Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ChalEnz (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Major advances in science and technology are arising from the discovery and exploitation of new non-covalent interactions between molecules and the development of novel supramolecular functional systems. However, a limited number of supramolecular interactions is available up to date. Therefore, the discovery of conceptually innovative, non-conventional approaches to create function should result in a breakthrough in current science. One of the most relevant functions that can be implemented in molecular and supramolecular systems is the ability to catalyse chemical processes. Thus, the goal of this proposal is the integration of unorthodox non-covalent interactions, up to date mainly studied as a concept, into practical applications in the field of catalysis. In this regard, catalysis operating with intermolecular chalcogen bonds, originated from σ-holes on electron-deficient Group VI atoms, is completely unexplored. However, this unorthodox counterpart of hydrogen bonds, with similar strength, superior directionality and ability to play in hydrophobic environments, could rapidly change a field to a quite remarkable extent. Furthermore, integration of these systems in artificial enzymes and multienzymatic processes in which catalytic steps influence each other through multiple feedback loops would open the door to asymmetric catalysis and metabolic engineering with a completely novel interaction at work.

Mots clés : exotic interactions, chalcogen bond, catalysis, artificial enzyme

Participants :
- University of Geneva (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175419.6 €
Projet MycUpscaling (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Major scientific challenges nowadays are to preserve the environment, reduce global warming and grow more food to meet the global demand. Mass-producing the right soil microbiota essential to plant health and yield has the potential to be a key part of the next big revolution in the development of sustainable agriculture and food security. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are among the most ancient, widespread and functionally important symbioses on Earth that help feed the world. Yet, mass-production of clean (i.e. in vitro produced), safe and robust inoculum at affordable costs remains a critical challenge. MycUpscaling addresses the challenging question of what are the genes responsible for increasing triacylglycerides (TAGs) accumulation in the symbiotic interface and increasing spore numbers to create a novel generation of high-quality and cost-effective AMF inoculants for application in agroecosystems. The project will include combinatorial lipid metabolic engineering, selection of mycorrhized TAG-accumulating hosts, in vitro and in vivo lipid flux analysis, and in vitro spore domestication. We hypothesize that engineering lipid metabolism in mycorrhized plants will (i) increase TAG-based carbon sources in AMF, with spores accumulating more lipids for a higher root-colonization potential (bio-fortification=best quality), ii) stimulate the asexual reproduction machinery to produce more spores in plates and bioreactors (biomass production=high quantity), decreasing cost-fees of in vitro spore production systems (cost-efficiency=industry profitable). MycUpscaling will employ an inter-disciplinary approach combining expertise of the researcher in cell engineering and his supervisors in plant lipid flux monitoring (WSU, USA) and large-scale AMF production (UCLouvain, Belgium). This project will enable the researcher to interact with key leading experts, re-inforce skills and competences, and forge a mature and outstanding international research carrer.

Mots clés : lipid metabolic engineering, plant amf interactions, large scale spore production, mycorrhiza

Participants :
- Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 248425.92 €
- Washington State University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet TopoGraph (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Majorana fermions (MF) are novel excitations of solid-state nanostructures, which obey non-abelian exchange characteristics. This property, together with their topological protection made MFs candidates for basis of topological quantum computation. So far most of the experimental studies concentrated on 1D nanowire systems. In the project TopGraph we will choose a different path to engineer MFs using 2D systems. Our platform is graphene, a single layer of graphite, which has Dirac spectrum and can be ballistic over tens of micrometers. We will use two systems: 1) twisted bilayer graphene, which is driven into a special quantum Hall state (effectively a quantum spin Hall state) and 2) graphene with SOI induced by other 2D materials., e.g. WSe2 and combed with Zeemann fields. When inducing superconducting correlations to these structures the formation of MFs are expected. First, we will study SC current in these special states, where changes in the SC current and Fraunhofer pattern can reflect transition to topological phases. To prove the existence of the topological excitations, the Andreev bound state spectra of the system will be studied using local tunnel probes, either defined lithographically or using scanning tips. Finally smoking-gun signature of the topological current can be obtained from current phase relation measured using high frequency techniques (with the help of a secondment). The project combines the expertise of the fellow on graphene, with the know-how of the host on hybrid nanodevices and induced superconducting correlations. During the project the fellow will be trained by the host and the secondments in ultra-low-T measurement, scanning probe, dedicated noise filtering techniques, pressure cell studies and fundamentals of topological superconductivity. The proposal opens up new directions in topological computation in 2D materials, and introduces the fellow to this rapidly developing field, which will significantly advance his career.

Mots clés : graphene, topological states, quantum computation

Participants :
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hongrie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 146239.2 €
Projet PFSEXOME (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Malaria is a devastating disease caused by the apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium. Plasmodium falciparum represents the most severe and life-threatening form of human malaria, causing over 500,000 deaths per year. There is no efficient vaccine available and resistance to all currently used drugs reported. One of the major problems in eradicating human malaria is the transmission of the parasites sexual stages, the gametocytes. These are formed in the blood and develop through five different morphological stages in specific organs of the human host. When fully mature after 10-12 days, gametocytes are released into the blood stream to be transmitted by the mosquito. The molecular regulatory mechanisms important for the formation of gametocytes are poorly understood but there is evidence showing that phosphorylation of epigenetic regulators plays a key role. The kinases that mediate these phosphorylation events and the proteins within their signalling networks, however, are not known and their identification is the aim of this proposal. Specifically I will: 1) Develop a novel tool to enrich early stage gametocytes from parasite culture using cell-type specific surface biotinylation and affinity purification. Development of this novel technology will represent a significant enhancement in our ability to study early stage gametocytes, which are currently very hard to isolate from cell culture. 2) Identify the signalling pathways that are used during the early stage of sexual development by near-system-wide quantitative phosphoproteome analysis comparing early stage gametocytes from Aim 1 with asexual parasite stages. 3) In a complementary approach I will systematically test 10 kinase knockout lines available in the lab for their ability to form gametocytes and gametes. The function of the kinases identified will be verified by gene complementation.

Mots clés : plasmodium falciparum, malaria transmission, gametocyte development

Participants :
- UK Research and Innovation (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- The Francis Crick Institute (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet REACT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Malaria is an infectious human disease caused by parasitic protozoans of the Plasmodium type. P. falciparum causes the most lethal form with about 400.000 deaths annually. Pathogenesis involves expression of clonally variant molecules encoded by multi gene families at the surface of the infected host cells (erythrocyte). The most important virulence factor is called PfEMP1, which undergoes antigenic variation and is encoded by 60 var gene members. Despite the major scientific efforts, the molecular mechanisms orchestrating antigenic variation are still elusive. The reason is the lack of tools to perform genome editing in the natural epigenetic context, which is crucial in this important immune escape process. We aim to investigate antigenic variation of P. falciparum, by means of the recently developed CRISPR-Cas9 tool. This genome editing technology allows the in situ genetic manipulation of var gene regulatory elements in a native chromatin context. Virtually, any locus can be targeted by a RNA guide to insert, exchange or delete specific DNA regions including generation of point mutations without introducing a selective marker. Alternatively, we will use a dead Cas9 version (dCas9), which consist on the targeting of the desired locus by an inactive Cas9. This dCas9 can be fused to protein tags or effectors. We will use these techniques to i) delete cis-regulatory elements of var genes, ii) to identify factors associated to cis-regulatory elements by Cas9 targeted immunoprecipitations and iii) to engineer a tool to perform activation/silencing of specific var genes by fusing the dCas9 with epigenetic effector molecules (silencing and activators). This project will combine state-of-the-art techniques in genome editing to study malaria parasite virulence and provide reliable, accurate and focused data about the implication of epigenetics in the process of antigenic variation. The new tools developed in this project will be highly relevant for other human pathogens.

Mots clés : crispr cas9, epigenetics, plasmodium falciparum, malaria, antigenic variation, monoallelic expression, var gene, pfemp1

Participants :
- Institut Pasteur (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 185076.0 €
Projet ARISE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Malaria is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Whilst the disease is caused by asexual parasites, only sexual forms are capable of transmitting the infection to mosquitoes. Sexual forms arise from a small subset of blood-stage parasites which divert from the cycle of asexual replication and embark on a sexual developmental trajectory. Targeting the small population of parasites transmitted to mosquitoes would provide a powerful malaria control method. Although several genes have been found to have sex-specific roles, the molecular basis of the sex-determining mechanisms of Plasmodium into one or the other sex is mostly unknown. In this proposal I will apply innovative approaches to uncover the pathway of sex-determination in P. falciparum, in both lab-adapted parasites and wild parasite populations. Specifically, I will (i) determine the earliest events in sexual dimorphism using single-cell transcriptomics (scRNAseq) in a lab-adapted P. falciparum strain (NF54); (ii) understand determinants of malaria sexual determination in wild parasites by harnessing the power of scRNAseq; (iii) identify factors that influence determination into male or female gametocytes in natural parasite populations obtained from infected carriers. My supervisor, Dr Talman, is a leading figure in Plasmodium transcriptome analysis and sexual biology of the parasite. He has recently set up his group in Montpellier at MIGEVEC, one of the top IRD Centres in France. MIVEGEC has a unique and long history of supporting research and provides the best environment to conduct cutting-edge research in the lab as well as in challenging conditions in malaria endemic countries. Although this project represents an ambitious undertaking, I am confident my strong previous experience in malaria research and the genuine commitment to widen my field of expertise will contribute to have a major impact, providing an invaluable insight into a basic biological process essential for parasite propagation.

Mots clés : malaria, single cell, rna seq, sex determination

Participants :
- Institut de recherche pour le développement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet SECOMAP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Malaria is one of the major threats for human health worldwide and caused by unicellular organisms of the Plasmodium genus. Within their mosquito vector and human host malaria parasites replicate almost exclusively asexually. In order to be transmitted to mosquitoes formerly asexual parasites instead develop into gametocytes, which are the only forms that can infect mosquitoes. Understanding the switch of asexual to sexual replication could offer new routes towards therapeutic intervention in sexual development and transmission. However, the molecular details of commitment to gametocytogenesis remain largely unknown, and only recently the AP2-G transcription factor was identified as master regulator of gametocytogenesis. Gametocyte formation is a dead end for enduring infection and therefore sexual commitment has to be suitably regulated to ensure prolonged infection and transmission at the same time. The proposed research project aims to elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms which controls gametocytogenesis in malaria parasites infectious to rodents and humans, and intends to identify key molecular factors which regulate repression and activation of the ap2-g locus. The project will shed new light on the molecular mechanisms controlling sexual commitment and general gene expression in Plasmodium, with implications for therapeutic intervention in transmission and development of malaria parasites.

Mots clés : plasmodium, sexual development, epigenetics, histone modifications, gametocytogenesis

Participants :
- University of Glasgow (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet ChiPyrNMR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Malaria, Zika virus, dengue fever and yellow fever are mosquito transmitted diseases for which a vaccines either do not exists or are not widely available. Prevention control is the main way to reduce their spread, and the use of insecticides constitutes one of the key measures recommended by World Health Organisation. New innovative methods of bringing the insects into contact with the insecticides include the development of insecticidal paint with the advantage of safer application, targeted dosing and significantly reduced risk of collateral damage to humans and the environment. This project will address some of the challenges in developing these solutions. Pyrethroids are one of the best insecticides for public health use but suffer from hydrolysis and photo-degradation. Little is known about how their application in paint formulations affects this behavior. At a chemical level the biological activity of the individual enantiomers is determined by the configuration of their chiral centers, so accurately quantifying the enantiomeric composition is critical to tracking potential degradation. The aim of this project is to generate robust methods for a better understanding of the fate of insecticides in complex matrices like paint. Once the nature of the degradation products and the related mechanisms is clear, the formulation can be adjusted to minimize the occurrence of degradation or enhance active ingredient protection. The kinetic analysis of the degradation processes and the interaction/stability studies are best performed in-situ avoiding potentially invasive extraction sample preparation steps, so the powerful tools of advanced NMR spectroscopy will be exploited to characterize these phenomena. The knowledge gained will be used to validate/explain multidisciplinary laboratory biological trial results on mosquitoes and be able to be exploited more widely to other systems and support the research into other compounds for potential deployment in this way.

Mots clés : pesticides, pyrethroids, paint formulation, stability, chirality

Participants :
- AkzoNobel (Netherlands) (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 165598.8 €
Projet DIET-SEX-GENOMICS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Males and females perform different reproductive roles and have adapted to these by evolving sometimes strikingly different phenotypes. A key means to observe and understand differences is to examine metabolism, with studies being able to link differences in diet composition to varying levels of phenotypes. In spite of the clear dimorphism observed across the animal kingdom, both sexes are locked into a struggle over adaptation, rooted in the fact that both sexes share an almost identical genome. Here, I propose to combine high-throughput phenotypic approaches (including quantitative genetic tools), with cutting-edge genome expression data to identify genes and genetic pathways that are involved in metabolic conflict. My first aim is to explore whether males and females differ in dietary preference using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. I will establish the extent to which genetic correlations between male and female food preferences constrain the evolution of optimal diet choice. Consequently, my second aim is to identify genes and/or genetic pathways that are responsible for differences in diet preference, and limit the dietary adaptation. Finally, I will use state-of-the-art genetic manipulations to enhance/suppress parts of the genetic pathways involved in metabolism, and will examine if these genetic modifications bring sex-specific consequences to the physiology of the organism. Understanding the genetic basis for sex differences in metabolism will aid to build complete understanding of the differences between males and females at the cellular level and provide insight into dietary and metabolic influences as well as aid human health research.

Mots clés : sexual dimorphism, sexual conflict, diet, reproduction

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet CaTSYS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Mammals rely entirely on their symbiotic microorganisms to digest complex glycans, issued from dietary fibers, yeasts, and the host itself. To that purpose, gut bacteria have evolved sophisticated machineries to face the structural diversity and complexity of carbohydrates, consisting of gene clusters coding for carbohydrate-hydrolysing, -binding and -transporting proteins. Since the last decade, functional metagenomics has proved to be a highly powerful technique to boost the discovery of new protein families involved in these multi-proteic systems from the vast world of uncultured bacteria, which represents the majority of gut microorganisms. By using a multidisciplinary approach, integrating genomic, metagenomic, functional and structural data, CaTSYS will decipher the structure-function relationships of novel key carbohydrate active enzymes and transporters recently discovered by functional exploration of the human and bovine gut microbiomes. Their role in carbohydrate harvesting pathways will be investigated and optimised by combinatorial engineering, thanks to the development of an original high-throughput screening approach, to render heterologous hosts capable of internalising and breaking down a large diversity of complex carbohydrates. Overall, CaTSYS will provide a promising framework to overcome future challenges in biotechnology, for the conversion of carbohydrate polymers into biosourced chemicals and/or high-added value compounds.

Mots clés : cazymes, transporters, metagenomics, protein engineering

Participants :
- Institut national des sciences appliquées de Toulouse (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet CINEMA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Manufacturing has considerable economical, technological, and environmental importance at the global scale, impacting fields such as transportation, energy, safety, and healthcare. Materials innovation has long relied on costly and ineffective trial-and-error experiments. Meanwhile, computational routes face challenges due to the multidisciplinary and multiscale aspects of linking materials processing, microstructure, and ultimately properties. By building an infrastructure for computational exploration of alloys, this project will put together foundations for computational discovery of structural materials, e.g. by means of high throughput and machine learning methods, which could lastingly change the way we approach metallurgical innovation. The project will bring together two complementary sets of skills, with a researcher expert in linking materials processing to microstructures, and a supervisor expert in predicting the mechanical behavior of complex microstructures. While adding an essential piece of competence to the host institution, the project will support the growth of the candidate as he aims at building a world-class research group in Europe. He will also gain key skills in software development, and a number of management and transferable skills with the support of award-winning management and human resources personal (monitored through detailed plans for career development, data management, and exploitation, dissemination, and communication of results). The impact and reach of the action will be maximized. First, by openly distributing all major components of the computational framework. Then, with scientific publications in high-impact scientific journals, as well as a broad range of outreach activities in the form of publications in non-technical outlets, reach out events to young and non-technical audiences, while ensuring accessibility to the widest possible audience (e.g. through commitment to international accessibility standards).

Mots clés : computational modeling, physical metallurgy, solidification, crystal plasticity, computational homogenization

Participants :
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €