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

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic with major health consequences. One devastating consequence of obesity is ovarian failure and infertility in women. Obesity causes endocrine dysfunction that compromises particularly the female gamete, the oocyte. Importantly, maternal obesity also affects the offspring, predisposing children to obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the present proposal we will build on the unique expertise of the host lab and research experience of the postdoctoral fellow to address how maternal obesity promotes epigenetic changes in the oocyte and affects early embryonic development. The proposal will exploit the synergies between two laboratories in a multidisciplinary research setting. The candidate has a background in reproductive medicine and endocrinology, with 5 years of postdoctoral experience over which the candidate has been producing a relevant body of preliminary data on obesity and ovarian failure. The partner laboratory in Poland will contribute know-how and animal models for the study of obesity, as well as support from the local team. The host laboratory will provide methods and access to state-of-the-art facilities for epigenetic analysis. Our results, will enable us to clearly understand: (i) the extent to which the oocyte is vulnerable to maternal obesity; (ii) if epigenetic changes established in the oocyte interfere with early embryonic development. We will analyse the oocyte and early embryo epigenome and transcriptome of mouse strains with different susceptibilities to obesity and diet-induced obesity protocols representative of our social dietary habits. We will critically assess the potential health consequences of maternal obesity for the offspring. Ultimately, the knowledge generated through this proposal will lead to the public sector being better informed and new political and pharmacological strategies can be conceived for the improvement of female fertility and prevention of disease in offspring.

Mots clés : epigenetics, methylome, transcriptome, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diet gene interactions, gametogenesis, oocyte, fetal programming, early embryo

Participants :
- UK Research and Innovation (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet EnPrim (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Of 504 primate species currently recognized worldwide, almost half are classified as endangered or critically endangered. Captive breeding is vital for primate conservation, with modern zoos serving a crucial role as ambassadors of endangered species, breeders of populations acting as buffers against extinction, and educators of the general public. However, captive populations may experience welfare issues that also undermine their breeding success. Particularly, zoo management is challenging because of the mismatch between natural and captive environments. The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is the only surviving species of the Daubentoniidae, the oldest family of the living lemurs, one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world, and currently showing a low success rate in captive breeding. This multi-zoo project aims to identify and reproduce the female aye-aye’s fertile chemical signature and then test its effects on the breeding success and welfare of three captive troops. We will meet these goals using methods that integrate cutting-edge semiochemistry with established behavioural observations and faecal endocrinology as well as innovative faecal gut microbiota analysis. This novel project will provide findings which should also entail quantifiable impact, such as best practices adopted by target zoos and extended to other institutions through amendments in management policies released by the Studbook Keeper and the Taxon Advisory Group Coordinator for the study species. The complementary expertise of the Fellow and the supervisory team make this project feasible and highly multidisciplinary. The training provided by the supervisor and the host organisation will contribute significantly to the profile of the Fellow, adding new methodological and scientific competences as well as complementary skills which will be imperative for the Fellow’s future career as an independent researcher.

Mots clés : animal welfare, captive management, environmental enrichment, zoo biology, reproductive, biology, chemical ecology, olfaction, faecal hormone analyses, faecal gut microbiota analyses

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

Official assessments of climate change impacts in Europe predict substantial economic losses due to the progressive upward trend in average temperatures over the next century, and the decrease in annual accumulated rainfall. Global warming will lead to a decreased forage production and quality, and an increased disease risk, which will significantly change conditions for livestock production. Therefore, increasing climate resilience and enhancing sustainable production for animals in harsh environments are important goals for the livestock industry. Fortunately, a natural experiment already exists where a rapid adaptation to extreme climatic conditions was imposed on a limited number of livestock, Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, which therefore provides a model system to study adaptive selection. Given the accumulating evidence that epigenetic processes may increase the evolutionary potential of organisms to respond to stress and other challenges, the aim of this project is to compare the genomes and methylomes of two tropical Creole bovine breeds, their main Spanish ancestors, and one taurine breed from Africa, to understand rapid adaptation to extreme climatic conditions and identifying biomarkers of resilience. The anticipated outcomes from this project will help in designing management systems to improve productivity, thermal and stress tolerance, and disease resistance in cattle.

Mots clés : epigenomics, genomics, rapid adaptation, climate change, biomarkers of resilience, cattle, livestock production

Participants :
- Cardiff University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet SensJus (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

On June 27, 2019, a landmark court decision was released in Texas, in which a judge found the petrochemical company Formosa Plastics Corporation, liable for violating the Clean Water Act because of plastic discharge into local waters. The case was brought by a civic group based in part on citizen sensed-evidence which involved volunteer observations performed over years. This practice entailing grassroots-driven environmental monitoring could be qualified as ‘Citizen Science’ and, more specifically, ‘Citizen Sensing’. The contamination could not be proved through existing data held by competent authorities since the company never filed any record of pollution with the competent authority. Rather, the monitoring and data collection was almost entirely conducted by local residents. Cases such as the Formosa litigation are expected to increase drastically. They pose urgent research questions. Above all, the case motivates an investigation of the potential of introducing Citizen Sensing as a source of evidence in litigation over environmental wrongdoings. Furthermore, Citizen Sensing may also play a role in avoiding the court stage, as a tool to mediate the environmental conflict and to steer the responsible company to adopt an environmentally-compliant behaviour. Related research is still in its infancy. The few championing actors in the debate are located in the U.S., not flanked by a parallel inquiry from the European perspective. The key objective of the Sensing for Justice project is to fill this knowledge gap in order to avoid a possible scientific and legislative vacuum, and provide newly required research capacity in the EU. The research will be hosted by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, currently leading actor in the research on Citizen Science for environmental monitoring and reporting, which will allow me to play a crucial role in the enactment of measures to release Citizen Science for litigation and mediation’s potential across the EU.

Mots clés : citizen sensing, environmental citizen science, environmental justice and rights, environmental litigation, environmental mediation, european environmental law and policy, law and technology

Participants :
- European Union (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 171473.28 €
Projet PRIUS-TE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

On an aging society, our quality of life depends significantly in our capability to regenerate or engineer replacements for diseased and damaged tissues. One of these is the osteochondral interface. Over 30% of the population above the age of 65 is affected by osteochondral defects, being the most common cause of disability in older adults. PRIUS-TE (Printing Ultrasound Stimulated piezoelectric materials for Tissue Engineering) aims to regenerate the osteochondral interface with the use of hierarchical piezoelectric materials capable of stimulating mechanically, electrically and chemically the cells. Cartilage is unable to adequately self-regenerate due to its avascular character, the high content of extra cellular matrix (ECM) and the quiescent character of cells within (chondrocytes). Damage or diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) lead to degeneration, reaching subchondral bone and generating an osteochondral defect. Clinical treatments rely on microfracture techniques that recruit tissue-specific progenitor (or stem) cells from the bone marrow, and form a de-novo cartilaginous tissue. However, the recruited cells are not able to self-organize and differentiate into phenotypically coherent cells. This results in the formation of unstructured and isotropic tissues with impaired mechanical properties that fail at long term. Current TE strategies are mainly based on isotropic materials that disregard the intrinsic multi-zonal character of the native tissue. PRIUS-TE takes inspiration from the structure and intrinsic properties of the osteochondral interface. It is based on hierarchical scaffolds that mimic the structure, cell microenvironment and fixed ionic charge responsible of the mechanical properties of the native tissue. These gradient, hierarchical and piezoelectric scaffolds will stimulate the recruited cells electrically, mechanically and chemically promoting the layer-specific cell growth, differentiation and the formation of a coherent tissue.

Mots clés : articular cartilage, osteochondral defect, additive manufacturing, self assembly, ultrasound stimulation, piezoelectric materials

Participants :
- University of the Basque Country (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet ELECTRIC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

On the intensive care unit, more than 50% of patients have acute kidney injury, and these patients suffer higher mortality and long-term morbidity. To date, no specific therapies exist to prevent or treat acute kidney injury on the intensive care unit. We now have two new endocrinologic agents, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitors, able to protect patients with diabetes from chronic kidney disease. The objective of this action is to investigate whether the renoprotective mechanisms of these agents can reduce markers of acute kidney injury in patients on the intensive care unit. This action incorporates a highly sophisticated animal model for the essential invasive measurement of renal physiology. To translate these findings to the clinical situation, I will employ new and innovative measurement techniques such as urinary oxygenation, new kidney biomarkers and advanced renal imaging techniques to elucidate these renoprotective mechanisms in humans. The involved universities of Amsterdam and the University of Melbourne bring together world leading experts on acute kidney injury, endocrinologic therapies, and intensive care medicine. By connecting their expertise, this action will not only provide insight into the renoprotective properties of the studied interventions and so improve the outcome of patients, but also train me as a researcher able to improve renal outcomes beyond the scope of this action.

Mots clés : intensive care medicine, nephrology

Participants :
- Melbourne Health (Australie) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 277259.52 €
Projet DEAP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One fundamental question in biology is how are epithelial tubes polarised from initially unpolarised cells to establish coherent tissues. In this project, I will determine the role of cell-cell adhesion mediated force during de novo polarisation of epithelial tubes. I will use two models for the studies of this project. First, I will use a mouse embryo stem cell (mESC) culture model that phenocopies the morphogenesis of the very early mammalian embryo during implantation, when the epiblast forms a centrally located, polarised lumen. This minimal model will allow me to control cell number and cell-cell interaction so that I can analyse the initiation of absolutely naïve junctional adhesions in relation to polarisation. Second, I will use the zebrafish neural tube as an in vivo model of epithelial tube formation. I will use a cutting-edge optogenetic approach to both image and manipulate the process of apicobasal polarisation and junctional formation at the single cell level within a whole vertebrate organ. This will also allow me to compare whether the principles driving polarisation are conserved across different systems. I will carry out this research project under the supervision of Clare Buckley at University of Cambridge. During this project, I will have a perfect chance to apply my knowledge in epithelium cell biology into the studies of vertebrate development, and benefit from expertise across disciplines to establish my network and research filed for my future career. The studies of this project will extend our understanding of the biological importance of cell adhesions and advance our knowledge of the fundamental principles of tissue patterning during development. A better understanding of polarisation during development may help us to understand dysregulation of cell polarity in diseases.

Mots clés : epithelium, cell polarity, lumenogenesis, e cadherin, mechanobiology, optogenetics, mouse embryo stem cell, zebrafish embryos, neuroepithelium, cell cell contacts, cytoskeleton

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

One of key challenges in current biology is to characterize the genotype to phenotype transition and explain how genomic variation results in specific phenotypes. According to the 'modular biology' paradigm, dynamically regulated multi-protein modules mediate this transition. My project aims at testing this paradigm by applying to a clinically highly relevant case study an integrated workflow of new technologies developed in the host laboratory. In particular, I will focus on a novel ubiquitin ligase complex, linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), a critical but poorly understood player in several inflammation-related pathways, most notably the canonical NF-κB pathway. Given its key role in the pathogenesis of inflammation, understanding LUBAC will have fundamental biomedical implications. To investigate its structure, function and regulation, I will integrate data generated by mass spectrometry, which is the focus of the Aebersold laboratory, and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), which is the main expertise I acquired during my PhD. First, I will use quantitative affinity-purification coupled to mass spectrometry (AP-SWATH) to identify the dynamic interactome and the post-translation modifications (PTMs) of LUBAC. I will then define the structure of the complex by combining available atomic models of known LUBAC components, cryo-EM and cross-linking coupled to mass spectrometry (XL-MS). Finally, I will study clinical mutants and map the repercussions of genetic variation at the level of the complex organization, its interactome and of the global proteomic landscape. By these means, I will give a systemic and mechanistic account of the genotype to phenotype transition in clinically relevant scenarios. The output of the project, in line with the Work Programme, will be the production of new knowledge of fundamental biological and medical relevance and the development and validation of enabling technologies at the forefront of molecular biology research.

Mots clés : lubac, nf kb pathway, ubiquitin signaling, mass spectrometry, method development, modular biology

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175419.6 €
Projet VACMA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of medical science’s greatest achievements is the development of vaccines. Even if availability is improving, prices are dropping, evidence of effects are increasing and the side effects are fewer, an increasing number of people av voluntarily choosing not to accept vaccines. This project do not focus on the very visible group of active vaccine opponents, but instead on the less visible group where vaccine is just one of many other issues in daily life. From a public health communication point of view this group is particularly interesting since they is in a phase where they are deciding if they should vaccinate. This group have been hard to study since they are hard to target both with traditional surveys and interview and by traditional media analytics only. The project will use a mixed method approach for identifying and understanding this group. The methods will have a particular focus on machine learning techniques and semantic analysis. The choice of methodology together with the hosting at FISABIO and the University of Valencia coupled with secondments at the Vaccine Confidence Project at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and with the SME Salumedia, gives the candidate an ideal environment for improving his scientific career.

Mots clés : ehealth, vaccines, public health

Participants :
- Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet EVOLPREG (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

One of the deepest unanswered biological questions is how new phenotypes arise in evolution. To address this question, I propose to investigate a major mammalian innovation: pregnancy. Phenotypic novelties of pregnancy include efficient placental delivery of nutrients and internal fetal development. When being established, these novelties were associated with major gene regulatory changes in the endometrium of the uterus. My preliminary studies in human endometrial cells suggest that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) regulates genes that are essential for placental development and maternal immunotolerance of the fetus. It is also known that AHR evolved endometrium-specific expression early in the mammalian ancestor and acquired the ability to repress estrogen signalling necessary for implantation only in placental mammals. Here, I propose to study the origination of novel endometrial gene regulatory networks of AHR. I will establish the full endometrial target gene sets of AHR in major placental lineages and a non-placental out-group (opossum). Potential AHR targets will be validated in endometrial cells using knockdowns and reporter assays. The results of this study will provide a paradigm for understanding how transcription factors integrate into a new cell-signalling network. The findings will also expand our knowledge of the mechanisms of AHR-mediated toxicity of dioxins in mammalian reproduction and may reveal new therapeutic targets for the treatment of female reproductive disorders such as preeclampsia and endometriosis.

Mots clés : mammals, pregnancy, invasive placentation, endometrium, transcription factor, gene regulatory networks, evolutionary novelty, aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Participants :
- University of Turku (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191325.6 €