Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet 3M-2MNP-FE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The proposal, “Microscopic, Mesoscopic, and Macroscopic Approaches to Mitigate Micro- and Nano-plastics in the Food and Environment (3M-2MNP-FE)” is an MSCA PF proposal to be hosted by the University of Malta for 24 months, wherein Dr. Floirendo Flores will be supervised by Dr. Sophie Marie Briffa. Following the 24-month fellowship, a non-academic placement (NAP) has been secured with commitment from Dr. Adrian C. Love (ACL) from AquaBioTech Group (ABT). Dr. Flores conducts research on microencapsulation of bioactive compounds and simulated digestion, whereas Dr. Briffa specializes on nanoparticles chemistry, synthesis, characterization, and environmental behavior. The co-mentor, Dr. Melissa Marie Formosa, has in vivo studies involving zebrafish larvae and currently has supply agreement with ABT. Plastic packaging polymers are a necessary component of food products that are often discarded in municipal solid waste treatment plants and landfills resulting in varying levels of degradation products. The degradation products are usually recalcitrant micro- and nanoparticles (MNPs) that enter aquatic environments and contaminate biota with potentially adverse health outcomes. In view of the pressing need to mitigate the environmental risks upon exposure to MNPs, an interdisciplinary approach combining polymer chemistry, food, nutritional, and animal sciences is being proposed to develop an environmentally sound enzymatic technology to treat MNPs. Enzymatic treatment can change MNP size and enhance biodegradability. New knowledge will be generated on in vitro and in vivo changes on enzyme-based gastrointestinal and antioxidant systems following exposure to enzymatically treated MNPs. Implementation of the work packages will help answer the research question: Does exposure to enzymatically treated MNPs co-digested with food reduce the toxicity risks of MNPs? Results of this project can lead to a new sustainable pollution control strategy.

Mots clés : surface modification of microplastics, nanoplastics, enzyme treatment of polymers, food matrix, zebrafish larvae, toxicity

Participants :
- Université de Malte (Malte) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 221564.4 €
- AquaBioTech Group (Malta) (Malte) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet mRNArABP (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cell shape is mostly controlled by the actomyosin cytoskeleton, composed of actin, myosin and multiple actin binding proteins (actin-BPs). Actin-BPs affect actin organisation and actomyosin contractility. While the mechanism of mRNA regulation of actin itself is well characterised, there is little research on the mRNA regulation of actin-BPs. Recently, the host lab discovered a novel mechanism of dose co-regulation for protein groups containing similar multivalency domains, termed interstasis. Certain actin-BPs contain multivalent C-rich regions making them a candidate protein group for mRNA regulation via interstasis. I propose to investigate the mechanism of mRNA regulation of actin-BPs, in particular those with C-rich mRNA sequences, and the possibility of feedback regulation.  I will firstly identify RNA binding proteins (RNA-BPs) binding and regulating mRNAs of actin-BPs among RNA-BPs previously detected at the actin cortex and cell protrusions. I will specifically focus on identifying RNA-BPs binding to C-rich actin-BP mRNAs. I will identify the mechanism of action of these RNA-BPs via ribosome profiling, iCLIP, and smFISH. In the second part of the project, I will investigate whether C-rich actin-BPs mRNAs can be co-regulated and a potential feedback mechanism. In particular, I will use combinatory multivalency reporter to ask whether actin-BPs can be co-regulated via interstasis. Finally, I will connect mRNA regulation of actin-BPs to the actin organisation and processes affected by changes in actin organisation such as cell division and migration. To this aim, I will modulate the levels of RNA-BPs and actin-BP mRNAs and use microscopy to image the effects on the actin-driven processes.  Together, I aim to further unveil molecular regulation of the actin networks during division and migration.

Mots clés : actin organisation, homeostasis, rna regulation, mrna, actin binding proteins, rna binding proteins

Participants :
- Institut de Chimie (Slovénie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 155559.36 €
- Université de Londres (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet EMBRYOVOCS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has irrupted as the most important alternative for getting pregnant in a global world with decreasing natality rates. Currently, IVF success rate is around 20%. In order to improve it, the selection of the most suitable embryo for implantation is the most important factor. In the proposed project, we aim to assess embryo selection based on the analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) they emit during their development. Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique will be employed in the first step of the project for identifying the pattern of VOCs that characterise the embryos that successfully reach the blastocyst stage, as well as the blastocysts that hatch. An electronic nose system, which possesses several advantages over the GC-MS technique, such as portability, ease of use and considerably lower price, will be next developed for the selective detection of the VOC patterns identified by the GC-MS studies. Initially, the study will be performed on bovine during fellow’s placement at the Beneficiary. The electronic nose that will be developed for the bovine model will be tested on humans in a real-world environment during the additional non-academic placement of the researcher at the business partner. The results of this test will constitute the basis for the future development of a reliable device for the selection of the most suitable embryos for successful IVF outcomes.

Mots clés : volatile organic compounds gas chromatography mass spectrometry gc ms electronic nose embryo selection in vitro fertilisation

Participants :
- Université de Tartu (Estonie) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Competence Centre on Health Technologies (Estonia) (Estonie) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 189877.2 €
Projet GlioLight (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) is a primary antagonist of p53 tumour suppressor, and MDM2 inhibition represents an attractive way to restore p53 function. Peptidomimetics which are based on p53 sequence-derived structure, are one of the most promising tools for mimicking MDM2/p53 interaction. Varying structure of peptidomimetics gives opportunity to measure effect of fine structure changes on inhibition process. Linking peptidomimetics with fluorophores represents an attractive way to spatially track inhibition process. In this project we aim to synthesize novel fluorophore-peptidomimetic probes (FPPs) for MDM2 inhibition. Fluorophores triarylboranes will be covalently linked to peptidomimetics and introduced into patient-derived glioma stem cells. In the first part of the project we will detect effect of MDM2 inhibition on major histocompatibility (MHC-I) peptides presentation at cell surface. Further, we aim to investigate immunogenic response of CD4+ T cells on MHC-I peptides presentation. In the second part of the project we will investigate effect of proteasomal inhibition on MDM2 and p53 degradation, and their role in composition of MHC-I peptides. Immune response on presentation of novel MHC-I repertoire at the cell surface will be tested with co-cultivation with CD4+ T cells. By focusing on these particular pathways, GlioLight intends to hinder the processes that enable GBM cells to grow and escape standard treatments. Ultimately, this effort paves the way for advancements in personalized medicine.

Mots clés : mdm2, p53, fluorophores, peptidomimetics, cancer, inhibition, mhc i, mass spectrometry

Participants :
- Institut Ruđer Bošković (Croatie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 187631.76 €
Projet UT-MOLI (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project Utopias in Times of Crisis: Irish Modernist Literature in the 1920s and 1930s (UT-MOLI) explores the role of utopianism in Irish modernist literature amidst a period of social, political, and cultural upheaval. Utopianism—the pursuit of an ideal society beyond the constraints of present reality—has gained renewed significance in contemporary discourse, becoming a necessary political and social stance in the twenty-first century, a time of multiple global crises. The early twentieth century in Ireland, marked by the Irish Rising (1916), the War of Independence (1919-1921), the establishment of the Irish Free State (1922), the creation of Northern Ireland (1921), and the eventual abolition of British rule, was a period of great changes. This project investigates how Irish modernist literature of the 1920s and 1930s, a key phase of national and literary redefinition, engages with utopian visions in a time of profound crisis. By examining works by James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Elizabeth Bowen, and Kate O’Brien, UT-MOLI will analyze how utopianism intersects with themes such as national identity, colonialism, the human-non-human relationship, and feminist/queer thought. By focusing on these intersections, UT-MOLI studies the significant but understudied role utopianism played in shaping Irish modernism, while contributing to broader debates in both utopian and modernist studies.

Mots clés : utopias, modernism, irish literature, queer, feminist, environmental humanities, nationalism

Participants :
- Institut de Recherche et d’Innovation en Santé de l’Université de Porto (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191343.12 €
Projet PLANTECON (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This action, PLANTECON, based at SINOFON, a research centre unit hosted by the Department of Asian Studies, Palacky University, aims to investigate the sociocultural formation of price along Mongolian medicinal plant (MP) supply chains. Within recent history, and intensively since the spread of Sars-Cov-2, MP supply chains--trade networks that move a product from its site of origin to a consumer market--have proliferated across Central Asia. In Mongolia, otherwise-unemployed poor rural populations gather wild-growing plants and sell them at negotiated prices--the agreed-upon economic value that solidifies the exchange of the plant from one actor to another--into trade networks that move the plant to consumers in urban Mongolia or China. The action has the following objectives: 1) identify the breadth and extent of the proliferating MP trade in two plants, Fang Feng and Liquorice Root, in Mongolia; 2) identify the diverse sociocultural factors that impact price negotiations in situ, following the process of price formation across a chain to identify how sociocultural considerations affect prices in the aggregate; and 3) establish the equitability potential of MP supply chains as rural development strategy. Academically, this action will advance economic anthropology on pricing; and environmental, medical anthropology on the globalised traditional medicinal plant trade with potential for future cross-geographic ERC or Twinning grant proposals. Economically and culturally, the action will draw attention to the booming, unregulated medicinal plant trade in Central Asia to increase cultural heritage and plant conservation action, but also inspire international funding bodies to either design value chain development projects that are equitable to rural populations or consider the implementation of plant benefit-sharing programmes.

Mots clés : medicinal plant trade, traditional asian medicine, sociocultural price formation, supply chains

Participants :
- Université Palacký (Rép. Tchèque) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166278.72 €
- Académie autrichienne des sciences (Autriche) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet GraphEats (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

The Online Food Delivery (OFD) industry has experienced rapid growth, largely driven by third-party platforms such as UberEats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. Central to the efficiency of these platforms is the Food Delivery Dispatch Problem (FDDP), an optimization problem that aims to match couriers with orders in real time, balancing delivery speed and costs. Current methods to solve this problem rely heavily on general-purpose optimization tools that do not fully exploit the structural properties of the underlying problem. This project, GraphEats, aims to bridge this gap by integrating advanced graph-theoretic methods, pushing the boundaries of logistics optimization in the OFD domain. GraphEats approaches the FDDP as a graph theory problem on an appropriately constructed graph, referred to as the conflict graph. In this graph, vertices represent potential plans (courier-order assignments) and edges represent conflicts between plans. Despite their pivotal role, there is currently no systematic academic study on the conflict graphs emerging in food delivery applications. Leveraging structural properties of the conflict graph, GraphEats will develop innovative, tailored preprocessing methods and algorithms for solving the FDDP, improving both the efficiency and running time of dispatch algorithms. Additionally, the project will explore how Graph Neural Networks (GNN)-based techniques can be customized for food delivery logistics by identifying meaningful structural patterns in the problem to further boost solver performance.  GraphEats seeks to deliver both immediate improvements to current dispatch technology and long-term advancements in the application of graph theory to real-world logistics problems. Ultimately, this research will establish a versatile framework adaptable to a variety of logistics challenges, advancing both academic knowledge and practical solutions for the fast-growing OFD industry.

Mots clés : logistics optimization, dispatch algorithms, structural graph theory, maximum weight independent set, mixed integer linear programming, graph neural networks

Participants :
- Université Koç (Turquie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165205.2 €
Projet GLIOTARG (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The National Brain Tumor Society of America stated that glioblastoma is one of the most complex, deadly, and treatment-resistant cancers with an average length of survival of 8 months. Surgery is the primary form of treatment, and some drugs are approved for treatment, however, none of these treatments have significantly extended patient lives beyond extra months. Recurrence following surgery is a major problem and is often the ultimate cause of death. Accordingly, our specific aim is to target glioma cells with gas- Metal-Organic Polyhedra (MOP) conjugates after/before surgery removal of the tumor in in vivo mice models of glioblastoma cancer. Therapeutic gases (i.e. CO and NO) will be absorbed in the MOP cavity, while the surface will be functionalized for tumor targeting. The system will be dispersed in a biodegradable hydrogel, that will assist in the progressive delivery into the tumor cells once it is injected into the brain. Hydrogel will be tested as a gas-MOP system dispersion medium and as a conjugated treatment including already-known chemotherapeutic drugs for glioma (i.e., Temozolomide, Carmustine or Bevacizumab). The ultimate goal of the project is to create a patch made of bioresorbable hydrogel containing drug and MOP-gas conjugates for local release in glioblastoma tumoral cells. This dual system will be specifically and locally delivered in tumor cells by functionalization of MOP linkers to target and attach to the tumor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that (i) Metal-Organic Polyhedras (MOPs) are used in cancer therapy as carrier systems and (ii) a combined treatment gas/drug is applied for glioblastomas to eliminate or reduce the tumor before/after surgery removal. This proposal achieves the aims of the European Research Area and is highly relevant to the Marie Curie Programme and to long-term career development.

Mots clés : hydrogel metal organic polyhedra no co gas drug delivery scaffolds nanomedicine nanotherapy glioblastoma

Participants :
- Université nouvelle de Lisbonne (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 207183.12 €
Projet IMPACTAS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Degradation of plastics is a sequence of chemical and physical changes reducing their molecular weight and mechanical integrity of the polymer and leads to formation of microplastics (MPs). Negative effect of the MPs on the environment is not only physical, but also chemical due to their ability to adsorb and accumulate many persistent organic pollutants The role of MPs as a vector of the contamination is newly formed phenomenon and could fundamentally top off the role of MPs in the ecological systems. Only limited number of scientific papers and research are currently available and published, thus IMPACTAS project aims to change it. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria provides unique opportunity to study micropollutants-microplastics topic in terms of islands location, extensive tourism industry, protected natural parks, excellent infrastructure and knowledge of Environmental Analytical Chemistry research group belonging to Institute for Environmental Studies and Natural Resources. Project will focus at few objectives: - Development of analytical methodologies and strategies for the determination of organic pollutants adsorbed on MPs; - spatial and temporal monitoring of micropollutants - microplastics in different environmental compartments and; - environmental risk assessment of micro-pollutants in different natural ecosystems. Objectives of the project are multidisciplinary including combination of analytical chemistry, statistics, biology and environmental sciences. IMPACTAS implies international research visits and placement of the researcher for further knowledge implementation. Expected results have potential to provide state of the art solutions for micropollutants monitoring and control in different environmental and biology systems around Canary Islands which could be transferred across research groups within EU countries. This project is in line with the EU Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy and Blue Growth strategy of the European Union

Mots clés : uhplc, mass spectrometry, method development, ultrasound extraction, risk assessment, high resolution accurate mass spectrometry, environmental monitoring, aquatic systems, marine life

Participants :
- Dws hydro okologie gmbh (Autriche) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Las Palmas de Grande Canarie (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226441.2 €
Projet DisCH4rg3D (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

Valorization of a greenhouse gas such as methane (CH4) into value-added ethylene (C2H4) can be paramount to combat climate change and foster economic prosperity. Non-thermal plasma reactors running solely on renewable electricity can enable modular, decentralized transformation of CH4 from natural gas or biogas in a sustainable fashion. The DisCH4rg3D project will develop a catalytic Nanosecond Pulsed Discharge (NPD) plasma reactor for single-pass upgrading of CH4 into C2H4 with energy requirement competitive with the state-of-the-art industrial benchmark (i.e., 600 kJ/molC2H4). The reactor configuration entails a plate-to-plate plasma discharge for CH4 activation followed by a catalytic step where acetylene (C2H2) hydrogenation into C2H4 enhances the process throughput. The energy input to the plasma discharge will be optimized with the help of an Artificial Neural Network which will relate the operating parameters to the energy performance of the reactor. The catalytic reaction following the plasma discharge-activation will be performed by a bimetallic hydrogenation catalyst deposited on a 3D-printed Periodic Open Cell Structure (POCS), which also serves as ground electrode. Heat integration between the plasma zone and the catalytic region allows operation without external heating, thus increasing the energy efficiency of the system. The catalyst composition can be tuned separately to intensify the C2H2 conversion into C2H4, whilst computer-aided design of the POCS can target optimal heat exchange. The same integration approach will be used for the direct conversion of a biogas stream of CH4 and CO2 into syngas to showcase the versatility of the system that can represent a blueprint for modular, catalytic plasma reactors. Ultimately, Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cylce Assessment (LCA) will be conducted to compare the proposed process with the fossil fuel-based industrial benchamk, hence to appraise its industrial feasibility.

Mots clés : process electrification, additive manufacturing, structured catalysts, techoeconomic analysis, life cycle assessment

Participants :
- Aristeng sarl (Luxembourg) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Nationale Technique d'Athènes (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 153486.72 €