Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet INSCAPE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

Voltage gated sodium channels (NaVs) are the primary transmembrane proteins underlying fast electrical communication in neurons of the peripheral and central nervous system (PNS and CNS). Being such an integral part of neuronal signaling, they are implicated in a number of severe diseases that have a major impact on human society. However, drugs and established therapies targeting NaVs are rare due to common off-target effects. Therefore, new NaV-blockers will be developed and used for in vivo imaging using positron emission tomography (PET). For this purpose, novel derivatives of the recently disclosed truncated batrachotoxin (tr-BTX), which represent a completely new type of NaV-blockers, will be synthesized and their ability to block different NaV isoforms (NaV1.1 to 1.8) will be tested using fluorescent assays. The most promising candidates will then be labeled using different positron emitting isotopes such as carbon-11 (11C) and fluorine-18 (18F) exploiting different radioactive half-lifes and metabolic stability. The resulting “hot-tr-BTX” will be subsequently employed in small rodent PET-scans revealing their in vivo pharmacokinetics. This novel and unique tool will provide three major immediate benefits. First, hot-tr-BTX might deliver a general imaging probe for nervous activity in the PNS, and potentially the CNS, by monitoring NaV function in vivo. Secondly, this will allow the investigation of various pain conditions and neurodegenerative diseases and link their pathogenesis to NaV-function. Thirdly, the proposed research might deliver not only new NaV-blockers as potential drug candidates, but will also provide a valuable method facilitating the development of long awaited drugs targeting NaVs for pain therapy, a goal that is currently intensely investigated by numerous European and global pharmaceutical companies.

Mots clés : voltage gated sodium channels, pain research, neurodegeneratie diseases, modified natural products, medicinal chemistry, positron emission tomography

Participants :
- Stanford University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University Hospital Cologne (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 239860.8 €
Projet InSpeCo (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Voluntary reclusion was an ancient form of penitential religious life based on withdrawing into a tight space, either temporarily or forever. The particular phenomenon of urban reclusion which flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries was a mainly female activity, need not be tied to a religious order, and seems to have been linked to the expansion of cities across Europe. It is an important indicator of female levels of religious participation and of their social role since these women often acted as consultants and advisors to the wider community. This research project will thus improve our understanding of a phenomenon that characterized all of Latin Europe, as of the condition of medieval woman, while also reshaping our image of the medieval city, to one scattered with cells. There is, currently, a great disparity in historiographical terms between Italy and the rest of the continent on this subject. Whereas some parts of Europe and of northern Italy are relatively well researched, others are devoid of studies. The aim of this project is thus to verify whether – and if so, how and why – there was an Italian model of reclusion with characteristics different to those beyond the Alps; how recluses related to the urban communities from which they withdrew and the extent to which this phenomenon was a way for medieval women to break the silence imposed by St Paul ("Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak",1 Corinthians 14:34); to exercise from and thanks to the cell a sort of power on the civil and ecclesiastical society; to break out of conventional, restricted roles of mother or wife or nun imposed by the medieval society, or more often a dignified way of life for poor single women, for whom the lack of a dowry barred entry to a nunnery or marriage. The first step will thus be the construction of a prosopographical database of Italian anchoresses mapping the phenomenon, followed by a comparative study of Italy in European context

Mots clés : anchoresses, middle ages, voluntary reclusion, medieval religious and social, history, gender studies, inclusion, exclusion, identity, alterity, european identity, sacred, topography, digital humanities

Participants :
- University of St Andrews (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet Smart BioSense (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

WHY: Although the impressive advances in the field of biosensing, most efforts are oriented in delivering lower limits of detection, whereas other aspects remain unattended. As consequence, the majority of novel assays for the detection of biomarkers still require: sophisticated equipment, washing intensive, reagent-intensive multi step processes. To effectively overcome the cited limitations and clear the way to the desired point-of-care tests (reagentless, single step, quick response, reusable, user friendly, robust and precise) it is mandatory to engineer the recognition elements (RE). WHAT: The aim of the proposal, SBS, is to develop novel electrochemical biosensors by engineering the RE responsible of detection. I will achieve so by rationally applying mechanisms found in nature; First, I will explore the amazing single-step, reagentless signal transduction naturally occurring biological systems. Next, I will enhance precision of the recognition element (high output upon subtle variations of target concentration) through the insertion of cooperativity. Finally, I will deploy the engineered RE in biosensing approaches. HOW: During the fellowship I will undertake a training program to develop skills and acquire expertise in biophysiscs, molecular biology and electrochemical biosensor. In a first out-going phase I will join Prof. K. Plaxco (UCSB) who is a world-wide expert in biomolecule folding and biophysics, there I will develop the engineered folding based RE. In the subsequent phase I will join Prof. F. Ricci group at University of Rome, Tor Vergata. Prof. Ricci leads a young and dynamic group specialized in the field nanotechnology, DNA engineering and electrochemical biosensors. Within his group I will work in the application of the RE into biosensors. The fellowship will grant the chance to build a robust, prestigious and attractive scientific record, while the knowledge and skills acquired will improve gratly my career.

Mots clés : binding induced folding receptors, cooperative recognition elements, electrochemical biosensors, electrochemical dna sensors, reagentless biosensors, aptamers

Participants :
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 244269.0 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet DNA-NANO-AB (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

WHY: Antibody detection plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of many human disorders including infectious, autoimmune, and oncological diseases. Unfortunately, current methods routinely used for the detection of these biomarkers still require sophisticated equipment, washing intensive, reagent-intensive multi-step processes. In attempt to overcome the cited limitations, it’s mandatory find new approaches for the sensitive detection of antibodies. WHAT: DNA-NANO-AB proposes the development of DNA-based novel, rapid, user friendly, robust, sensitive and low cost electrochemical NANOdevices for orthogonal multiplex detection of antibodies that may be advantageous over existing methods for the detection of clinically-relevant antibodies and could be well-positioned for point-of-care applications. I will achieve this goal by rationally designing and fabricating disposable DNA-based sensing platforms in which the detection of specific antibodies will be signaled, and amplified, through an electrochemical read-out approach. The developed platforms will be characterized, optimized and then tested for the dosage of immunoglobulins levels directly in real representative samples. HOW: During the fellowship I will undertake a training program to develop skills and acquire expertise in molecular biology, electrochemical biosensor and DNA Nanotechnology. To achieve these objectives, I will combine the different scientific backgrounds and expertise of two leading scientists: Prof. Plaxco (University of California Santa Barbara), a world-wide expert in electrochemical biosensors, and Prof. Ricci (University of Rome, Tor Vergata), a young researcher active at the forefront of DNA nanotechnology for diagnostic and drug-delivery applications. Thanks to this MSC Fellowship, I will diversify my scientific knowledge and acquire cutting-edge competences as well as complementary skills, which will become the foundation of my scientific independence.

Mots clés : electrochemical biosensors, electrochemical dna sensors, reagentless biosensors, disposable electrochemical devices, aptamers, dna nanotechnology, dna nanodevices

Participants :
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 251002.56 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet WRAP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

WRAP (WRiting At Pylos) will combine epigraphic and archaeological methods to provide new insights into the Mycenaean Greek texts written on clay tablets in the palace of Pylos in SW Greece, and into the ways in which scribes used the Linear B writing system in their work within the palatial administration. As the only Mycenaean site with a large number of securely contemporary Linear B tablets (c.1000, nearly all written within the same year c.1200 BCE), Pylos offers a unique view of palatial economic and administrative concerns and of the practices of a community of writers. This innovative interdisciplinary action, based in the British School at Athens and supervised by Prof. John Bennet, a leading expert in interdisciplinary studies of Linear B, will shed new light on the processes and people involved in creating the clay tablets and the ways in which the scribes were trained to use this writing system for administrative recordkeeping; it will also illuminate the development of the Linear B writing system over time and the use of palaeographic variation to date groups of texts. These objectives will be accomplished through a detailed analysis of the palaeography and physical features of the original tablets, which this action’s location in Athens will enable the ER to study in the National Archaeological Museum, and an experimental archaeology project on the processes of tablet production, to be carried out in conjunction with the BSA’s Fitch Laboratory, which will provide training in ceramic analysis and experimental design. This ground-breaking investigation of palaeography and tablet production will not only produce a new understanding of the work of the scribes of Pylos and make important contributions to ongoing debates over Mycenaean chronology and history; it will also provide a more rigorous comparative and methodological basis for future studies aimed at a more complete understanding of the practices of the scribes from all of the Mycenaean palaces.

Mots clés : linear b, aegean prehistory, mycenaean greece, late bronze age greece, prehistoric archaeology, epigraphy, palaeography, writing systems, scribal practices

Participants :
- British School at Athens (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 153085.44 €
Projet I-SENS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Walking requires interactions among a central unit (motor system), actuators (musculoskeletal system) and real-time feedback (sensory system). When a brain lesion occurred, such as in cerebral palsy (CP), this is reflected to these systems. With this proposal, I aim to understand how the impaired system interaction affect walk ability. CP is the most predominant childhood disability. This disability is generally defined mainly as motor impairment, but it is known to be associated with somatosensory disorders. The sensory system is composed by sensation and perception. Here the perception will be assessed as cortical proprioceptive processing using MEG. The motor system will be analysed at the spinal level and in terms of resistance to passive ankle movement (neural and non-neural components of spasticity), whilst the lower limb musculoskeletal properties are quantified as morphology, stiffness and composition. I will focus on three objectives: (1) to unveil the interaction between spasticity and cortical proprioceptive processing, (2) to establish methodologies for extracting lower limb musculoskeletal properties and associate them with gait ability; (3) to understand whether is possible to delineate a statistical model that describes how altered motor, musculoskeletal and sensory systems at the ankle joint level affect gait ability. I will quantitatively analyse CP as sensorimotor disorder, thus opening new scientific and clinical frontiers. To successfully perform this project, I established a cooperation between myself and experts in musculoskeletal (my supervisor Prof. Taija Finni) and sensorimotor (Assoc.Prof. Harri Piitulainen) systems at the host institution. Their knowledge, their research teams and the facilities available will allow me to perform the planned study. Moreover, I will exploit the collaboration with KTH Stockholm during my secondment for comprehensively analyse musculoskeletal properties to become an independent professional.

Mots clés : magnetoencephalography, musculoskeletal medical imaging, gait analysis, cortical proprioception, muscle and tendon morphology, muscle composition, muscle stiffness, cerebral palsy

Participants :
- University of Jyväskylä (Finlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 190680.96 €
Projet InnoDAF (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Water and resources recovery from sewage stand at the foreground of circular economy and technological innovation in the wastewater industry 4.0. The approach of up-concentration of municipal effluent upon arrival at the wastewater treatment facilities followed by anaerobic digestion allows closing cycles and is an alternative solution to conventional activated sludge processes, which have little or no reuse. Dissolved air flotation (DAF) has great potential as an up-concentration process, a first priority of the above-mentioned combo system. To bring the technology readiness level of DAF for up-concentration of sewage and A-sludge to a higher level to make it ready for the market, the knowledge gap in fluid mechanisms of flocculation and hydraulic performance in DAF will be addressed based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and integrated model framework of CFD and PBM (population balance model) and XDLVO (extended Derjaguin-Laudau-Verwey-Overbeek) forces, a totally complete bottom-up approach. Extensive validation experiments of fluid flow velocity, bubble and floc property (density, size distribution, interfacial force, etc.) and residence time distribution in bench- and pilot-scale DAF will be carried out together with the modeling work to build a simulation platform for reliable hydrodynamic prediction in DAF. Based on this platform, optimization of DAF will be carried out in terms of design and operation. A major reduction in the pretreatment flocculation times and an increase of floc stability will be achieved by optimizing contact zone, flocculator pipes and chemical dosage in sewage up-concentration. A major increase in the hydraulic loadings with flow pattern optimization will be pursued by modifying the configuration of contact and separation zone and by varying operations.

Mots clés : water reuse, resource recovery, dissolved air flotation, computational fluid dynamics, population balance model, up concentration, circular economy, simulation, optimization, anaerobic digestion

Participants :
- Ghent University (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet CROSSROADS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Water availability in the Mediterranean basin is projected to decrease in the future in the 6th IPCC report. It is largely influenced by wintertime synoptic atmospheric circulations, as the westerlies play a crucial role in the distribution of both rainfall and heat. However, to date, climate models have lacked the accuracy to predict the evolution of atmospheric circulations, making water availability projections uncertain and thus hampering adaptation strategies by policy makers. The Holocene epoch has been extensively studied to refine our understanding of climate and test the efficiency of climate models and proxies. And yet, mismatches among proxies and models leave the issue of the mechanisms and evolution of the westerlies still unresolved. In this fellowship, we will address this issue by studying the Holocene sediments recovered from the deep Dead Sea. The deep Dead Sea temperature is mainly influenced by winter air temperature and its level depends on the Jordan discharge that is fueled by winter rainfall, making this site ideal to reconstruct the winter variables affected by the westerlies. We will use novel methods based on spectroscopy and spectrometry on salt fluid inclusions (FIs) to reconstruct Holocene lake temperature and composition and we will develop a new method exploiting the lake composition, thickness of deposited salt, speed of sound in FIs, sediments microfacies and X-ray fluorescence elemental composition to reconstruct lake levels. As, in these arid latitudes, it has been impossible so far to obtain Holocene winter temperatures and hydrological reconstructions are scant, and because this site responds in an unusual way to changes in westerlies, I believe this action will prove key in understanding the evolution of the westerlies.

Mots clés : salt fluid inclusions, dead sea, westerly winds, winter air temperature, lake level, holocene

Participants :
- Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 264669.12 €
- Research Foundation for the State University of New York (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet FluidNET (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Water is arguably the single most important volatile phase in the Earth’s continental crust. Fluids transfer and concentrate elements, enhance chemical reactions and facilitate deformation. In addition, through impact on porosity and permeability, fluids facilitate mass movement of fluids and dissolved substances. The transported elements may eventually concentrate in economically important reserves. Finding and responsibly exploiting such reserves depends on understanding how, when and where fluids flow from the scale of micrometres to kilometres. Dwindling or geopolitically restricted supply and increasing demand for resources accentuate the urgency for fluid transport models based on more comprehensive data and groundtruthing. The overall scientific aim of FluidNET is to contribute to the underpinning data, development and testing of new nano- to crustal-scale models of crustal fluid flux by constraining the time and length scales, mechanisms and provenance of crustal fluid fluxes at different crustal levels. To truly advance research on fluid fluxes, and thus impact society and in particular industry, a new generation of skilled personnel is required, who can work with such complex systems, and make interpretations and predictions based on large and incomplete datasets. FluidNET will provide a stimulating cross-disciplinary environment for the training of a cohort of early stage researchers, ESRs, in skills that are essential across the resources sector. Our training programme will challenge the ESRs with societally relevant questions, and will encourage them to ‘think outside the box’. They will learn to apply field observations, innovative analytical techniques and creative modelling approaches; to communicate effectively with a broad range of audiences; and to engage effectively with end-users of their research. Such skills will meet future employment demand and will enhance Europe’s capacity to provide innovative solutions to critical resource requirements.

Mots clés : timescales, pulsed fluid migration, continental crust

Participants :
- RWTH Aachen University (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 287897.9 €
- University of Milano-Bicocca (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 261499.68 €
- Utrecht University (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 265619.88 €
- University of Münster (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 505576.8 €
- Amphos 21 (Spain) (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 250904.88 €
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 743514.31 €
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 265619.88 €
- The Open University (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 606345.12 €