Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet BIENVENUE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Cofund Postdoctoral programme
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Led by REGION BRETAGNE, the BIENVENÜE Programme is an innovative fellowship programme offering 75 two-year postdoc positions to highly-skilled researchers to work in the thriving and internationally esteemed environment that is France’s Brittany Region. The BIENVENÜE Programme is designed as a building block of the proactive regional initiative to develop a knowledge-driven economy with international recognition and a local identity. It will reinforce the human capital of the region in R&I and maximise impact on the RIS3 implementation by heightening research excellence, cross-sectoral innovation, and collaboration between academic, non-academic and policy makers, thus stimulating regional development. To achieve these objectives, the programme BIENVENÜE is proposing attractive conditions for self-built, bottom-up postdoctoral projects in all scientific fields, to be hosted in 8 highly active research institutions (universities and research centres). To ensure a large diversity of profile and an increase pool of future scientific leader for the region, the project selection will be made through merit-based, fair, international and transparent procedures. Then, BIENVENÜE focuses on enhancing researchers’ career development opportunities in line with MSCA principles. In addition, cooperation with key innovative industrial players and other non-academic partners (public bodies, NGOs, etc.), with international or interdisciplinary partners – through intersectoral secondments and training events – will provide opportunities for postdoctoral fellows to acquire transferable skills and to explore new career opportunities in private or public settings.

Mots clés : regional development, smart specialisation strategy, post doctoral positions, self built and innovative, research and training projects, open, transparent and merit based selection, career development

Participants :
- Conseil régional de Bretagne (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 5517000.0 €
Projet SymPathInfect (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Legionellae are opportunistic human pathogens infecting thousands of people annually in Europe. These bacteria are ubiquitous in many natural and man-made water systems, where they survive as free-living organisms in biofilms or intracellularly within a variety of protozoa. Free-living amoebae are the main route for spread and replication of legionellae in the environment, and infection of humans generally occurs via amoebae as vectors. Amoebae are frequently associated with bacterial endosymbionts, and recent data suggests that these symbionts interfere with replication of legionellae in amoebae thereby protecting the amoeba host from legionellae-induced lysis. The aim of this proposal is to further investigate this phenomenon of symbiont-mediated defense in protozoa, and to assess its implications for the ecology and transmission of legionellae. To shed light on the molecular and physiological interactions during infection of symbiont-containing amoebae with Legionella pneumophila, co-infection experiments will be performed and analyzed by state-of-the-art molecular methods including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, isotope profiling and chemical imaging techniques. Infection experiments will first be performed under controlled laboratory conditions to understand the interaction between amoeba, their bacterial symbionts and L. pneumophila, to analyse the molecular cross-talk, and to determine the mechanism of competition between the bacterial partners in this association. Subsequently, mesocosm experiments simulating environmental conditions will help to understand the impact of bacterial symbionts of amoebae on L. pneumophila spread and replication in the environment. Taken together, the comprehensive analysis of symbiont-mediated defense in amoebae will provide a new perspective on the ecology of L. pneumophila and lead to a better understanding of the role of amoebae and other microbes in water-borne disease outbreaks.

Mots clés : microbial ecology, environmental microbiology, free living amoeba

Participants :
- University of Vienna (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178156.8 €
Projet SLIM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Less than 25% of patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survive longer than 5 years. Current treatment regimen are based on non-specifically acting cytotoxic drugs that cause severe side effects. More effective and more specific, targeted therapies are thus needed. Progress, however, has long been hampered by a lack of understanding of the molecular vulnerabilities of the disease. We here propose to identify and study synthetic lethal interactions with mutations in nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) in AML. Up to 35% of AML patients bear mutations in NPM1 leading to a localization of this nucleolar protein to the cytoplasm and a characteristic change in gene expression pattern. Moreover, NPM1 mutations appear to be driver events and stable over multiple courses of therapy and relapse. Identifying cellular pathways or proteins that are essential in an NPM1 mutated background but not in NPM1 wild type cells may thus not only contribute to a better understanding of NPM1 biology but also yield entry points for the development of drugs that selectively kill NPM1 mutated AML cells. We will take an integrated chemical biology approach to first identify small molecules that selectively kill NPM1 mutated over NPM1 wild type cells and then elucidate their mode of action to gain insight into the underlying biology. This project thus uniquely builds on the longstanding experience of the host laboratory and institute in chemical screening, the elucidation of the mode of action of small molecules and in hematological malignancies. The proposal is designed to complement the experienced researchers current knowledge in chemical synthesis, assay development, solid tumor biology and small animal imaging techniques to become a well-rounded chemical biologist with a disease focus on solid and liquid cancers. The hosting institution will gain from the researcher´s chemical expertise and find opportunities to expand its network of international collaborations.

Mots clés : acute myeloid leukemia, nucleophosmin 1, synthetic lethal interactions, chemical proteomics, high throughput screening

Participants :
- Austrian Academy of Sciences (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 178156.8 €
Projet EVOLIFE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Mathematics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Life cycles are central to all living organisms on Earth -- every living being is born, grows, and eventually reproduces. There is a great diversity of life cycles even among species we consider ``simple'': unicellular and primitive multicellular life forms. They reproduce in a number of ways: by fragmentation of the colony in multicellular pieces, by emission of unicellular propagules, and by dissolution of the organism into solitary cells. The choice of life cycle has a strong impact on the evolution of complex traits on the way to advanced multicellularity. But what drives the evolution of life cycles in the first place? The proposed research project will develop theoretical foundations for the evolution of multicellular life cycles. We will investigate the evolution of reproduction via a single-cell bottleneck (WP1), the impact of cell colony structure on the evolution of reproduction modes (WP2), the eco-evolutionary dynamics of multicellular life cycles (WP3), and generalise over previous findings to reveal the interplay of factors driving the evolution of multicellular life cycles (WP4). To do so, we will combine methods and insights from mathematics, physics, demography and classical biology. The proposed research program will cast light on the fundamental principles behind one of the most fascinating events in the history of life - the transition from simple solitary cells to complex multicellular existence. As such, the research results will be of interest not only to academics but also the general public. In addition, the Researcher will further enhance his knowledge and skills by working in an internationally renowned institution alongside experts in the field.

Mots clés : evolutionary theory, emergence of multicellularity, life cycles evolution

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet Q-light-matter (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Light-matter interaction is a fundamental physical phenomena that can be used to probe properties of the materials by spectroscopic measurements. However, experimental progress in manipulating light and matter at quantum level opens the possibility of using electromagnetic radiation to control and design material properties, by embedding them into high-finesse optical resonators. Cavity photons could be used to enhance or induce superconductivity, topological properties in electronic materials and to create new quantum phases characterised by new hybrid mixed light-matter quasiparticles. The aim of this project is to use properties of light to probe and engineer new phases of matter. In this project, I will study properties of mesoscopic capacitors and strongly correlated electronic materials coupled to (driven) electromagnetic field of the cavity. In particular, I will focus on creating strongly coupled electron-photon systems in mesoscopic quantum circuits coupled to resonators, on characterising the properties of strongly correlated electronic systems driven by cavity photons and the new phases of matter that can emerge in this context, due to the interplay between strong electron-electron interactions and light-matter coupling. This will require a development of new theoretical tools to study non-equilibrium dissipative fermion-boson systems. Moreover, I will study how one can generate new topological phases of matter with light in the setups based on a strongly correlated electronic material coupled to a (driven) cavity. This projects will be at the interface of mesoscopic physics, strongly correlated electrons and quantum optics, building on my past research experience and the expertise of the host group.

Mots clés : light matter interaction, cavity quantum electrodynamics, nonequilibrium systems, quantum dots, cavity resonators, quantum phase transitions, strongly correlated systems, topological phases of matter

Participants :
- Collège de France (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet PELIG (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Lignin, composed of phenylpropanoic units, represents an attractive raw material for renewable aromatic chemicals. Lignin valorisation instead of petrochemical industry for chemicals production is a hot research area in green chemistry. Microorganisms have been proven to evolve metabolic pathways that enable the break-down of lignin; however, this lignin-to-chemicals bioconversion by both fungi and bacteria lacks essential attributes to commercial implementation. In the forefront, “omics” research has pointed out potential target genes and enzymes for manipulation, leading to more applied lignin bioconversion studies. Bacterial lignin metabolism is attracting more attention due to its relatively simple protein expression and genetic modification compared to fungi, which provides a potential application of a targeted pathway engineering strategy for diversified lignin-derived byproducts accumulation and yield enhancement. Hence, the discovery of unknown lignin metabolic pathways and gene products in bacteria is of importance. In this context, the current proposed research will explore and manipulate a novel lignin metabolic pathway - transketolase lignin degradation pathway - in Rhodococcus for lignin-based renewable chemicals production by using a synthetic biology approach. The goal will be achieved by pursuing the following two objectives: 1) elucidation and characterization of the novel enzyme encoded with tklX and evaluation of its activity reacted with lignin model compounds as transketolase; 2) targeted gene deletion for pathway engineering in genetically tractable hosts to manipulate lignin breakdown. The results of this study will therefore establish a promising foundation for production of lignin-derived chemicals from renewable feedstocks via catabolic pathways. Meanwhile, the Action will clearly provide the Applicant with unique opportunities to reach a position of professional maturity.

Mots clés : green chemistry, lignin to chemicals bioconversion, bacteria, pathway engineering, enzyme, gene deletion

Participants :
- University of Warwick (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet EvoXUL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a renewable and inexhaustible carbon source on Earth and its valorisation will drive sustainable circular bioeconomy. Microorganisms involved in LCB deconstruction produce a huge repertoire of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) in order to utilize LCB as carbon source. Specifically, Bacteroides, encode fine-tuned gene clusters dedicated to polysaccharide metabolism called Polysaccharide Utilization Loci (PUL). The host team recently discovered a xylan PUL from termite gut whose enzymes showed promising activity on different LCB. In EvoXUL project an original co-evolution strategy will be deployed to simultaneously engineer XUL’s enzymes towards wheat bran and wheat straw hydrolysis. In addition, a combination of enzyme assemblies will be created thanks to the Bio Molecular Welding Jo-In system to further maximize the synergy between the catalysts and to unravel the impact of enzyme spatial organization with the goal of developing more efficient enzyme cocktails for bioeconomy. The fellow and members of the French National Institute for Applied Sciences of Toulouse (INSA Toulouse) will establish a successful collaboration plan on the basis of their respective backgrounds in hydrolases involved in biomass valorisation (biochemistry, applied enzymology, bioprocess engineering) and protein evolution, engineering, and functional characterization of glycoside hydrolases, respectively. The acquired knowledge in structure and synergism of modular enzymes will provide rules for tailor made enzyme assemblies for future industrial applications related with lignocellulosic feedstock biorefinery. The project will provide an in depth training in molecular biology, protein engineering and structure-function of carbohydrate modifying enzymes.

Mots clés : glycosyl transferases, enzyme co evolution, enzyme assemblies, xylan, lignocellulosic biomass

Participants :
- Institut national des sciences appliquées de Toulouse (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet RESTRIVIR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Like mammals, insects are infected by many viruses. Among them, arthropod-borne viruses are an increasing worldwide health concern. Insects have potent innate antiviral defenses, of which RNA interference (RNAi) is the main and best studied. In the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, the siRNA pathway controls viral replication in somatic tissues. The piRNA pathway, another RNAi based response, acts specifically in the reproductive tract (germline and follicular cells (FC), a monolayer of somatic cells surrounding the germline), to protect the genome against transposon mobilization. Other innate immunity or stress pathways also contribute to the antiviral defense. The host laboratory obtained evidence for a new mechanism controlling viral replication in the FCs of Drosophila. Indeed, a viral replicon derived from Flock House Virus and expressing GFP (FHVΔB2-GFP) is completely derepressed in somatic tissues of mutants for the siRNA pathway, except in FCs, where derepression is partial. No piRNAs of viral origin can be detected in these cells. This viral replicon provides a unique system to decipher a novel pathway restricting viral replication. For this, I will use a combination of forward and reverse genetic screens. EMS mutagenesis, screening for GFP expression and genome resequencing will be used to uncover genes responsible for restricting the replicon in FCs. Next, I will use GFP expression to sort restrictive and permissive FCs in a siRNA pathway mutant followed by RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes. The function of the identified genes will be tested in vivo, using shRNA Drosophila lines. Finally, OSS cells, an FC-derived cell line, will be transformed with the FHVΔB2-GFP replicon to evaluate candidate gene function ex vivo. The identification and characterization of genes involved in a novel viral restriction pathway will increase the knowledge about innate antiviral immunity, an important scientific topic with human health implications.

Mots clés : drosophila, antiviral immunity, genetic screen

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet CLOSER (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Linguistic research and foreign language teaching have been drifting apart from each other. At a time of declining social cohesion in polyglot Europe, scientifically sound and effective foreign language teaching is vital for mutual understanding, in particular, teaching of German, which will likely gain in importance as European lingua franca. CLOSER attempts to bring foreign language research and teaching closer together. Adopting quantitative research methods from usage-based cognitive linguistics, I investigate the acquisition of German two-way prepositions (2WYP), which poses significant challenges to foreign language learners. I use regression modeling and large data samples to pin down the factors which determine native choices and nonnative errors in authentic language use. Based on the findings, I develop a semi-artificial grammar learning experiment which provides insight into the interplay of input-driven implicit practice and metalinguistic explicit knowledge, which is crucial and unique to foreign language learning but widely unexplored in usage-based research. CLOSER is unique and original in supplying quantitative evidence to the ongoing linguistic debate about 2WYP. In unprecedented ways, CLOSER looks at the intricate interplay of forces at the implicit-explicit learning interface to bridge the gap to instructed foreign language teaching. Needless to say, however, research findings do not straightforwardly extend to instructed learning in classroom settings. Therefore, I develop online applications which generate teaching materials for optimized construction learning based on prototypical usage contexts and effective metalinguistic instructions. The CLOSER-inspired materials are then field-tested in a classroom study. As MSCA fellow at UiT under the supervision of Laura Janda, I will be able receive advanced training in quantitative methods and programming to successfully deliver CLOSER and build up networks and skills for its future exploitation.

Mots clés : german, grammar, second language acquisition, corpus, experiment, computational modeling

Participants :
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214158.72 €
Projet LD_Biogenesis (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Lipid droplets (LDs) are evolutionarily conserved dynamic organelles dedicated to storage of fat. Relatively little is known about the molecular processes that regulate nascent LD formation at specific sites in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Understanding LD biogenesis and degradation is crucial for deciphering the pathophysiology of LD storage disorders, like obesity, diabetes type-2, atherosclerosis, and lipodystrophy. The main objective of this project is to precisely map and characterize LD biogenesis sites in the ER using the model eukaryote, S. cerevisiae. One reason so little is known about the earliest stages of LD biogenesis is that until recently we have not had tools to visualize and characterize these sites. However, I have generated a yeast strain in which it is possible to use electron microscopy to image the earliest stages of LD biogenesis. In a recently published study I used this strain to characterize early stages of LD biogenesis and I propose to use this strain to investigate the role of a number of proteins in LD biogenesis by using mutants lacking these proteins. In addition, I have developed the first fluorescent protein marker of sites of nascent LD biogenesis. This new protein will allow me to use fluorescent microscopy to visualize LD biogenesis in live cells and in mutants lacking proteins known to be involved in LD biogenesis. I will also use this protein as a molecular tool to identify proteins and lipids that are enriched at LD biogenesis sites in the ER by performing immuno-purification and mass-spec analyses. The proposed studies will reveal and identify proteins and lipids necessary for the earliest stages of LD biogenesis and will make possible future mechanistic studies of LD biogenesis. My participation in “LD_biogenesis” will broaden my scientific expertise and hone my competences in becoming a successful project investigator.

Mots clés : lipid droplets, yeast, lipid droplet biogenesis, triglyceride synthase

Participants :
- University of Fribourg (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187419.6 €