcano observatory in numerical modeling. Finally, PICVOLC will be a key step in achieving my professional maturity by extending and reinforcing my knowledge and skills in the design of, involvement in, and management of an international research project.

Mots clés : geodetic images, volcano monitoring, data inversion, bouguer anomalies, volcano hazards, fem modeling, magma transport, volcano geodesy, seismic tomography, volcano deformation

Participants :
- Sapienza University of Rome (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 168277.2 €
Projet PiQiMosqBite (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Mosquitoes serve as vectors for diseases including dengue and malaria, for which half the world's population is at risk. Mosquito-borne pathogens are transmitted during blood feeding, yet despite its crucial role in pathogen transmission, blood feeding behavior remains ill understood. The sensory integration of physical and chemical cues on the skin and below its surface, and the effect of pathogen infection on blood feeding are poorly characterized. These knowledge gaps are due to a lack of tools to quantitatively study blood feeding behavior. To overcome these limitations, I propose an innovative approach to study blood feeding by leveraging quantitative imaging, computer vision, and an engineered human skin mimic to create a high-throughput behavioral assay. Imaging mosquitoes feeding on a transparent skin mimic will enable the detailed characterization of the behavioral trajectory leading to blood feeding while simultaneously allowing the analysis of biting dynamics by imaging the expectoration of saliva. To unravel the behavioral effects of pathogen infection, I will compare blood feeding by non-infected Aedes aegypti (the main dengue vector) and Anopheles gambiae (an important malaria vector) with their dengue virus and Plasmodium falciparum infected counterparts. Next, I will use microfabricaton to embed artificial vasculature in the skin mimic to dissect the sensory cue integration underlying blood feeding. I will characterize the biting dynamics of mutant Aedes aegypti deficient in various sensory pathways feeding on skin mimics that present a defined set of cues. By combining my skills in biophysics with the host labs expertise in mosquito-pathogen interactions, this project will provide a deep understanding of the neurobiology underlying blood feeding by mosquitoes, and the effect that pathogen infections may have on this behavior. Elucidating the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens will provide valuable insights to combat mosquito-borne diseases.

Mots clés : mosquito, vector borne disease, dengue, ecology, quantitative biology, ethology, malaria, arbovirus, bioengineering

Participants :
- Institut Pasteur (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet MAPP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Mosquitoes transmit several medically and economically important ARthropod-BOrne (arbo)viruses to mammals (including humans), such as dengue virus and chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Unlike infection in their mammalian host, infection in their arthropod vector is apathogenic and persistent due to the interplay between the virus and the innate immune responses. The main antiviral mechanism in mosquitoes is the sequence specific RNA break down mechanism- RNA interference (RNAi), specifically the 21 nucleotide (nt) long small interfering (si)RNAs are considered to play a key role; however, siRNAs are not likely to be essential for the establishment of persistent viral infection. Recently small RNA molecules derived from different pathway have been reported to have an antiviral role in aedine mosquitoes and derived cell lines: PIWI interacting (pi)RNAs (24-29 nt). Persistent infection ensures that mosquitoes remain infectious and if piRNAs control this process, they could play a key part in regulating subsequent arbovirus transmission to humans. Little is known about the piRNA pathway in mosquitoes and even less about its interaction with arbovirus infections. Most of the work has focused on the identification and analysis of (viral specific) small RNAs (siRNA and piRNAs) in infected mosquitoes, but little on the proteins and the protein-RNA interactions involved in these processes. The proposed research project will use a multidisciplinary approach that involves molecular virology with CHIKV, quantitative proteomics, RNA sequencing and knock down experiments in Aedes aegypti derived cells and mosquitoes to comprehensively understand for the first time the piRNA pathway, its involvement and importance to regulate arbovirus infections in aedine mosquitoes. The findings will extend our knowledge on the interactions between arboviruses and their mosquito vector and generate information that could be used in novel disease-spread control strategies.

Mots clés : rna interference, pirna, arbovirus, proteomics, rna sequencing

Participants :
- University of Glasgow (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet MossTech (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Doctoral Networks - Industrial Doctorates
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

MossTech will expand the tools for green biotechnology. By using the simplest land plants, the mosses, MossTech will develop new green cell factories for the production of proteins, lipids and fine chemicals. MossTech will train 6 highly qualified ESRs in modern biotechnology with the focus on expanding the use of green cells in biotechnological applications. The consortium of three universities, one research institution and four companies together provides a strong background for training in scientific and transferable skills. Scientifically, MossTech will focus on the use of mosses in biotechnology. Mosses are structurally simple plants, but have a high degree of chemical complexity, thus are a rich source for novel biosynthetic genes and pathways. Mosses in Northern Europe are adapted for high growth rates at low temperatures and long days, which are ideal properties for competitive biotechnological production. The species and chemical diversity in Northern European mosses are very high; this allows MossTech to look for novel sources for valuable lipids, terpenoids and other chemicals. MossTech will study the lipid and terpenoid metabolism in mosses with the aim of establishing novel production lines for the industrial partners in the project. Additionally, MossTech will provide at least 8-13 new mosses that can be used in biotechnological production, along with novel transformation technologies, and an auxotrophic moss to be used in biological research and biotechnological industry. Overall, this will allow MossTech to understand complex biochemical routes leading to alternative regulation of such pathways and will provide competitive production of fine chemicals. Finally, MossTech will provide 6 well trained ESRs that will be highly qualified and trained in novel technologies to work in the European Biotech industry that currently employs about 22 million people. The ESRs will also be fully qualified for jobs in academia and related areas throughout Europe.

Mots clés : physcomitrella patens, green bioengineering

Participants :
- Lund University (Suède) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 263659.32 €
- Arcticmass ehf (Islande) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 269145.36 €
- Transactiva s.r.l. (Italie) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Technical University of Denmark (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 290081.88 €
- Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 238356.36 €
- Taxa biotechnologies, inc (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Freiburg (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 498432.96 €
Projet SeCRT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Most of secreted proteins transit through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus. However, eukaryotic cells secrete cytosolic proteins, which do not enter the ER. Proteins that use this “unconventional secretory pathway” include factors with critical functions and deregulation of their transport is associated to a wide range of diseases. Yet, mechanisms of unconventional secretion remain largely uncharacterised. This represents a major gap in our understanding of fundamental mechanisms supporting protein trafficking and secretion. During my previous study, I developed a powerful platform for pooled genome-wide CRISPRi screening with the aim of identifying genes involved in protein transport in mammalian cells. In this proposal, I will use this approach to uncover mechanisms involved in the unconventional secretion of tau. During aging, abnormal accumulation of tau is a common pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases (ND), including Alzheimer’s disease, for which there are no efficient therapeutic to prevent/slow down the pathogenesis. Compelling evidences suggest that tau aggregation occur via its transmission from neuron to neuron. Thus, tau secretion appears to be a pivotal event in promoting ND progression. For these reasons, to understand how tau is secreted is of critical importance. Objectives that will be addressed in this project will be to identify new factors required for tau secretion using a pooled genome-wide CRISPRi screen. Then, by combining biochemical and cellular approaches, as well as the last technologies for imaging, candidate genes will be functionally characterized. Finally, the most relevant factors will be evaluated as potential therapeutic target in zebrafish model of ND. This project will allow uncovering fundamental mechanisms to understand ND progression associated to the unconventional secretion of tau and could ultimately lead to the discovery of effective strategies to develop new therapies.

Mots clés : unconventional protein secretion, protein and membrane trafficking, protein tau, pooled crispri screen, neurodegenerative disease

Participants :
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet DYSTROPHIC-ECM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Most of the muscular dystrophies (MDs) are due to defects the trans-membrane protein complex called Dystro-Glycan Complex, which is a structural and functional bridge between myofiber contractile apparatus and extracellular matrix (ECM).MD research is focused upon the cellular mechanisms of the pathology and there is a lack of information about how ECM molecules can affect MDs, although alteration in ECM composition is acknowledged since fibrosis is an important bad outcome in the patients.Our hypothesis is that alterations in dystrophic muscle ECM directly account for mechanisms which negatively affect skeletal muscle homeostasis.The goal of the project is to identify alterations in ECM compromised by muscular dystrophy and to investigate their effects on cell behavior.Mdx mouse (model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) and Sarcoglycan-β-null mouse (model for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2E) will be used.To obtain the ECMs we will take advantage of decellularization approach that removes the cellular components while maintaining the molecular and structural features as closer as possible to the native ECM.In tissue engineering the use of ECM biomaterials demonstrated that ECM plays a fundamental, active role in tissue remodeling by growth factors release and ECM degradation product action.Molecular alterations in the ECM composition will be investigated by proteomics that assures an accurate and exhaustive characterization.ECM will be used as 3D environment to study its functions in the behavior of primary cells involved in the pathology: myogenic stem cells, endothelial cells, fibro-adipogenic precursors and macrophages.Discovering how alterations in dystrophic muscle ECM affect myogenesis, angiogenesis, fibrosis and inflammatory response will be of paramount importance for a better understanding of MDs.Changing the focus of the research from the cells to the ECM, this study will provide a new point of view and could contribute to identify new therapeutic targets.

Mots clés : extracellular matrix, skeletal muscle, muscular dystrophies, decellularization, proteomics

Participants :
- Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 295061.76 €
Projet QuantuM-nano (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Most of the technologies at the heart of our information society, including the semiconductor and the laser, are based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Yet, there is still a lot to gain in harnessing quantum physics at the elementary level, for example to overcome the sensitivity limits in various kinds of measurements in the quantum regime. In this project, we plan to explore an emerging field of quantum technologies at the boundary between atomic physics and nanoscience, by studying the properties of Bose-Einstein condensates coupled to the evanescent field of nanophotonic structures. We will use this new light-matter interface to build a hybrid quantum gyroscope where the optical Sagnac effect in a photonic integrated circuit is enhanced by slow light in a Bose-Einstein condensate strongly coupled to it. The optical structures will be integrated on atom chips, for improved stability and scalability. Beyond the gyroscope itself, this work will create new prospects for combining the technological opportunities of nanophotonics with the very fruitful field of atomic physics, opening new avenues in quantum technologies, which are expected to become in the near future a key driver for the European competitiveness in information technology.

Mots clés : bose einstein condenstate, nanophotonic structure, cavity quantum electrodynamics, hybrid quantum sensor, gyroscope, atom chip

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 264668.4 €
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet EMBRACE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Staff Exchanges
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Most social interactions involve interpersonal coordinated movements in real-time and real space, but research on the complex processes determining social behavior are limited by inadequate technology and analytical tools. In EMBRACE we will merge complementary expertise and resources in biomedical engineering, material science, signal processing, neuroscience and social psychology at 3 academic and 3 industrial partners from 3 EU countries to develop: 1) a new mobile and wireless dry electrode EEG system suitable for monitoring brain activity during full body movements; 2) novel body-network sensors and a multimodal alignment system for simultaneously recording neural, physiological and kinematic signals from two interacting subjects; 3) novel analytical solutions for motion artefact removal and multi-level analysis of multimodal data; 4) a new research dyadic paradigm to exploit the technological advances. The novel technologies will address requirements of mobility, high signal quality, high temporal and spatial resolution, stable alignment of multiple signals, wearing comfort and long-term use. The novel analytical methods will permit investigating joint action at the neural, cognitive-behavioural and social levels. Both technologies and methods will be validated in real time and space face-to-face studies to produce prototypes and models optimized for broad application. To achieve these objectives, the EMBRACE consortium realizes extensive intersectoral transfer of knowledge and experience through shared research, secondments and summer schools, promoting the research capacity and competitiveness of its partners and becoming a lasting EU network promoting basic and applied biomedical research, with benefit for European industries and society. International mobility and dissemination will contribute to sharing cultures and knowledge with the scientific community and to promote communication on the importance of research in biomedical engineering to the society.

Mots clés : electroencephalography, physiological monitoring, kinematic monitoring, hyperbrain scanning, interpersonal coordination

Participants :
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 119600.0 €
- Technische Universität Ilmenau (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 156400.0 €
- University of Chieti-Pescara (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 193200.0 €
- Bts spa (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 119600.0 €
- Eemagine medical imaging solutionsgmbh (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 138000.0 €
- Brainvestigations sl (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 92000.0 €
Projet PREMOTHER (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis causes approximately 305,000 fetal and neonatal deaths every year and leaves 215,000 infants at increased risk of dying from prematurity, low-birth-weight or congenital disease. An accurate diagnosis of diagnostic-antibodies and a simple treatment during the first weeks of pregnancy could stop all those deaths. Here, I propose the development of a new technique to be used to measure antibodies directly in whole blood. These will combine the multiplexed (i.e., multiple tests in parallel on one sample), quantitative performance of laboratory-based tests with the portability and low-cost of point-of-care tests. As the first step, I will design, optimize and test nanometer-scale, DNA-based “switches” that undergo a dramatic change in conformation (closed/open) upon recognizing its target antibody. I will use this conformational change to generate a large, easily measurable electronic (electrochemical) signal, which I will then employ in and validate as laboratory-scale, single-test devices using both purified antibodies and authentic human samples. I will then integrate the set of sensors exhibiting good clinical performances into a single, paper-based microfluidic sample handing device (similar to the home pregnancy test) to generate a low-cost platform capable of measuring multiple diagnostic antibodies in a single finger-prick blood sample. The final and main goal in the DNA-SPADE project is the development of a working prototype diagnostic device, which I will design accordingly to suggestions/inputs from a variety of possible final users (such as nurses and doctors).

Mots clés : diagnostic antibody detection, point of care sensors, mother to child transmission, paper based device

Participants :
- Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €