Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet Combat_ALS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that occurs in families, and sporadically in individuals. It was recently discovered that the massive expansion of a GC-rich hexanucleotide in the intron of the gen C9orf72 is its most frequent genetic cause. Many efforts have been dedicated to decipher the mechanisms by which this repeat expansion contributes to the disease. Although not completely understood, the most prominent mechanism suggested is the toxicity mediated by bidirectional transcription of RNA containing expansion of the repeated motif. These transcripts form nuclear RNA foci may sequester RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) leading to a loss of function. Recent investigations have reported on RBPs that specifically interact with quadruplex structures formed by repeat-containing C9orf72 RNAs. All these evidences make C9orf72 a very promising therapeutic target for ALS. This proposal is focused on the development of new therapeutic tools based on targeting C9orf72 repeat-containing RNA. The objective is finding chemical agents able to counteract the toxicity induced by these RNAs. I will explore antisense and siRNA oligonucleotides containing novel chemical modifications with improved properties. I will study their structure, stability and silencing potencies. Moreover, I propose to use new screening methods to find small compounds with good affinity and specificity for C9orf72 repeats. This proposal includes an in-depth study of the binding mode of the most promising ligands by high resolution NMR, and in vivo testing. For this final aim, I will address the generation of human cerebral organoids carrying C9orf72 repeat expansion and their use to test the therapeutic strategies mentioned above.

Mots clés : g quadruplex, i motif, c9orf72, 2 f ana, antisense therapy, sirna, ligand screening, organoids

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 224683.2 €
- McGill University (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet CoPEC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

An ambitious and rich project is proposed to advance knowledge in the field of soft condensed matter Physics, and more particularly in the area of colloids and complex fluid interfaces. The main task of this proposal of fundamental nature is to investigate the physical properties of colloidal particles evolving in elasto-capillary fields, i.e. particles attached to liquid crystal interfaces. Such systems remain largely unexplored today and represent a new type of material whose properties are anticipated to be mainly governed by the coupling between capillary and elastic phenomena. Such couplings may lead to novel colloidal interactions and the subsequent discovery of new collective properties which could be exploited for designing materials with yet unknown important functions. In “CoPEC”, we will tackle the subject by using numerical simulations based on continuum theories. The objectives are to gain knowledge on (i) the behaviour of a single particle, (ii) pair interaction potentials, and (iii) self-assembly properties. We will consider solid micron-sized particles attached to both planar and curved nematic liquid crystal interfaces and vary the numerous system parameters (e.g., boundary conditions) in a systematic way. Both static and dynamic simulations will be carried out. The salient novelty of “CoPEC” is to bring together two different fields, namely the so-called (bulk) liquid crystal colloids and colloids at fluid interfaces, which have been extensively but rather independently studied so far. Capillarity, elasticity, topological defects, flow field, nematic field, interfacial deformations and interfacial curvature will be all entangled in our studies and potential breakthroughs can be reasonably expected. This innovative project will make use of the candidate’s well-recognized expertise in the above fields combined with the state-of-the-art large-scale numerical simulations on complex fluids flows of Prof. J.J. Feng at the host institution.

Mots clés : colloids, fluid interfaces, capillarity, liquid crystals, elasticity, topological defects, fluid flow, particle interactions, self assembly

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Bordeaux (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 232160.4 €
- University of British Columbia (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet QuProbe (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

An efficient readout of the available information is the key ingredient for understanding many-body systems when performing quantum simulations. In quantum systems every extraction of information implies a backaction altering the system’s state. The main objective of this proposal is to develop and experimentally apply minimum disturbing and quantum limited probes for many-body quantum systems. We aim at understanding the influence of measurement backaction onto many-body systems. We will combine techniques known from the field of ultracold atoms, quantum optics, and biological imaging with our expertise on many-body quantum systems. Ultracold bosonic quantum gases in one-dimensional trapping potentials are used to study fundamental open problems in the realm of quantum many-body systems. The probing is performed in two ways: Interferometric schemes with off-resonant light are used to implement local weak measurements. Outcoupling of few atoms allows us to realize weak probing of the quantum system. Both methods will allow for local probing and spatially resolved readout. We will perform benchmarking measurements with many-body systems studying the quantum backaction. With the new methods at hand, we will investigate the role of controlled openness for isolated many-body quantum dynamics. Further, our methods will for the first time allow the measurement of a fluctuation-dissipation relation with ultracold atoms. The project is relevant for the Horizon 2020 program as it will offer new possibilities to study large quantum systems which are fundamentally important for future quantum technologies. The insights will be of importance beyond the ultracold atoms community and trigger and enable research also in different fields as for example biological imaging.


Participants :
- TU Wien (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 186167.04 €
Projet AnaFree (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Analysis of Freekeh Aroma, Sensory-perception and Preparation Methods Freekeh (Arabic, ‘rubbed’) is an ancient wheat product with a unique preparation method and flavor profile. It is essentially immature durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) grains, harvested while plants are green and the seeds are soft. The plants are stacked and then set on fire (usually in situ) to rid of stalks, awns and leaves. Bushels are then threshed, grains separated from the chaff, dried and cracked. The production process lends a smoky, complex aroma to the finished product, described as nutty, earthy and smoky. Compared to dried mature Durum Freekeh is richer in fiber, protein, sugars and Mn and has a low glycemic index. Timing of harvest determines much of the quality, since protein, fiber and antioxidants decrease while phytate levels increase in parallel to seed maturation. Additionally, sugars are converted into starch as the grains fill, making seeds that are in the milk-ripe to mid-dough-ripe stages optimal. Worldwide production is rising (>300K ton/yr), demand in western country increases and it is also used in Haute Cuisine. Although its popularity, Freekeh has not been studied for its aroma/flavor profiles. I believe this product could serve as an interesting model for both basic and applicable research that has been, to date, underrepresented in food science. I propose to: a. Investigate the aroma/flavor profiles of Freekeh (e.g. volatile compounds, sugars and organic acids). Special focus will be given to compounds imparting its smoky attributes and their precursors. b. Analyze the sensory perception of consuming Freekeh dishes and to evaluate its consumer acceptability. c. Test the production method of Freekeh by utilizing common cereals (Rye, Barley, Spelt) or by adding different smoke sources. d. Evaluating the use of Freekeh in modern cuisine.

Mots clés : aroma, volatile, flavor, sugar, organic acids, wheat, plant, food, gastronomy

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 219312.0 €
Projet MITafterVIT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of a systemic hypersensitivity reaction, which can be fatal within minutes after exposure to a trigger such as wasp venom. VIT has been the only treatment available to prevent subsequent anaphylactic wasp-sting reactions even years after treatment termination. The goal of this project is to understand molecular mechanisms of maintained immune tolerance (MIT) after completing venom immunotherapy (VIT). We aim to find biomarkers for MIT that could be specifically triggered to increase efficiency of VIT. In contrast to wasp venom anaphylactic patients of the general population, wasp venom anaphylactic patients with a clonal mast cell disease (CMD) do not maintain immune tolerance after VIT termination. These patients carry a clonal D816V point mutation in the tyrosine kinase receptor KIT. We hypothesize that the MIT in wasp venom anaphylactic CMD patients is dysregulated due to the carriage of KIT D816V mutation in immune cells. We will, therefore, compare blood plasma proteins and blood cells of venom-induced anaphylaxis patients with a CMD to patients without a CMD. This project addresses our hypothesis with three specific objectives: Firstly, we will identify plasma proteins (in work package 1; WP1) and, secondly, blood cell types (WP2) that are crucial for MIT. Thirdly, we will study the role of the identified candidates from WP1 and WP2 in maintaining immune tolerance (WP3) and investigate whether or not the detected dysregulations are due to KIT D816V (WP3). We estimate that our results will, therefore, be directly relevant for 0.3% of the European population who experience anaphylaxis and bares potential to be also beneficial for patients suffering from other allergic diseases, which account for a significant part of the population worldwide.

Mots clés : anaphylaxis, venom immunotherapy, clonal mast cell disease

Participants :
- Karolinska Institutet (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191852.16 €
Projet GeoMOP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Ancient roads cross-culturally reflect motivations and needs behind social, economic, political and religious relations of past societies; they imposed spatial order on agricultural production, enabled transportation of bulk-goods, mediated hegemonic power, and facilitated urban fabric. Everyday actions of past individuals must have had contributed to the formation of roads. And, in return roads must have had sustained individual (and societal) connectivity. Therefore, considered not only as the container of action, but also the action itself, the road has much more to say on the ancient movement praxis. GeoMOP investigates Early Bronze Age roads (also called hollow ways) in Upper Mesopotamia. At this space-time continuum, the movement praxis of the political economy contributed to the formation of roads. In realization of this, GeoMOP will construct an exceptionally detailed typology of hollow ways. The methodology axiomatizes that variations in the volumes of ancient movement resulted in quantifiable differences in soil compaction which in return variably changed soil composition and structure. GeoMOP will explore these differences via satellite remote sensing under the sensor fusion paradigm. In following, an Agent Based Model will be constructed to estimate numbers of moving agents (e.g. herd animals and wheeled carts). Results of the study will far surpass the current archaeological knowledge on locations and dimensions of hollow ways —the container, and will build an analytical model for the ancient traffic —the action. In return, movement praxis will provide details of EBA political economy; including land ownership, urban-rural relationships, and nodes of economic complexity. In particular, GeoMOP will investigate questions, such as: if the spatial configuration and use intensity of roads can describe variations in economies and reflect conflicting economic interests of different social groups.

Mots clés : satellite remote sensing, agent based modelling, sensor fusion, ancient traffic, hollow ways, early bronze age, upper mesopotamia

Participants :
- National Research Council (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 168277.2 €
Projet TechnoC-Cap (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Animal cultures represent an often neglected layer of biological diversity and a powerful model for the study of human evolution. Robust capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) are emerging as a new model for cultural and technological evolution in humans, phylogenetically independent from the established chimpanzee model. Available data suggest a great potential for cultural diversity across the robust capuchins range, especially within the tool use domain. However, capuchins’ behavioural diversity remains so far mostly unknown. This fellowship will establish an innovative, multidisciplinary protocol to map tool use traditions across space and time in wild capuchins not habituated to human presence. The training through research activity will allow me, a field primatologist, to acquire essential skills to describe animal tool use from an archeological perspective and strengthen my ability to conceive, design and apply behavioral experiments. Specifically, I propose to: - use environmental surveys and camera trap monitoring to describe tool use behaviour at a new site in terms of behavioural repertoire, tool selection and tool transport; - test and apply a new approach, based on field experiments, to detect tool use behaviours in primate populations not habituated to human presence; - excavate tool use sites to trace the temporal development of technological traditions at a previously unstudied geographical location with unhabituated capuchins. This research will i) extend, for the first time, the field of primate archeology to unhabituated populations of non-human tool-using primates and ii) serve as a platform to launch a large-scale, multidisciplinary exploration of technological and cultural diversity in robust capuchins. This will ultimately allow to tackle the ecological and cultural drivers of behavioural diversity in capuchins and to shed light into evolutionary scenarios about human cultural evolution and the emergence of tool use.

Mots clés : capuchin monkeys, animal tool use, primate cultures, lithic technology, archeological method, field experiments, camera traps, unhabituated populations, cultural evolution, cognitive skills

Participants :
- Sapienza University of Rome (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183473.28 €
Projet UMMATR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Animal development and homeostasis critically depend on the accurate regulation of gene expression, which includes the silencing of genes that should not be active. Silencing or repression of transcription is mediated by a specific class of transcription factors termed repressors that, typically via the recruitment of co-repressors, can dominantly suppress transcription, even in the presence of activating cues. While the importance of such “active repression” is emphasized by severe developmental defects and diseases like cancer that can result when repressors are mutated, how repressors function is not well understood. In particular, how repression is achieved mechanistically and whether all repressors can repress all activators has remained elusive. Here, I propose to study the functional properties of repressors and the mechanisms of active repression by an interdisciplinary approach that combines genome-wide experiments, targeted assays, and bioinformatics. Specifically, I will use high-throughput functional assays in combination with the Gal4/UAS system to systematically test whether transcriptional repressors can repress all active promoters and enhancers or only specific ones but not others. Further, I aim to uncover the mechanisms behind active repression by recruiting repressors to active promoters and enhancers in a rapidly inducible manner, using chemically-inducible-proximity, to then assess the changes to DNA accessibility, histone modifications, and Pol II activity. In addition, I will measure differential protein composition and PTMs at active genomic regions, before and during induced repression. These approaches should identify critical molecular events, proteins, or PTMs and allow me to test their causal involvement in repression. This project has the potential to greatly improve our mechanistic understanding of transcriptional repression, which despite its importance for gene expression, development and disease has remained poorly understood.

Mots clés : mechanisms behind active transcriptional repression, repressors and co repressors

Participants :
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 174167.04 €
Projet SACHROFICS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Animal sacrifice was a major institution for meat distribution in Classical, Hellenistic and Roman societies. Early research suggested that meat consumption was infrequent in the Greco-Roman world but recent zooarchaeological and isotopic data indicate larger quantities from a diverse suite of animals consumed in temple precincts. Sacrificial meat was also consumed in secular contexts but the details are unknown. Despite recent advances, important aspects are in urgent need of investigation through primary data. These include the husbandry systems that produced the animals, the selection process for sacrificed and non-sacrificed animals, the logistics of consumption and differences between religious and secular contexts. Plants also played roles in sacrificial practices and fluctuations in their use is another proxy for cultural and economic change. In addition to these themes, our knowledge of sacrificial food suffers from geographical gaps and a dearth of diachronic studies. Project SACHROFICS addresses these gaps through an interdisciplinary study of sacrificial food in Classical, Hellenistic and Roman Cyprus. This choice covers an important geographic gap, provides an ideal ‘laboratory’ to assess external influences and a cultural melting pot to study the fusion of eastern and Greco-Roman cultures. The project aspires to achieve high-resolution insights into animal treatment before, during and after sacrificial events through a methodological suite spearheaded by zooarchaeology and complemented by stable isotope, dental microwear and archaeobotanical analyses. These insights form a solid basis to fulfil its objective of understanding the entire chain of operations involved in sacrificial food (production, consumption, deposition), and contribute to debates on the role of food in Greco-Roman societies diachronically. The integration of the project’s findings in the eastern Mediterranean amplifies the knowledge produced and increases its relevance to other areas.

Mots clés : zooarchaeology, stable isotopes, dental microwear, archaeobotany, eastern mediterranean, cyprus

Participants :
- Cyprus Institute (Chypre) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 236911.68 €
Projet CheliceLand (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Animals have marine origins, with only three phyla including lineages that can complete every phase of their life cycle outside of water–saturated environments. These phyla are the Vertebrata (reptiles, birds and mammals), the Mollusca (land snails and the slugs) and the Arthropoda (e.g. insects, spiders, centipedes). The process through which animals adapted to life on land is referred to as terrestrialisation and it is one of the most fascinating unresolved problems in evolutionary biology. The crossing of the water–land barrier was the most extreme case of adaptation to a new environment in animal history. In fact, the difference between the sea and the subaereal environment is so extreme that astrobiology uses terrestrialisation as an analog to study how life could adapt to a new planet. Here, I propose a molecular palaeobiological approach where genomic and fossil information will be combined for the first time to study animal terrestrialisation. I will focus on the Chelicerata (spiders, mites, scorpions and their allies), a megadiverse arthropod lineage. Chelicerates represent an ideal model system to investigate the tempo and mode of early animal terrestrialisation, because they were the first animals to become abundant in the terrestrial fossil record. We shall investigate chelicerate relationships, define a timescale of chelicerate evolution, and identify the genomic adaptation that allowed marine chelicerates to adapt to life on land. This is a blue skies project, however, studying the most extreme case of habitat colonization can help understanding the biology of current invasive species. Chelicerates include pests (e.g. spider mites) and species of biomedical relevance (e.g. ticks). By identifying chelicerate–specific genomic adaptation to life on land, this project will identify potential chelicerate–specific drug targets which may help the development of specific pesticides with low incidence on economically important arthropods, like declining bees.

Mots clés : chelicerata, eccysozoa

Participants :
- University of Bristol (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €