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

It is estimated that over 36 million Europeans suffer from an autoimmune disease (AID) and according to the European League against Rheumatism one third of people of all ages are affected at some point during their lifetime. AIDs are a significant clinical problem, however, most of the current therapies target the terminal phase of inflammation and do not suppress the fundamental events responsible for the initiation of the autoimmune process. The EXAUTOIMMUNE project will use Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), one of the most common AIDs, as a model to create innovating strategies for dissecting the fundamental processes involved in the initiation of the autoimmune response. By using state-of-the-art nanotechnology we will characterize the extracellular vesicles (EV) secreted by the salivary gland epithelial cells, the main target of autoimmune responses in SS, and test their immunoregulatory properties. Then, we will apply next-generation sequencing to analyze the EVs’ RNA content and identify candidate RNA molecules that can be functionally tested for disruption of autoimmune processes. Linking EVs and extracellular RNA to autoimmunity is a fundamental theme of the current knowledge. The results of the proposed research will substantially add to the delineation of the biological relevance of extracellular RNA in modulating the regulatory mechanisms leading to autoimmunity. This study will form the foundation for transitioning from human biology to a mouse model, where the potential therapeutic value of EV and/or RNA-targeting will be tested, thus opening the best career opportunities for the applicant as a leader in this newly emerging landscape. Spearheading this research using next-generation tools and ideas will produce long-term synergies and will define EU and ERA as world leaders in the battle against AID. Collectively, the project activities will open the best career opportunities for the candidate, while advancing EU’s scientific competitiveness and innovation.

Mots clés : autoimmunity, sjogren s syndrome, transcriptomics

Participants :
- Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165085.44 €
Projet CLONESA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

It is estimated that we spend up to 50% of our waking hours lost in thought and although mind-wandering (MW) has been associated with adaptive features of cognition such as creativity, it has also been linked with maladaptive patterns of thought that lead to states of reduced attention that can affect safety, learning and mental health. The level of intentionality with which MW is pursued has recently been identified as a key moderating factor between beneficial and detrimental consequences, and has been linked to the thickness of the prefrontal cortex as well as disorders of attention. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to this structure has been shown to modulate the underlying neurocognitive processes of executive control with the potential of correcting the trajectory of maladaptive patterns of activity and the promise to improve attention in health and disease. However, the potential of NIBS to restore and improve brain functions has been challenged by the inter- and intraindividual variability in the response to neurostimulation. CLONESA seeks to identify the individual neurocognitive markers of attention and optimal neurostimulation parameters for the development of a “closed-loop” system able to assess and modulate neural patterns of activity in real time for prospective use in a plug n’ play device for precision medicine. These patterns will be detected with EEG-based neuroadaptive systems (NAS) during tests of sustained attention and the optimal alpha-tACS parameters will be identified with Bayesian optimization. Lastly, the findings will be implemented and tested on a large scale with a commercial closed-loop neurostimulation device for a rapid translation of neuroscientific research to personalized interventions towards cognitive enhancement and treatment of attentional disorders. The present action will pioneer the intersection of NAS, NIBS and translational research for the benefit of healthy and clinical populations.

Mots clés : mind wandering, vigilant attention, executive control, transcranial current stimulation, closed loop systems, electroencephalography, alpha oscillations, prefrontal cortex

Participants :
- Institut du cerveau (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet PLECTRA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

It is increasingly recognized that plant-soil feedbacks influence the composition and functioning of natural communities and ecosystems. However, our capacity to predict the outcome of such above-belowground interactions is still hampered by poor generalization capacity. As plant traits have been used to explain patterns in both plant and soil communities, they could provide a useful approach for explaining and predicting plant-soil feedback. Here, I will use the recent advances made in plant trait research, which have greatly increased our capacity to predict the responses of natural plant communities to environmental changes, to improve our mechanistic understanding of the factors underlying plant-soil feedback strength and sign (negative, neutral and positive) under changing environmental conditions. Based on the growth versus defence trade-off hypothesis, fast-growing plant species with acquisitive traits build up negative feedback, whereas slow-growing species with conservative traits develop positive feedback with their own soil biota. The growth-defence framework is widely based on leaf spectrum economy, and it is unknown how well predictive aboveground traits are for growth strategies of plant roots belowground. With my proposed project PLECTRA, I aim to investigate how well the sign and strength of plant-soil feedback can be predicted from aboveground and belowground plant traits. This knowledge will improve our understanding of the role that plant-soil feedback plays in structuring plant communities and will, among others, be helpful to enhance restoration success of degraded ecosystems and improve management of invasive species.

Mots clés : aboveground belowground interactions, leaf traits, growth defence trade off, plant soil feedback, root traits, successional gradient, trait based ecology

Participants :
- Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 187572.48 €
Projet NUTREPHEALTH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

It is well known, that an adequate fertility rates has important outcomes in different species of mammals (including human). However, despite the efforts to maintain outstanding reproductive performance, the reproductive failures are still considerable. This reproductive failure is related to a failure in maternal-embryo communication. In this sense, nutritional factor is one of the most important issues involved in the reproductive efficiency. Some studies have indicated that the use of polyunsatures fatty acids (PUFAS) like omega-3 have a positve effects on human and animal health. Nowadays, the effects of diets rich in PUFAS omega-3 (PUFASn-3) on reproductive physiology have been studied assensing the follicular function, ovulation rate and oocyte quality. In addition, there is scarce information about of the mechanism and/or effectiveness of PUFASn-3 during peri-implantational period in mammals. However the outcomes obtained have been controversiel and non-conclusive, justifying the necesity to perform futher studies. Thus, the combined use of morphologic studies, hormonal assays, genomics and proteomics procedures and embryo recover/transfer technologies could be suitable methodologies to evaluate the effects of PUFASn-3 during peri-implantational period. Also, these tools could evaluate the maternal/endometrial signal (e.g: receptors expression) and gene embryonic expressions during this period. In consequence, these studies could assess the effectiveness of PUFASn-3 on maternal and/or embryo’s level. The results obtained, will contribute to enhance the productivity in animal production system. Furthermore, the use of ovine species has been a classical experimental model in human medical studies. Thus, the awarness obtained in this proposal would contribute to increase the fertility rate in women with reproductive failure during this periodreinforcing the inter/multidisciplinary dimension of this proposal (impacting in life science and agricultural fields).

Mots clés : reproductive biology, animal science, nutrition, polyunsatured fatty acid, fertility, mammals

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

It is widely accepted that the advent of modernist Persian literary theory, its transformation from traditional Persian rhetoric (balagha) into modern criticism (qeritiqa) in the mid-nineteenth century, has been driven by translation and adaptation of European literary critical norms. While the central role of translation in importing and transmitting critical norms has been emphasized in the studies of the evolution of modern Persian literary theory, these studies usually take translation for granted without noticing that a major part of this literary and critical modernity has been shaped around the challenges of untranslatability. TRANSMODERN will innovatively theorize the shaping of modern Persian literary criticism around untranslatability through a close study of a wide range of Persian publications in literary criticism, from 1860s to 2000s. This will permit an understanding of how European critical norms affected Iranian literary systems and how the adaptation of these norms to a radically different non-European poetics transforms the way we think about and experience the literary form. TRANSMODERN will deploy and combine methods of archival research, translation methodologies and comparative qualitative and quantitative analysis. The main outputs will be three peer-reviewed articles, a critical monograph and academic and public presentations.

Mots clés : untranslatability

Participants :
- University of Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet SPEA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

It often happens that we accept as true what other people tell us, and by doing so, we acquire knowledge about the world. We trust each other, and we often grant teachers and experts authority over our beliefs. The inter-subjective nature of belief formation has recently moved into the very center of epistemology. However, it is rarely mentioned that the reflection on the role of other people in our knowledge-acquisition has a distinguished historical pedigree, one that still deeply affects the way think about these issues. In particular, the Greek philosophers’ treatment of the notions of authority, trust, and disagreement has exerted strong influence on the subsequent history of philosophy. Up to now, however, there has been no systematic study of this important aspect of Greek thought. This project, “Socrates and Plato on Epistemic Authority”, focuses on the role attributed to what philosophers call “epistemic authority” (i.e. authority over belief) in knowledge acquisition and belief formation in the classical era of Ancient Greek philosophy (esp. in Socrates and Plato). Thus, the project aims to improve the understanding of Greek epistemology and to offer a historical background and an independent contribution to a central epistemological topic.

Mots clés : ancient philosophy, history of epistemology

Participants :
- New York University (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Tartu (Estonie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 228421.8 €
Projet NorKHelp (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Kelp forests are known globally as hotspots for macroscopic biodiversity. Norway has Europe’s largest population of kelp having a long tradition of exploiting wild populations of this natural resource. There is currently a lot of interest in the species, Saccharina latissima, to develop Norway’s kelp industry through large scale cultivation at sea. Kelp forests are however vulnerable to climate change, overharvesting and biofouling by epiphytes. Due to the importance of kelp to Norway’s bioeconomy, it is vital to fill current research gaps in relation to kelp forest ecosystems in order to use the resource sustainably. Bacterial and epiphytic algal communities have been shown to be important for the fitness of kelp hosts, with certain epiphytes improving fitness and others leading to a complete loss of biomass within populations. This study, that I will implement at the Institute of Marine Research (NO), will quantify the gene flow between populations of kelp forests of S. latissima. The community structure of epiphytic algae and bacteria will be described to determine if the host genotype or the environment determines their composition. Finally, the key taxa associated with environmental change that could be used as bioindicators to proactively monitor kelp populations and cultivation sites will be established. This interdisciplinary project integrates community ecology and population genomics with an ecosystems approach to investigate the complexity of interactions occurring between the different organisms in the kelp forest habitat. The personal goal of this fellowship is to gain in-depth training in the techniques required to study population genomics linked to microbiomes, which are increasingly being shown to play pivotal roles in the shaping and functioning of populations. The host is a leading institution for marine research and provides a unique training environment where academia works directly with the concerned industries and policy makers.

Mots clés : kelp, sacharina latissima, macroalgae, microbiome, cultivation, harvesting, metabarcoding, microbial, communities

Participants :
- Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 202158.72 €
Projet KurdishWomen (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Kurdish women have been involved in film production, radio broadcasts and exhibitions, as well as in the production of a substantial number of books, journals and other publications in both Kurdish and national languages of the European states. However, the aesthetic and intellectual production of Kurdish women, which leads to the empowerment of women and advancement of gender equality in the Kurdish diaspora, has not been the subject of any notable research yet. By going beyond stereotypical portrayals of Kurdish women, presented as either victim of honour-based violence or someone who suffers violent conflict, this research will deal with the gendered experiences of Kurdish diaspora from the four regions of Kurdistan (Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey) in terms of the growth of aesthetic, literary and cultural practices by migrant Kurdish women in five nation-states (Belgium, France, Sweden, Germany, UK) along with their impacts on larger societal debates within a comparative approach. It will also investigate the varying migrant incorporation regimes of selected European countries, including the impacts of the recent influx of Syrian Kurdish refugees. It includes ethnographic fieldwork, along with multi-sited research techniques carried out in the capitals of selected European states, data collection of both primary sources (creative, literary and cultural productions) and secondary sources (EU documents, annual progress reports, press releases). This study has a potential to encourage the maximization of networks of educational and intellectual revitalization in European states. It will also encourage other Kurdish migrant women to become factors of change and reach others. This is an interdisciplinary project aiming to fill in a significant gap in the relevant socio-political, gender, migration and cultural academic studies and policy debates within the European Research Area. It is in line with the EC’s strategy for gender equality provision.

Mots clés : kurdish migrant women, feminization of migration, cultural productions, kurdish transnational structures

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet LACTOPOC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

LACTOPOC is a multidisciplinary research and training programme targeted to provide Dr. Macia-Gonzalez, an expert in electrochemical analytical platforms design, with new entrepreneurial and scientific skills on translation of innovative biosensor technology into Point of Care (POC) diagnostic devices. LACTOPOC main scientific goal is to develop a low-cost and highly reproducible biosensor manufacturing platform technology for POC hypolactasia diagnostic testing. The project is based on the combination of two-well established analytical tools, i.e. paper-based microfluidics and electrochemistry, together with mass-manufacturing technologies for innovative design such wax and screen printing. Hypolactasia is related to low levels or reduced activity of intestinal lactase, the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of lactose during its digestion. Undigested lactose after intake of dairy products is then accumulated in the intestine causing flatulence, abdominal pain and diarrhea in the individuals suffering from this malfunction. Despite it affects over half of the world population, its diagnosis remains challenging because associated symptoms are not specific and available methods for its diagnosis are unspecific and rely on trained staff and complex equipment. LACTOPOC will bring forward the technology developed by OSASEN for determination of D-xylose in urine and venous blood samples based on an electrochemical biosensor lab-prototype into a robust POC device with high sensitivity and reproducibility. The device will be able to detect and quantify accurately minimum D-Xylose concentration levels in a simple drop of human capillary blood sample. This novel POC biosensor device will assist LacTEST®, a non-invasive diagnostic test based on the synthetic analog gaxilose recently developed by VenterPharma, to become the first promising POC diagnostic testing for hypolactasia available in the market, leveraging their impact on patients and health care providers.

Mots clés : hypolactasia diagnosis, point of care  poc  device, electrochemical biosensor, paper based microfluidics, screen printing, lactose, d xylose, lactase

Participants :
- Biolan health sl (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet LGBTQ Parenthood (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

LGBT rights and non-discrimination policies towards gender and sexual orientation are at the top of the European Union’s priorities. Over the last decades, Western countries greatly improved the legal recognition of LGBTQ families, while an increasingly part of them are allowing same-sex couples to marry and to access adoption process and/or artificial reproductive technologies (ART). In France, same-sex couples can adopt children since their legal possibility to marry in 2013, but as there are very few minor children to adopt through the accredited adoption agencies, most of them try to develop other possibilities by conceiving their own biological children. The dramatic changes in the legal contexts simultaneously imply a generational shift in the routes to parenthood among LGBTQ people. However, the legal restriction preventing single women and women couples to access ART and the prohibition of surrogacy in France compel same-sex couples to engage "procreative migrations" in other countries, which carry economic inequalities. People who face strong barriers to achieve their parental desires thus may be lest satisfied with their life, face higher risks of depression and feel less support within their families of origin. Therefore, while most research focused on well-being among children raised by same-sex couples, access to parenthood also raises mental health issues among LGBTQ adults. Cross-national insights between France and US, using mixed methods in the two countries, will then highlight policy effects in the family lives of gender and sexual minorities, and thus challenge policy makers. The analysis of LGBTQ parenthood across generations will also contributing to enlighten social change. Consequently, the research project will lead to better understanding of LGBTQ families and the challenge they face, but also to initiating scientific discussions in France concerning their inclusion in surveys and research works.

Mots clés : sexuality, family, parenthood, procreative rights, gender and sexual minorities

Participants :
- Institut national d'études démographiques (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 257619.84 €
- The University of Texas System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €