Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet SENAGE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cancer is a major public health problem and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In particular, it has been the second cause of death in Spain, Europe and United States. Although cancer can occur at any age, aging is one of the main risk factors for its development. Aging is a complex scarcely understood multi-step process associated with the gradual functional decline of organs and systems. In addition, age-dependent changes in epigenetic regulation occur, indicating that epigenetic regulation may also play an important role in aging. Similar changes have been observed at the cellular level in a mechanism known as senescence. This mechanism is a cellular response that limits the proliferation of aged or damaged cells, behaving as a tumor suppressor mechanism and transformation events lead to escape from it. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia are the most frequent types of leukemias and have median ages at diagnosis of 68 years. Both have a low incidence in the young population and increase with age. Thus, it is important to explore novel approaches to understand the mechanisms of aging favoring these types of leukemias, thereby unraveling new target molecules for treatment and prevention. We propose to explore the senescence epigenetic profile in leukemic cells, the impact of senolytic drugs in patients and in the development of AML in spontaneous animal model. The approach will bridge cancer epigenetics with senescence, aging and leukemogenesis. This proposal will augment my scientific knowledge and practical skills. In addition, the complementary planned activities of the action will provide me to the additional tools to become an independent investigator in the near future.

Mots clés : senescence, leukemogenesis, hematopoiesis

Participants :
- Fundación Josep Carreras Contra la Leucemia (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172932.48 €
Projet G4Redox (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. In spite of the great advances in cancer therapy over the past two decades, there is still a pressing need to develop new therapies with reduced side effects caused by conventional therapies. Historically, many chemotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer, have targeted DNA. But targeting genomic DNA has some disadvantages such as undesired side effects due to low selectivity of most chemotherapeutics (e.g. cisplatin and alkylating agents). In this project I aim to address this problem via the development of ‘smart’ compounds that have the following features: (i) target G-quadruplex DNA structures instead of duplex DNA; this non-canonical DNA topologies form transiently during replication and transcription (as well as in the telomeric region) and have been identified as attractive targets for anticancer drugs (ii) developing compounds that are only activated in tumors and not in healthy tissue to achieve this, I have designed pro-drugs that are only activated in the hypoxic (low levels of oxygen) conditions present in tumors and only when activated can target G-quadruplex DNA (iii) my ‘smart’ compounds will not only target G-quadruplex DNA once activated but will release a second drug able to target other cancer molecular targets (e.g. topoisomerase I, COX-2) to cause a cumulative response of the chemotherapeutic agent. I expect to see significant synergism between the different chemotherapeutics released upon activation of the pro-drug. This synergy in the activities is expected to play an important role to overcome drug resistance. The multidisciplinary nature of the project is strong. The proposal includes both way transfer of knowledge between the host group at Imperial College of London and the candidate in new advanced skill sets and techniques. The proposed work will expand my experience, research competencies, and professional networks, enhancing the development of my career as an independent researcher.

Mots clés : hypoxia triggered multi action g quadruplex dna binders

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet COHEMEX (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cancer, the uncontrolled division and spread of cells, represents one of the most important causes of death in Europe and all over the world. Understanding how cells control their division is the key to comprehend and cure cancer. Eukaryotic cells divide through mitosis to produce new cells with identical DNA. Yet, mitosis has to be ended for the two cells to be separated to become individual cells with the capacity to further divide. This occurs by a process called mitotic exit. Mitotic exit is a critical step during cell division. Failure to control mitotic exit is the key cause of aneuploidy and genomic instability, which are hallmarks of cancer. Therefore, gaining a comprehensive knowledge of mitotic exit regulation will have significant impact on understanding and treatment of cancer. In this project, the researcher will uncover a novel mechanism that control exit from mitosis mitotic. This novel regulation has the potential to define a molecular target to fight cancer in long term. Researchers previous research experience puts her in a unique position to perform this project. This fellowship will also allow the researcher to build a successful academic career, to acquire new expertise and soft skills, and to establish future collaborations through dissemination, communication and training. Furthermore with this fellowship, researcher will help increase public awareness of science through outreach activities.

Mots clés : mitosis, mitotic exit, mitotic control, chromosome segregation, cell cycle

Participants :
- Koç University (Turquie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 157845.6 €
Projet BIOTHECT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) constitute a highly profitable market in EU’s economy. Their high stiffness and strength and low density allow engineers to design lightweight structures with a lower carbon footprint than conventional metallic ones. Nonetheless, CFRPs hold two main drawbacks which hinder their exploitation in industry: 1) poor damage and impact tolerance; and 2) limited design space due to the lack of robust design tools and the limited capability of past manufacturing technologies. This 2-year fellowship tackles these drawbacks by developing novel bio-inspired, tailorable and healable multi-impact resistant CFRTP (BIOTHECT) structures. BIOTHECT uses helicoidal layups to minimise fibre breakage during impact and a thermoplastic matrix to enable healing. BIOTHECT structures address current industrial needs for lower maintenance costs, sustainability and weight savings. A novel numerical tool will be developed to understand and design BIOTHECT structures with unique performances. Optimal BIOTHECT structures will be manufactured, tested and analysed through detailed damage analyses to develop the design tool to unprecedented accuracy. The fine-tuned design tool will be translated to industry-friendly packages for direct exploitation. Finally, in the context of the digital industry, the project explores the use of automated manufacturing technologies, 3D printing, to tailor BIOTHECT designs locally in larger conventional structures. This novel design aims at creating macro-components with locally improved damage tolerance without a weight increase, hence leading to lower manufacturing waste and lighter structures. The fellowship will take place at KU Leuven with a 4-month secondment at the Thermoplastic Composites Research Center (NL). Training plan, technical work packages, exploitation, dissemination and communication activities will work together to lead the ER to cover a leading role in his own research group in or out of academia.

Mots clés : carbon fibre composites, cfrp, damage tolerance, bio inspired, healable structures, thermoplastic composites, cfrtp, impact resistance, damage analyses

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166320.0 €
Projet GCG-T3 Dyslipidemia (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Compelling evidence indicates that dyslipidemia represent a key risk factor for CVD. Among approved lipid-lowering agents, statins are the most effective therapy for CVD. However, a substantial portion of high-risk patients treated with statins fail to achieve target cholesterol levels required for preventing CVD. Thus, sufficiently efficacious and safe alternatives are urgently required. In addition, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most frequent liver disease, contributes to dyslipidemia and accelerates CVD progression. However, limited therapeutic options are available for the treatment of NAFLD. Interestingly, the host group has developed a novel strategy of peptide-nuclear hormone conjugates that allows for peptide-mediated selective tissue targeting of nuclear hormones, which enables for synergistic benefits in target tissues while avoiding adverse effects in off-target tissues. The current project, aims to develop a novel poly-pharmaceutical therapy for the treatment of dyslipidemia and NAFLD by combining two key hormones in the control of lipid metabolism: glucagon and thyroid hormone (T3). To this end, the host group synthesized a series of glucagon-T3 conjugates to allow liver specific delivery of T3 aiming to reduce serum lipid levels and reverse hepatic steatosis, without causing adverse cardiovascular effects. During the implementation of this project the applicant will assess the in vivo efficacy of the conjugates in a series of rodent models of the metabolic syndrome, hypercholesterolemia and NAFLD. In addition, the applicant will characterize the molecular mechanisms by which the conjugates induce their metabolic benefits, while carefully assessing the potential adverse effects that the conjugates may cause in off-target tissues. This project may ultimately facilitate the discovery and the development of a novel and more effective therapy against dyslipidemia and NAFLD.

Mots clés : cardiovascular disease  atherosclerosis  dyslipidemia  thyroid hormone  glucagon  fatty liver disease  ldl cholesterol  polypharmacological therapy

Participants :
- Helmholtz Zentrum München (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 171460.8 €
Projet MONOCLE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death worldwide, and accounts for 40% of deaths within the EU. Monocytes are immune cells that are directly implicated in atherosclerosis, the leading cause of CVD. In both mouse and human there are two principle monocyte subsets, termed 'classical' and 'non-classical'. The classical monocyte subset is a key driver of atherosclerosis, whereas evidence suggests that the non-classical monocyte subset plays a protective role in disease. However, directly testing the role of non-classical (Ly6Clow) monocytes in disease has not been possible due to a lack of experimental models. In preliminary research Dr. Thomas used a novel multidisciplinary approach to generate mice that selectively lack Ly6Clow monocytes. This work identified a small region of the genome, termed an enhancer, that controls expression of the key transcription factor Nr4a1 in Ly6Clow monocytes. Deleting this enhancer produced a mouse that lacks Ly6Clow monocytes but is otherwise normal, unlike existing methods for Nr4a1 deletion. MONOCLE will exploit this novel mouse model to test the role of Ly6Clow monocytes in atherosclerosis, and to gain new insight into mechanisms regulating non-classical monocyte development. Thus, MONOCLE has the potential to reveal new molecular and cellular therapeutic targets in the battle against CVD. MONOCLE will also provide Dr. Thomas with new skills in in vivo CVD research, financial-management and project planning, forming the foundation for his role as a successful independent research group leader in Europe. The fellow will bring to the host institute a unique skill set enabling functional genomic and epigenetic analysis of in vivo cell populations, and access to a network of world-class researchers in epigenetics and monocyte biology. Hence, MONCOLE will bring new knowledge to Europe by facilitating cutting-edge, innovative research that directly addresses one of the largest societal health challenges.

Mots clés : atherosclerosis, nr4a1, nur77, non classical monocyte, crispr cas9, enhancer

Participants :
- University of Edinburgh (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet NeuroForceSensor (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Failure of neural tube closure causes neural tube defects (NTDs), which continue to affect 1:1,000 births in Europe. Successful closure requires poorly understood coordination of cellular force-generating mechanisms in different embryonic tissues. By adopting a novel bio-engineering approach, I aim to generate the first spatiotemporal map of mechanical forces in neural tube closure. This unified biomechanical understanding of morphogenesis will provide a step-change in our interpretation of genetic/teratogenic insults underlying NTDs. In this project, I will identify the physical forces mediating neural tube closure and describe their inter-tissue coordination during development. This will be based on intravital 3D (i3D) bioprinting, a novel method established by the Elvassore group at UniPd (host). This method allows 3D printing of biocompatible force sensors directly inside the neural tube of living chick embryos, a well-established vertebrate model. Combined with cutting edge chemical engineering and computational modelling, I will investigate the spatiotemporal coordination of mechanical forces and assess whether connected epithelial tissues are mechanically coupled. The high positional accuracy of i3D enables previously unfeasible perturbations of morphogenesis to test mechanical coupling between connected epithelia. These physical interventions will be paralleled by microfluidic regional delivery of pharmacological inhibitors to biochemically perturb the same morphogenetic processes. Together these studies will pave the way for the identification of novel preventative and therapeutic strategies to enhance cellular force-generating mechanisms during neural tube closure.

Mots clés : biomechanics, finite element modelling, neural tube

Participants :
- Université de Padoue (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 179438.08 €
Projet GUTCORONA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

It is now well recognized that the protein corona formed on particles in physiological fluids has a strong impact on their performance in vivo. Therefore, this project aims to design and develop systematically controlled surface-modified nanoparticles for the formation and on-demand modification of protein corona in plasma or gastrointestinal environments. Firstly, the initial hypothesis is that the structure and composition of the corona formed on nanoparticles will be different with varying temperature-responsive surface functionality. Then, the second hypothesis is that using an alternating magnetic field (AMF) or near-infrared laser (NIR) as two different methods to activate the particles, these nanoparticles will act as internal heating sources generate localized high temperatures to modify the nature of the surface functionality, disrupting the corona structure, thereby enhancing cellular uptake and biological activity. Using this information, the nanoparticles will be optimized for use as theranostic agents, offering preferential accumulation, enhanced drug efficacy, and serving as contrast agents for in vivo and preclinical MRI/CT imaging. Through this Fellowship I will pass on my materials expertise to the host group while gaining new skills and experience at the intersection of colloid science and biology.

Mots clés : gastrointestinal, nanoparticles, corona, surface modification, thermoresponsive

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 247553.28 €
Projet AccModBinary (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Gravitational-wave (GW) observations have revolutionized our understanding of binary black holes and neutron stars. Since GW signals are typically weaker than the noise in the detectors, searching for GW signals and inferring their parameters requires accurate waveforms. The goal of this project to improve the analytical description of compact binary dynamics in general relativity and modified gravity theories, through the following related objectives: 1) deriving post-Newtonian results for the dissipative dynamics of spinning binaries, 2) developing the foundations of an effective-one-body waveform model for precessing spins in generic orbits, 3) modeling dynamical scalarization in Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity to facilitate theory-specific searches for deviations from general relativity, and 4) complement gravitational self-force results with post-Newtonian information to model extreme mass-ratio inspirals in generic orbits. The results of this project will yield more accurate waveforms that are crucial for the increasing sensitivity of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors and for future detectors, such as the Einstein telescope and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Mots clés : gravitational waves, relativistic dynamics, binary black holes, waveform models, modified gravity

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 247553.28 €
Projet BreakThrough (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Microalgae are exceptionally rich in essential nutrients such as proteins and fatty acids (e.g., omega-3 fatty acids). Their cultivation requires significantly less land and water compared to traditional crops, reducing the strain on these resources. However, accessing the nutrients of eukaryotic microalgae as a food source, particularly from the economically important genera Nannochloropsis and Chlorella, requires substantial resources. These algae are encapsulated by a resilient cell wall composed of a polymer known as algaenan. The development of algaenan-deficient strains or enzymes degrading algaenan to make nutrients accessible, has been hindered severely by the lack of knowledge about algaenan metabolism.  In the BreakThrough project, I will team up with Prof. Johan Andersen-Ranberg from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences of the University of Copenhagen. The goal is to clarify the evolutionary conserved mechanisms underlying the algaenan metabolism throughout the cell cycle, particularly during autospore release. The proposed work involves co-expression analysis, genetic engineering, confocal microscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify and characterize the genes in algaenan metabolism in the eukaryotic microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica. Insights obtained in this project will benefit both fundamental and applied sciences. On the fundamental side, BreakThrough will uncover the biochemical process underlying algaenan anabolism and catabolism. For the applied aspect, the project will improve the use of microalgae as a future food source and biotechnological applications by developing energy-efficient and food safe methods to bypass the recalcitrant algaenan polymer in extraction processes.

Mots clés : microalgae metabolism, eukaryotic algae, nannochloropsis oceanica, biosynthetic pathway, cell wall, algaenan, fatty acid metabolism, recalcitrant polymers

Participants :
- Université de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 247553.28 €
Projet EduGames (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This project investigates the use of primarily ludic video games and interactive experiences aimed at transferring skills within the Critical and Computational Thinking skill sets – e.g., literacy, numeracy – using gameplay as opposed to presentation. This niche of products is under-researched, compressed between serious games and purely ludic games, and suffers from a lack of systematic design and evaluation guidelines. The main objective is to define a framework of design and evaluation principles for the development of video games and interactive experiences with education and skill transfer in mind, and to explore the role of ludic technologies in education. I will design, develop, and experimentally evaluate a series of video games and interactive experiences based on specific skills drawn from the Critical and Computation Thinking skill sets. I will engage with domain experts in the chosen skills to identify the best ways of transferring these skills through gameplay. The design process and evaluation methodologies will contribute to the the definition of a framework of design and evaluation principles (main objective) which I will publish at the end of the project. Throughout the project, I will publish results from the individual design and experimental phases. I will create a network of industrial partners – i.e., video game developers, museums and cultural institutions – for commercial exploitation and potential future collaboration. This project is relevant because it addresses the social problem of improving numeracy and literacy skills through the frameworks of Critical and Computational Thinking, which is part of the EU’s policy in the field of adult learning. The use of ludic video games and interactive experiences broadens the target audience to include younger demographics, thus potentially delivering a larger impact that could have long-term effects on an engaged individual’s education and well-informed participation in public life.

Mots clés : critical thinking, computational thinking, literacy, numeracy, disinformation, misinformation

Participants :
- Université de Padoue (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 188590.08 €