Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet N-MuQuaS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

At the micro scale, interactions among particles create fascinating correlations that cannot be explained by any means known to classical physics. This phenomenon, called quantum non-locality, not only proves that the quantum and classical theories differ at the level of elementary particles, but also has a great potential for future quantum technologies. In fact, non-locality lies at the heart of the device-independent quantum information processing, a new paradigm for information processing aiming at designing protocols which do not rely on any assumptions on the devices used, thus closing the mismatch between theory and its implementation. The interest in quantum non-locality has therefore increased dramatically in recent years. However, the efforts have been focused mostly on the bipartite quantum systems, leaving the multipartite case largely unexplored. The overall objective of this fellowship is to significantly advance our understanding of this phenomenon in multipartite quantum states. First, we will thoroughly study the relation between multipartite entanglement and non-locality with the aim of identifying entangled states which are useful for device-independent quantum information. Second, we will focus on non-locality in many-body quantum physics, a subject that has barely been explored. In particular, we will ask what non-locality can tell us about physical properties of many-body quantum systems. In the last part we will aim at characterization of the set of quantum correlations and propose novel and stronger information principles fully describing quantum non-local correlations. The action will involve theoretical research at the frontiers of quantum theory, quantum information, entanglement theory and many-body systems, but also knowledge of the state-of-the-art experimental technology will be necessary. It thus requires strong collaboration between many theoreticians, also from the European institutions, as well as interaction with experimentalists.

Mots clés : non locality, multipartite non locality, bell inequalities, entanglement, multipartite entanglement, multipartite quantum systems, many body physics

Participants :
- Polish Academy of Sciences (Pologne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 146462.4 €
Projet LTPAM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma (LTP) is a burgeoning field due to its vast potential in biomedical applications. Reacting with ambient air, these plasmas generate a variety of molecular, ionic and radical species, responsible for the anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-cancer properties of LTP. It is especially important when more traditional therapies fail, such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Recently, a large number of studies of the biological effects of LTP emerged, as well as diagnostics of the gas phase LTP, and various models. However, the chemical and physical processes in biologically relevant media still lack detailed understanding. Water is an essential part of the bio-milieu, and both initial and secondary LTP-induced chemistries in liquids require deeper studies. This project will aim at several goals, which will aid the progression of LTP towards wide and diverse clinical use. 1) It will utilise the RF COST plasma jet (created to standardise the LTP research in Europe and the world). The sources of the reactive species induced by the jet will be studied by employing isotopically labelled molecules. 2) The plasma-induced chemistry will be studied in conditions mimicking those in vivo: (i) generation of secondary species from Cl-, one of the most abundant chemicals in bio-media, and assessment of their cytotoxicity; and (ii) quantitative identification of short-lived reactive species (radicals) created by LTP in gels, structures resembling tissue (this is especially important in the case of direct plasma exposure where radical chemistry greatly influences processes in liquids). 3) The enhancement of LTP effects will be studied via generation of ONOO- from its precursors in plasmas with aerosols. The work will be focussed on liquids’ analysis by electron paramagnetic resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, ion chromatography, etc.

Mots clés : plasma chemistry, biomedical plasma, secondary chemistry in solutions, reactive species, radicals, experimental studies

Participants :
- University of Antwerp (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172800.0 €
Projet QBAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Atom interferometry provides extremely sensitive measurements of quantities such as rotations and accelerations. This project will theoretically investigate how quantum entanglement between atoms and photons can enhance the sensitivity of atom-interferometry. The aim of this project is to drastically enhance the sensitivity of atom interferometers, to deliver practical sensing devices of unprecedented sensitivity. This increased sensitivity may lead to new technologies, such as ultra-sensitive gravity gradiometers for the detection of mineral reserves, as well as important applications to fundamental physics, such as tests of fundamental theories beyond the standard model.

Mots clés : atom interferometry, quantum squeezing, atom light entanglement

Participants :
- University of Sussex (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet PhyNeTouch (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia affecting more than 7.6 million people in Europe, while future projections estimate a worldwide increase by over 60%. Catheter ablation has evolved over the last decades to an important therapeutic modality for patients with atrial fibrillation. Despite the fact that modern robotic ablation systems made precise catheter navigation possible, the success rate remains limited and the risk for complications is significant. As a result, atrial fibrillation remains a serious health issue, influencing the quality of life, and the source of very important socioeconomic problems. The vision of PhyNeTouch project (reads: fine-touch) is to capitalize on the recent advancements in computational modelling and artificial intelligence in order to enhance the safety of robotic catheter ablation procedure and improve its success rate. Novel multiphysics modelling techniques based on meshfree methods will be combined for the first time with physics-informed neural networks to advance the state-of-the-art and produce accurate bioheat distribution maps in real-time which currently are not available in the clinical setting. Predicting bioheat distribution in the tissue during the operation will assist the decision making and will allow improving the outcome of robotic catheter ablation. In this way, PhyNeTouch aims to contribute to the healthy ageing of citizens of EU and the rest of the world, as well as to reduce the socioeconomic burden, by reducing the complexity of this procedure and making it accessible to a wider public.

Mots clés : catheter ablation, heart, robotics, biomechanics, meshfree methods, artificial intelligence, neural networks, bioheat transferring prediction

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet ORCA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Attention -the ability to focus selectively on task relevant information and resist distraction- plays a critical role in many everyday life situations, such as in school or while driving. With an almost constant stream of information reaching us through smart phones and computers, our world becomes increasingly distracting, requiring enhanced attentional capabilities. This calls for new approaches to improve attention, also benefiting patients populations suffering from attention deficits. Is it possible to safely improve attention without medication? And how does the brain actually guides attention and resist distractions? The proposed research aims to answer these questions by combining a novel brain stimulation technique, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) with state of the art neuroimaging methods. It will specifically test the intriguing hypothesis that attention can be enhanced by synchronizing rhythmic activity between two brain regions previously shown to be involved in attention. In the first study I will assess the effects of stimulation on attention performance, while simultaneously measuring neural activity using electroencephalogram (EEG). This will allow me to determine to what extent tACS can improve attention and investigate the causal role of neural oscillations in attention. In the second study, tACS will be combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allowing to bridge the literature on neural oscillations (derived from EEG research) and attention networks (derived from fMRI research). Specifically, it will provide novel insights into the exact neural network subserving oscillatory activity associated with attention. Taken together, this project will not only investigate an innovative way to improve attention, with important implication for future clinical studies, but will also have a major contribution to cognitive neuroscience theories of attention.

Mots clés : attention, neural networks, brain stimulation, neuroimaging

Participants :
- University of Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 177598.8 €
Projet CANSAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are among the most heritable developmental disorders, associated with a large number of rare genetic alterations. A critical goal of current ASD research is to deconstruct its heterogeneity into clinically homogeneous sub-set of patients, characterized by distinct neurobiological or functional deficits, amenable to precise therapeutic targeting. Fostered by the advent of resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI), human brain mapping has revealed highly heterogeneous patterns of neural synchronization (i.e. “functional connectivity”) in ASD, with evidence of inconsistent, often contrasting, patterns of over- and under-connectivity across patient cohorts. However, the origin and significance of these highly heterogeneous findings remain unclear: does genetic heterogeneity account for the observed network divergences? And can we use functional connectivity fingerprints to cluster ASD into clinically relevant sub-types? The present project leverages translationally-relevant mouse brain rsfMRI measurements to propose a first-of-its-kind decomposition of human ASD rsfMRI datasets into homogeneous sub-types, recapitulating biologically-validated “ground truth” network features identified in the mouse. To this aim, I will use a set of etiologically-relevant rsfMRI fingerprints identified in a unique mouse datasets comprising 20 ASD-associated mutations to guide clustering of a large collection of human rsfMRI datasets. Socio-cognitive profiling will be employed to probe the clinical significance and homogeneity of the identified clusters. I will next combine advanced statistical modelling and gene ontologies to explore the biological underpinnings of each identified connectivity sub-type. These investigations will lead to a novel, etiologically-relevant deconstruction of the connectional and clinical heterogeneity of ASD that may improve patient stratification, guide the identification of dysfunctional pathways and help prediction of treatment response.

Mots clés : brain connectivity, resting state functional mri, autism spectrum disorder, mouse brain, human brain

Participants :
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 269002.56 €
- Child Mind Institute (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet MACROSS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Autonomous driving technologies have recently drawn enormous research attention. It is predicted that autonomous driving will become the most promising form of future Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and will gradually gain market traction in the coming decade. Although several automobile manufacturers have recently demonstrated prototypes, a great number of technical challenges should be addressed in order to reap the full potential of autonomous driving. This project aims to pioneer a framework that leverages innovative multimedia communication and processing technologies for efficient sensor data exchange in order to support autonomous driving application over vehicular cloud networks (VCNs). The project is unique in its ground-breaking integration of two challenging technical aspects over VCNs: multimedia-driven vehicular wireless communications and network-aware adaptive multimedia processing. The interaction and mutual promotion between these two aspects will enable each to design more efficient operational procedure and protocols. The techniques to be developed will fill important gaps in the fundamental understanding of sensing data communication and processing technologies over VCNs, and will also provide the underpinning for system design and algorithm implementation for autonomous driving technologies. To accomplish the scientific objectives of the project, a series of research, training, and knowledge transfer activities will be carried out. The project will enable the fellow to broaden an interdisciplinary research background and greatly improve his career competence. It will lay the foundation for future long-term collaborations between the fellow and the hosting university, leading to greater social and industrial impacts and benefitting both EU and China.

Mots clés : vehicular communications, multimedia processing, autonomous driving

Participants :
- University of Exeter (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet FrATGaria (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Autophagy, the major catabolic pathway in eukaryotic cells, has a role in the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in different plant species. Plenty of studies show that blocking autophagy by knocking out some of its essential genes leads to plants highly susceptible to this stresses (including heat and drought). However, there are much less studies about the effect of autophagy induction on the response of plants to stresses. Present situation of global warming is already having an effect in agriculture due to a rise in temperature and to water shortages. Therefore, generation of crops with higher resistance to heat and drought should be a priority nowadays. In this proposal I will study the role of autophagy in the maturation of one of the most important berry fruit in EU, Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa). I will determine the importance of this catabolic process in the response to heat/drought stress in this crop. Furthermore, I will use the diploid strawberry model specie Fragaria vesca to generate transgenic plants with increased autophagy by CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/dCas9 genome editing and analyze the potential benefits regarding general development, fruit quality and stress resistance (this previously shown for Arabidopsis, tomato and apple) that this plants can have compare to wild type. This will be the first basic and applied study of autophagy in strawberry. "FrATGaria" will combine my experience in the autophagy field with the expertise of the host group in strawberry development and fruit ripening and will benefit from active collaboration with strawberry breeding groups. The development of this project will allow me to broaden my knowledge about plant development in response to stress strengthening not only my scientific skills but also my leadership, project managment and mentoring capabilities.

Mots clés : autophagy, abiotic stress, fragaria, fruit ripening, plant fitness

Participants :
- Universidad de Málaga (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 172932.48 €
Projet PHERADOA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is the most common hereditary neuropathy that affects 1:35.000 people worldwide. A progressive visual loss is a characteristic of ADOA, and a treatment is not available. Mutations in the nuclear gene Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1) in ADOA patients promote low levels of OPA1 protein, causing Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) degeneration leading to blindness. OPA1 is the key component for mitochondrial inner membrane fusion mechanism and controls cristae biogenesis and remodeling, affecting cytochrome c release and apoptosis. So, mutations in OPA1 in RGCs may affect mitochondria integrity and lead to insufficient energy supply in the optic nerve. The role of OPA1 in ADOA-RGCs remains elusive since ADOA mouse models show inconclusive and no RGCs specific results. To address this issue, Dr. Luca Scorrano developed an ADOA mouse model of conditional RGCs OPA1 depleted. In this model, RGCs show fragmented mitochondria and excluded from axon but combined with autophagosomes in the axonal hillock. But a genetic autophagy inhibition restores mitochondrial distribution in the RGCs axon and curtails visual loss in the ADOA animal. These data suggest that autophagosome accumulation reduced axonal mitochondria content in RGCs by an impairment of the mitochondrial traffic. Therefore, we propose that visual loss of ADOA mouse model will be prevented by restoring its axonal mitochondrial content through a local use of inhibitors of the autophagy process. This proposal aims to develop a pharmacological therapy to curtail ADOA mouse visual loss. For this, we will deliver autophagy inhibitors through vitreal nanocarriers implants in ADOA mouse model which is conditional RGCs-OPA1 depleted. This research will contribute to provide a pre-clinical approach for a potential pharmacological therapy to ADOA patients.

Mots clés : adoa, opa1, autophagy

Participants :
- University of Padua (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171473.28 €
Projet BCRES-CLL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most prevalent leukemia among adult Caucasians, is a disease characterized by the clonal expansion of B lymphocytes expressing CD5. The B-cell receptor (BCR) plays a critical role in CLL development and progression as indicated by the efficacy of drugs blocking BCR signaling. However, the mechanism(s) underneath BCR responsiveness are not well-defined and CLL remains incurable. In the classical view, an interaction between BCR and extrinsic antigen is responsible for such signalling. The discovery that CLL BCRs can self-associate and signal in the absence of extrinsic antigens (intrinsic binding) highlighted a novel mechanism for BCR engagement and signalling. Growing amount of evidences suggest that both extrinsic and intrinsic engagement are required for leukemia development and progression. Herein, we aim to better define the selectiveness of the two BCR engagement mechanisms and their association with specific biological and clinical characteristics. To better define such elusive associations, machine learning algorithms will be developed and used to define the specific links among the biological data. Specifically, we will i) assess BCR engagement features associated with CLL clinical aggressiveness and responsiveness to stimuli; ii) identify normal B cells expressing CLL-like BCRs and evaluate their engagement features and similarity with CLL B cells; iii) identify genes and genetic pathways distinctly associated with either mechanism of BCR engagement and/or CLL aggressiveness. The successful outcome of this proposal would generate biologically and clinically relevant information for prevention, prognosis and therapy of CLL.

Mots clés : chronic lymphocytic leukemia, b cell receptor, immunoglobulin, signalling

Participants :
- University of Genoa (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183473.28 €
Projet Gut-AnorexiaNervosa (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN), a complex disorder characterized by self-starvation with obsessive thoughts of food resulting in extreme weight loss, carries the highest fatality rate of any psychiatric disease. There is no evidence that the prognosis of AN has improved throughout the 20th century. The role of an altered gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of various human disorders is under intense scrutiny since gut bacteria contribute to metabolic, neurological and immune pathways in the host. Recent advances in microbial DNA sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics combined with access to comprehensive microbial gene catalogues have resulted in accurate quantitative metagenomics analysis of the gut microbiota, the impact of which on host biology can be estimated by untargeted metabolomics. Objectives: At deep taxonomic and functional levels to identify which parts of the gut microbiome are altered in women with drug-naïve AN compared with a group of age-matched controls and to elucidate how an aberrant AN microbiome relates to AN phenotypes through the serum metabolome. Potential causality is explored in germ-free mice transplanted with stools from AN patients and controls. Approach: The study sample consists of 152 carefully phenotyped women. Eighty have AN. Deep shot-gun sequencing of microbial DNA has been done on stools from all women. Similarly, fasting serum samples from all individuals have been analyzed applying state-of-the art untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics. In the outlined research program I will test the hypothesis that an aberrant gut microbiome relate to AN phenotypes via an altered serum metabolome. In mechanistic studies of germ-free mice I will examine if stools from AN patients affect body composition of this species as suggestive evidence of causality of AN gut microbiota. Perspectives: Clarifying intestinal microbiome-metabolome interactions will open novel avenues to understand aspects of AN pathogenesis.

Mots clés : gut microbiome, gut bacteria, gut microbiota brain axis, serum metabolome, anorexia nervosa, pathophysiology, pathogenesis, germ free mice, endocrinology, metagenomics, metabolomics

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212194.8 €