Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet RNA-lipid (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

RNA is a ubiquitous biomolecule with a broad range of activities crucial for keeping cells alive. Understanding how RNA bioactivity is controlled is vital for elucidating its roles and applications in molecular biology. RNA, in order to maintain a correct activity patterns, has to be organized. Despite sufficient knowledge about RNA spatial organization within cells via RNA-protein interaction-based processes not much is known about other mechanisms. Revealing the RNA-localization patterns without RNA-binding proteins would create the new branch of interactomics which might have significant implications in the molecular biology and RNA-based therapeutics development. Recently I described that lipid membranes can act as a scaffold for RNAs in a sequence and structure dependent binding process leading to the changes of the RNA activity in vitro. Here, I propose that lipid membranes act as a selective RNA scaffold in vivo. In the following project I will develop a library of membrane-binding RNAs using in vitro selection approach. I will characterize the mechanisms, selectivity, and stability of RNA-lipid binding in bulk and in nano-scale level using self-developed binding assays and super-resolution microscopy, respectively. Furthermore, obtained lipid-binding RNAs are going to be artificially introduced to the existing mRNAs in order to spatially organize protein expression both in vitro and in vivo. The RNA RNA-lipid encapsulation efficiency will be characterized using recently developed single-particle profiling platform. Lastly, I will use gathered knowledge to livetrack the uptake and improve the RNA-based therapeutics (i.e. RNA-lipid nanoparticles) in order to increase the RNA stability and decrease the toxicity of the formulation.

Mots clés : lipid membranes, rna, rna lipid interaction, mrna vaccines, super resolution microscopy, sted, single particle profiling

Participants :
- Institut Karolinska (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet LIPIRNADO (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

mRNA vaccines have gained considerable attentions in prevention and treatment of virus infections, cancer and genetic diseases, especially in the application to the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years. Due to the immunogenicity and instability of mRNA, the in vivo delivery of mRNA plays a crucial role in vaccine efficacy. Among various materials, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have shown to be one of the most potent carriers for mRNA delivery and successfully enter the clinic. To further improve vaccine efficacy, dendritic cells (DC) uptake can be optimized by decorating mannose ligands on LNP-mRNA formulations for targeted vaccine delivery. However, the effect of ligand density, spatial distance and organization pattern on cellular uptake remains poorly understood. Due to the addressability of DNA origami, nanoparticles and small molecules can be spatially organized into prescribed pattern with nanoscale precision. Therefore, we propose to develop designed ligand patten on LNP-mRNA formulations by transferring ligand pattern distributed on DNA origami to LNPs. With ligands modified on surface, LNP-mRNA formulations will be used to investigate the effect of ligand pattern on DC uptake, which is not accessible to other targeted delivery system. The results of the project will promote the development of vaccine delivery field. In addition, it will influence the health care and biomaterial industries, which are central to Europe’s ongoing and future economic success.

Mots clés : dna origami, lipid nanoparticle, mrna vaccine, drug delivery

Participants :
- Institut Karolinska (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €
Projet SCIENSC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Despite endogenous neural stem cells (eNSCs) being present in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS), their neuronal potential upon injury is rarely achieved in the brain and never in the spinal cord (SC) environment. This makes widespread SC injuries (SCIs) especially challenging to treat. Even though SC eNSCs give rise to astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons in vitro, they almost exclusively generate glial scar-forming astrocytes, seldom myelinating oligodendrocytes, and never neurons in mammalian models. We still do not know the exact SC niche cues preventing eNSCs from efficiently assuming oligodendrocyte and neuronal fates, averting a functional SC healing. Notably, SCI induces a vast immune response and I hypothesise that immune cells that are responsive to the SCI, contribute to eNSC niche formation, where they can exert an effect on eNSC regulation. I will investigate this by unravelling (O1) temporal, heterogenous immune responses to the SCI and (O2) their spatial interplay with the eNSCs using advanced methodologies, such as spectral flow cytometry and spatial transcriptomics. This will enable me to identify which of these immune cells affect eNSC gene regulatory networks leading to instigation of astrocyte but not oligodendrocyte or neuronal fates. Finally, (O3) I will identify SCI-specific enhancer elements of the immune cells of interest by comparing chromatin signatures of these immune cell types located across different tissues. This knowledge will present a ‘divide and conquer’ opportunity – to compartmentalise and disconnect immune system across different tissues enabling a targeted immune cell manipulation specifically within the SCI environment. The long-term outcome of this project will help the design of enhancer-based immuno-modulatory therapies to dictate eNSC fates and generate oligodendrocytes and neurons in vivo leading to a functional SCI recovery.

Mots clés : spinal cord injury, nervous system regeneration, neural stem cells, stem cell niche, immune niche, neuroimmunology, enhancers, chromatin biology

Participants :
- Institut Karolinska (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 222727.68 €
Projet Binding the Self (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Binding the Self tests the idea that cortical oscillations temporally bind different sensory stimuli into a multisensory representation of the physical self to generate the sense of body ownership, i.e., the experience of one's body as one's own. The project combines psychophysical tasks with electroencephalography and brain stimulation, providing unique insights on the mechanism that binds bodily sensory information. Multisensory temporal integration of visuo-tactile signals is thought to occur within Individual Alpha frequencies (IAF), while integration of tactile stimuli occurs within Individual Beta frequencies (IBF). Stimuli are integrated when they fall within the same cortical cycle and segregated for different cycles; the speed of cortical oscillations is modulated by task demand: cortical frequencies decrease when the task requires temporal sensory integration compared with segregation. Here, my first objective is to show that individual temporal resolution of perception in simultaneity judgments correlates with temporal resolution of multisensory integration involved in body ownership, both when body ownership is induced by visuo-tactile signals and when it is induced by proprioceptive-tactile signals, without vision. Next, I will demonstrate if (i) the integration of visuo-tactile stimuli that underpins body ownership occurs within IAF and if (ii) IAF is modulated by simultaneity judgments, which require temporal segregation, or ownership judgments, which require integration. Finally, I will clarify if (i) IBF integrates tactile information to produce body ownership without vision and if (ii) IBF is differentially modulated by tactile simultaneity or ownership judgments. Binding the Self reveals the similarities and differences between multisensory integration occurring for external events and for own-body perception. Results have implications for clinical conditions with an impaired body representation and for the field of the brain-machine interfaces.

Mots clés : body ownership multisensory integration cortical oscillations eeg tacs embodiment

Participants :
- Institut Karolinska (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet Neuro-biliary talk (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

While liver development is well-studied, the signal initiating tubulogenesis of bile ducts therein remains to be identified. Neurites are present in the liver before bile duct tubulogenesis, and in other organs, innervation can instruct tubulogenesis. However, a role for liver innervation in biliary tubulogenesis has not been shown. Preliminary data from my host lab suggest a strong link between both processes: Defective biliary tubulogenesis caused by Notch mutations in Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is preceeded by a lack of liver innervation. I will test the hypothesis that intrahepatic innervation initiates biliary tubulogenesis. First, I will apply 3D staining and imaging techniques to study the establishment of intrahepatic innervation at multiple timepoints during development, and quantify characteristics of innervation in healthy and ALGS mice in depth using automated image analysis. Secondly, I will investigate if liver innervation is required for tubulogenesis by performing nerve ablation studies and analyzing its effect on biliary cells. Finally, I will establish a method to perform transcriptional profiling of liver innervation. The liver is only innervated by nerve endings from extrinsic neurons, and these neurons have their cell bodies in ganglia outside of the organ where also other neurons reside. It has thus not been possible to isolate these cells from the liver and analyse their expression profiles. Using a viral barcode library to label neurons and their axon endings, I will perform single-cell RNA sequencing on those ganglia, and identify and characterize the cells innervating the liver. Enabling expression profiling of extrinsic nerves will be a game changer in the field of organ innervation, and can be applicable to numerous other fields. This project will provide fundamental insights into the developmental functions of liver innervation and the molecular mechanisms underlying biliary tubulogenesis, providing a basis for future therapeutics.

Mots clés : bile duct morphogenesis innervation notch signaling liver development

Participants :
- Institut Karolinska (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet LEXIS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Reading is the single most transferable skill taught in the elementary school years; it is the foundation for academic learning, economic contribution, and societal participation. Decades of research shows that efficient reading relies on precise mental spelling representations of individual words. These orthographic representations enable children to recognize words by sight, releasing cognitive resources for understanding what they read. Orthographic Learning (OL) is widely considered the mechanism through which readers build orthographic representations and develop efficient reading. And yet its foundational skills have not been established, a gap in knowledge that severely limits our ability to teach children the skills they need to achieve efficient reading. LEXIS will identify the foundational skills of OL and, in turn, efficient reading, so that we can develop effective instruction. LEXIS is a large-scale cross-language longitudinal study, following children from preschool through grade 2. Through LEXIS, I will establish the foundational skills of OL for both typical and dyslexic readers; results for typical readers can be applied to whole classrooms and results for children with dyslexia will be the basis for effective teaching for children with the most intractable reading difficulties. I will conduct this study with two distinctive languages: English and Greek; their similarities and differences will ensure that results can be applied across the diversity of European languages. LEXIS takes an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together educational psychology, special education, and psycholinguistics. Data will be analysed with cutting-edge statistical and computational modeling approaches. Through LEXIS, I will identify which foundational skills most strongly predict OL and word reading development. These identified skills will guide the foci of effective instruction, ensuring that all children achieve the strongest possible reading outcomes.

Mots clés : reading, orthographic learning, cross language, dyslexia, literacy, cognitive skills, linguistic skills, development

Participants :
- Université Dalhousie (Canada) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Crète (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 270571.2 €
- Université d'Oslo (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet IN-MIND (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

IN-MIND is a pioneering project that addresses the challenge of distinguishing between delusions and strongly held beliefs, such as religious and political ideologies, which, while not pathological, can still manifest in disruptive ways. This distinction has long posed difficulties for researchers and mental health professionals due to overlapping characteristics among these belief systems. To overcome this, IN-MIND will systematically compare delusions with political and religious beliefs across key dimensions traditionally used to define delusions. The project will integrate advanced methodologies from clinical and social psychology to identify the socio-psychological mechanisms that differentiate these belief systems. A large, representative sample from the UK will be recruited and assessed online, utilising validated psychometric tools and statistical techniques such as network analysis to compare belief structures. IN-MIND will also explore how mechanisms of belief transmissibility, social identity, and belief alignment differentiate delusional beliefs, which tend to be non-shared, from political and religious beliefs, which are widely propagated. Thus, participants with strong or weak ideological systems will be compared with a clinical sample with delusions to determine the transmissibility of each belief system. This research will provide new insights into these belief systems, targeting the mechanisms that distinguish delusions from strongly held beliefs, aiding mental health professionals in diagnosis and laying the foundation for innovative interventions. By investigating how ideologies are highly transmissible, the project will also provide crucial insights for shaping future policies, including those aimed at countering polarisation and extremism. Through a non-academic placement at the European Public Health Alliance, the fellow will gain interdisciplinary training to translate research results into impactful public health policies.

Mots clés : mental health schizophrenia psychotic disorders delusions socio cognitive processes psychopathology

Participants :
- Université de Sheffield (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 325434.9 €
- European public health alliance (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet iSUBLIME (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Snow and ice influence the Earth’s hydrological cycle and radiation balance and therefore are prime factors governing the climate and water resources. Snow storage and ablation by melting and sublimation play a crucial role in numerous atmospheric, ecological, and ecosystem processes. While the processes related to the isotopic mass exchange during sublimation of snow are well understood, the parameterization of snow sublimation, which is critical to improving the predictive modelling of the fate of snow in the present and near future, remains an important problem to be addressed. The primary question of this project is: what are the key processes that control the patterns and magnitude of snow sublimation fluxes to the atmosphere? This question will be addressed through i) high temporal resolution measurements of snow properties, natural isotopic tracers, and micro-meteorological conditions in the field and ii) controlled environmental chamber experiments in the laboratory. Field measurements will be performed at Pallas (Arctic) and Sodankylä (sub-Arctic), Finland above the snow surface (open ground and forest canopy). Control experiments will be carried out in the Cold Climate Container (CCC) at the University of Oslo, Norway. The aim will be to understand the mass transfer between snow and atmosphere, by measurements of the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in solid (snow), liquid (snow-melt) and vapor phase. By performing these experiments and measurements, the primary target would be to constrain the isotopic signature of sublimation flux and develop a model to simulate isotopic interactions between the snow layer and atmosphere. The findings from this study will have a multidisciplinary impact on understanding the influence of snow sublimation on atmospheric and terrestrial water balance in the snow-dominated regions of the world

Mots clés : sublimation, stable water isotopes, eddy covariance, arctic

Participants :
- Université d'Oulu (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215534.4 €
- Université d'Oslo (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CULT-AURAL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Medieval monasteries shaped sacred landscapes of Europe not only visually, but also aurally, with the sound of large percussion instruments – such as bells, matracas, and semantron. Despite they created an authentic aural culture of medieval Europe, the monastic soundscapes remain unexplored. The CULT-AURAL project is interdisciplinary, aiming to explore a novel area of research - the medieval aural culture that infused monastic landscapes, and its role in identity creation. Were the acoustic quality of sacred soundscapes and large percussion instruments relevant for medieval communities? What was the spatial imprint of monasteries’ aural communication? Did male and female monasteries have similar aural imprints in the soundscape? To answer these questions, I will receive training on archaeoacoustic methodology at one of the largest historic soundscape research hubs located at the University of Barcelona, and transversally undertake six case studies in three contrasting regions of Europe – Catalonia, Norway, and Serbia, including male and female monasteries that significantly retained the medieval setting. I will test and document the acoustic properties of soundscapes and large percussion instruments based on the onsite acoustic measurements, explore the audibility of the instruments via the acoustic models, and examine the role of gender through a comparative analysis. I will participate in several research groups for skills and knowledge transfer. Scientific publications for experts and talks for lecturers and students will efficiently disseminate the project’s results. At the secondment (Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo) I will be trained how to communicate research results to the wide public via multisensory exhibitions, which will also add significant impact to the fellowship. Besides at the new medieval exhibition in Oslo, the results will also be communicated through social networks and public interactive talks in all three countries.

Mots clés : archaeoacoustics, soundscapes, medieval monasteries, medieval gender identity, sacred landscapes

Participants :
- Université de Barcelone (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
- Université d'Oslo (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CLEAR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project CLEAR (Cross-Linguistic influence during real-time procEssing in child heritAge speakeRs) investigates the role of crosslinguistic influence in real-time sentence processing to fill the gap in the ongoing debate about whether languages interact in the mind of a bilingual child. Some argue that the general bilingualism effect, rather than the cross-linguistic influence, affects language comprehension. What is lacking in this field of research, however, is a systematic understanding of what happens in real-time processing. We focus on cross-linguistic influence in pronoun interpretation by testing severely understudied bilingual population, i.e. child heritage speakers of Croatian. We approach the phenomenon in a new and unique way by examining the crosslinguistic influence in relation to the implicit causality bias, which is assumed to facilitate language comprehension. CLEAR takes a novel methodological approach by comparing children in three European countries – Croatia, Italy and Norway. The two language combinations, Croatian-Italian (null-subject languages) and Croatian-Norwegian (non-null-subject language) allow us to gain insight into the role of structural overlap between languages. To better understand the phenomenon, both children’s eye movements and offline responses will be measured. CLEAR will make a significant contribution to research on heritage language bilingualism by revealing whether the languages a child acquires influence each other or whether difficulties in language comprehension are due to the general bilingualism effect, i.e. limited processing abilities. The project addresses aspects that are of great importance for teachers of second/foreign languages as well as for speech and language pathologists by promoting bilingualism and interculturality across Europe. By carrying out this project, I will gain considerable expertise in the field and become an independent and internationally recognised researcher.

Mots clés : bilingualism, heritage language acquisition, cross linguistic influence, structural overlap, language processing, pronoun interpretation, implicit causality, croatian, italian, norwegian

Participants :
- Université de Tromsø (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 210911.04 €