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

The development of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to target tumor cells has tremendously improve cancer immunotherapy and benefit the treatment of aggressive cancer such as some types of lymphomas, leukemias, multiple myeloma and metastatic cancers. One of the mechanisms of action is the induction of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicty (ADCC) through the activation of CD16 on NK cells after binding to the Fc portion of Ab-coated tumor cells. Therefore, strategies that combine NK cell activation and mAb therapy has been intensively explored. However, tumor heterogeneity and unstable expression of the targeted molecule in the tumor cells limits ADCC for mAb therapy resulting in cancer relapse. Furthermore, intrinsic NK immunregulatory mechanisms as well as NK-specific tumor evasion mechanisms have also negatively impacted the use of NK cell-based therapies. In this proposal we will explore the mechanisms involved in the reduced NK cell function (NCF) observed after ADCC and/or NK cell activation (NCA) in order to develop novel strategies to achieve a sustained and stronger NCF by combining stimulating signals with suppression of inhibitory signals such as costimulation via CD137 and IL12, or SHP1/2 blockade. We hypothesize that the adoptive transfer (AT) of NK cells expanded by this novel method will result in better anti-tumor responses after mAb therapy even in tumor cells that express limited amount of the target molecule and limiting consequently cancer relapse rates. Furthermore, due to the overall improvement on NCF, we expect that the combination of AT NK cells with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) will also increase anti-tumor responses; which efficacy up to date has shown to be rather limited. Given the versatility of our approach, this therapy can be used for the treatment of many cancers, but particularly hematological and metastatic cancers and potentially can be translated into the clinic in a short time frame.

Mots clés : natural killer  nk, cancer immunotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation  hsct, cancer

Participants :
- University of Navarra (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet PONS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of new biomaterials in bone tissue engineering requires an interdisciplinary joint-venture combining material and biomedical sciences. The aim of the regenerative biomaterial is to repair the functional defect or damages by generation of a bone substitute. The biomaterial has to be highly engineered at the molecular level to mimic the function of the extracellular matrix including complex cell-material interactions and physical properties of the scaffold. The focus of this proposal is to fabricate an organic-inorganic complex nanohybrid scaffold as a bone implant for applications in tissue engineering. The nanohybrid scaffold is based on three components: an inorganic particle containing biological carrier molecules (BCM), polysaccharide (cellulose) and protein (collagen). Layered-double hydroxides (LDH) inorganic particles will be functionalized with BCM allowing controlled release of biological molecules that will direct cell-material interactions. Polysaccharides (Pol)–Protein (Pro) biomaterials reinforced with LDH-BCM will be fabricated and tested in ectopic bone formation analysis technology which will translate to clinical trials. In essence, Pol-PrO complex reinforced LDH-BCM Nanohybrid Scaffold (PONS) will be developed as regenerative biomaterial in bone tissue engineering and will incorporate cutting edge stem cell technologies, engineering of advanced materials and controlled delivery of biomolecules in vitro and in vivo.

Mots clés : biomaterial, bone, polysaccharides, protein, scaffold, tissue engineering, in vivo

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet REMES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of new strategy to study flame retardant polymers is an exceptionally important area of current research in Material Science and Engineering field since the fire safety of materials is extremely important to the whole society. So far, very seldom study focuses on the chiral flame retardant materials, especially almost no systematic study on exploring the different flame retardancy between (R)-enantiomer and (S)-enantiomer of chiral flame retardant materials. The main objective of this innovative work is to use optically pure chiral compounds to develop new generation flame retardant polymer nanocomposites by combining (R)- or (S)-enantiomer of chiral flame retardant materials into polymeric matrices. In this work, optically pure chiral compounds are employed to develop flame retardant polymer nanocomposites for the first time. The eco-friendly, economical, easily prepared and functionalized chiral BINOL phosphates are chosen as the chiral flame retardant. By introducing functional groups into the BINOL phosphates, it can be combined with polymeric matrices via chemical interaction to construct polymer nanocomposites. Moreover, incorporating ferrocene unit as synergistic agent into the BINOL phosphates, the resulting multifunctional flame retardants to polymer nanocomposites will have advantages including mechanical reinforcement, enhanced thermal stability and excellent flame retardancy and smoke suppression properties, simultaneously. More significantly, chirality-flame retardancy relationship between the (R)-enantiomer and (S)-enantiomer of chiral BINOL phosphates would be systematically investigated to understand the flame retardant mechanisms in a new aspect. The new knowledge and new materials developed in this proposal has the promise to be applied in developing new generation products in the construction, transportation, aerospace industries, in the future.

Mots clés : chirality, flame retardancy, polymer nanocomposites, binol, phosphate, ferrocene

Participants :
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet NPsVLCD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of new therapies for leishmaniases (which affeThe development of new therapies for visceral leishmaniasis (affects ~12 million people worldwide) and Chagas disease (~6-7 million people worldwide) is critically dependent on the identification of novel pharmacophores with new modes of action. Current treatments suffer from severe side effects, high cost, patient compliance issues, and emerging resistance; as such, new therapeutic leads are urgently required. Despite significant investment, limited progress has been made with research into new 'synthetic' drugs: no candidates are in clinical trials (although two compounds have recently progressed to preclinical evaluation for VL). In contrast, research into natural product-derived drugs has been largely ignored, despite their track record as frontline treatments for VL (amphotericin B) and the most prominent parasitic disease, malaria (artemisinin). In this project, we challenge this dogma through the exploration of a series of structurally-related alkaloid natural product families, where highly promising antiparasitic bioactivity has been observed in the few examples studied. The selection of these families is additionally based on their accessibility through concise, modular and convergent synthetic strategies, which facilitate modification. We couple this central focus of synthetic chemistry with collaborations to evaluate bioactivity (with expert parasitologist Prof Andre Tempone), and identify pharmacokinetic/dynamic limitations (with expert pharmacologist Prof Kevin Read), thereby informing analogue refinement and synthesis. This multidisciplinary approach will greatly enhance the impact of the synthetic chemistry work by providing 'real-time' feedback into compound design, enhancing project efficiency and progress. Our overarching, long term impact objective is to identify a new pharmacophore (and potentially new parasite target / mode of action) for the potential development of VL/CD therapies.

Mots clés : leishmaniasis and chagas disease, catalysis

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet MucoVac (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of new vaccines against infectious diseases is a major worldwide public health objective. Despite the availability of antimicrobial therapies, vaccines still constitute the most effective means of controlling infections. Adjuvants are crucial for increasing the onset, magnitude, diversity and memory of immune responses to vaccines. Whereas a range of adjuvants is available for conventional vaccination routes, there are currently no mucosal adjuvants for promoting the neutralization of respiratory, gastrointestinal or urogenital infections at the pathogens' port of entry. This proposal will focus on (i) performing innovative research on mucosal adjuvants' mode of action and (ii) catalysing the mid-term development of novel, safe, efficient vaccines for nasal or oral administration. Adjuvants that specifically target Toll-like receptors are efficacious in mucosal vaccination because they trigger mucosal immunity (including secretory antibodies). The host laboratory has a longstanding research programme on the mucosal adjuvant activity of a Toll-like receptor 5 agonist (namely flagellin). Recent results have suggested that cross talk between epithelial cells and mucosal dendritic cells drives flagellin's adjuvant activity. The present project aims at identifying (i) signals from flagellin-stimulated epithelial cells that are of paramount importance in the transactivation of dendritic cells, (ii) dendritic cell factors that condition T and B lymphocytes to produce specific mucosal immune responses, and (iii) unique features of memory responses in the mucosa. This proposal will provide unprecedented opportunities for characterizing mucosal adjuvants. Moreover, better knowledge of the mechanism underlying flagellin's action would not only shed light on the latter's properties but also aid the development of better, safer adjuvants. The overall objective is to generate significant new insights into the field of adjuvants and vaccines.

Mots clés : toll like receptor, epithelial cell, dendritic cell, secretory iga, plasmocyte, t follicular helper cell, memory response

Participants :
- Université de Lille (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet NANOMEC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) for novel applications has attracted considerable interest in recent years, due to the enhanced properties of PNCs, including mechanical rigidity, stiffness and toughness, electrical and thermal conductivity, etc. These superior properties, coupled with the fact that PNCs are environmentally friendly, offer unique design possibilities for creating functional materials for emerging applications. Predicting and tuning the properties of PNCs from their molecular structure is a grand challenge, due to the complexity of the polymer/solid interfaces, and the multiple spatiotemporal scales associated with PNCs. This project addresses these challenges by proposing a multiscale computational methodology to predict the mechanical properties of PNCs, which involves microscopic simulations, homogenization approaches and continuum models. First, detailed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations will be performed on prototypical PNC systems with a few NPs. Then, results from the atomistic simulations will be used to parameterize homogenized continuum mechanical models, obtaining the mechanical properties of large-scale realistic systems by up-scaling towards the continuum limit. The whole approach will be applied and extended to various settings, with emphasis on non-classical effective properties, such as negative Poisson ratios and chiral effects, using various types of NPs to reinforce the polymeric matrix, determining optimal designs that lead non-classical properties, as well as introducing the effect of viscosity to study long-memory effects in PNCs via a generalized homogenization methodology. All the above will be completed in a leading multi-disciplinary computational modeling research group. Complement by a well-planned training program, the proposed work will expand applicant’s experience, research competencies and professional networks, enhancing the development of his career as an independent researcher.

Mots clés : nanocomposites, nanomaterials, multi scale modeling

Participants :
- Cyprus Institute (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 157941.12 €
Projet SQuaPh (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of quantum networks relies on true single-photon sources and deterministic quantum logic gates. Photons are the most promising flying qubits, capable to propagate long distances without decoherence. However, until now, quantum communications protocols and optical quantum computation have been implemented using defective single-photon sources and probabilistic quantum gates. For a long time, the best single-photon sources have been heralded non-linear crystals where photon-pairs are generated. Such sources can present high coherence properties although they are intrinsically limited to a very low photon flux. This project builds up on major steps obtained in the host team, Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, in terms of true single-photon generation and control. By deterministically inserting a quantum dot (QD) in a semiconductor microcavity pillar, the host team fabricated photon sources with quantum properties as good as the currently used sources, but with an unprecedented brightness of 2 orders of magnitude larger. The cavity not only enhances the interaction of the incident photons with the QD state but also the subsequent photon extraction of the device. The Purcell effect diminishes the decoherence processes, constituting an ultrabright source of highly indistinguishable, single-photons. Based on the unique technological, experimental and conceptual knowledge developed by the host team, and on the background of the applicant, our successive objectives is to realize scalable quantum entanglement: to entangle two-photon states with our ultrabright QD-cavity systems at high rates, to use them to perform high fidelity teleportation with long coherence times between 2 different sources, and finally to controllably swap the entanglement between 2 entangled photon-pairs.

Mots clés : solid state quantum networks, linear quantum optics, generation and distribution of entanglement

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet BATCA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of rechargeable batteries based on multivalent cations as charge carriers holds promise of enhanced energy density when compared to single valent ions such as lithium or sodium. Proof-of-concept has been achieved for magnesium batteries with complex electrolyte compositions but an analogous technology based on calcium ion would hold promise for faster reaction kinetics due to its lower polarizing character and enhanced energy density due to its lower reduction potential. The recently demonstrated feasibility of calcium electrodeposition at moderate temperatures using conventional organic electrolytes constitutes the first step towards proof of concept. The main goal of the present proposal is to achieve proof-of-concept of a full Ca-ion battery with high energy density through i) optimizing the electrolyte formulation enabling operation at room temperature by minimizing ion pairing and ii) developing a suitable high capacity cathode material. The proposed research should set out the basis for the development of new classes of electrolyte for calcium cation based batteries with high resilience upon oxidation and low tendency to ion pair formation while at the same time designing suitable cathode materials enabling calcium ion diffusion and based on suitable redox couples operating at high potential. The approach behind the scientific project relies on the synergy between the respective expertises of the applicant and the host institution in electrolytes and crystal chemistry of battery materials. This fellowship represents also an excellent opportunity to the researcher for personal and professional development providing him with novel and advanced skills to achieve a status of professional maturity and independent thinking.

Mots clés : electrochemical energy storage, emerging battery technologies, electrolytes, calcium batteries

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet REWIND (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The development of synthetic plastics has changed our world and currently several types of plastics are found in different applications. Most of the plastics comes from fossil resources and they are non-biodegradable materials causing a serious threat for the environment. Bioplastics are mostly produced from food resources which are not sustainable. For these reasons, the solution can be the use of waste. REWIND aims at the valorization of waste products through their enzymatic transformation following a circular economy approach. The production of monomers and polymers will be capitalized through the test of different recombinantly produced enzymes. The enzymatic transformations will be tested using single enzymes or a cocktail of biocatalysts (either free or immobilized) to identify the potential of the biocatalytic cascade. The use of enzymes, and their further engineering, will reduce the utilization of harsh reaction conditions and chemicals, such as organic solvents and metal catalysts. The produced bioplastics will be tested in terms of thermal and mechanical properties. In order to test their sustainability and impact on the environment, degradation tests in the presence of different environmental conditions (pH, Temperature and pressure) and with biological factors (enzymes and microorganisms) will be assayed. Sustainability assessment of the process and the products’ life will identify the steps that could be improved to reduce the impact. The researcher, who already possesses sound knowledge and skills in biocatalysis, will gain more knowledge in polymer chemistry and material characterization through the attendance of hand-on courses and collaborations with polymer chemists. Entrepreneurship and patent writing courses will increase the innovative mindset of the researcher for a better society. The results of the project will be disseminated both in the academic and non-academic sectors. The researcher will engage public communication.

Mots clés : the project aims at the use of enzymes in cascade reactions to valorize waste products to produce bioplastics  sustainable and degradation assays are devised to evaluate the products  life impact

Participants :
- University of Bari Aldo Moro (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 171473.28 €
Projet StormTre (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The development of water-smart cities is one of the societal challenges of the EU. Urban water management is facing many challenges: urbanization, climate variability and water stress. Innovative solutions are required, such as urban stormwater reuse to enhance groundwater supplies. Stormwater contaminated with various substances could threaten valuable groundwater resources. Polar trace organic chemicals (TOrC) are of emerging concern as they are highly mobile in soil and data on the contamination risks are still scarce. Thus, a precautionary treatment is essential to improve stormwater quality prior to groundwater recharge. The StormTre project assesses the risks associated with TOrC in stormwater and their control with emerging, low-cost biochar systems. The project will be achieved through three tasks: i) field monitoring and risk assessment of TOrCs, ii) laboratory based treatment tests for challenging conditions, and iii) development of a forecasting model. The results will quantify the unknown risk associated with TOrC in stormwater – an important knowledge gap for stormwater reuse. The project will lead to design and operation recommendations for safe groundwater recharge. Hosted at Stanford University in the outgoing phase, Dr. Lena Mutzner (LM) will study water reuse systems in a stimulating environment, where water scarcity drives innovation towards water-smart cities. LM will enhance her skills in chemical analysis and deepen her knowledge in contaminant occurrence and treatment. In the return phase at Newcastle University, LM will be integrated in UK’s outdoor National Green Infrastructure Laboratory team, where she will be trained in microbial analysis and complement her scientific profile with biological process modelling knowledge. The unique combination of multi-disciplinary expertise gained will significantly enhance her career prospective towards building her own research group in the field of water quality and water reuse.

Mots clés : green infrastructure, trace organic contaminant, urban stormwater, stormwater treatment, micropollutant, water smart city

Participants :
- Stanford University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Newcastle University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 252802.4 €