Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics for a Novel Personalized Cancer Therapy (PERSMEDOMICS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2013-07-01
End date: 2017-06-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The dawn of the age of personalized cancer treatment provides the promise to identify the right drug for the individual that will greatly improve the patient’s outcome. It is well known that cancer drugs work only in small subset of patients. For many of these agents, there are putative markers of response in the literature but very few are been used in clinical practice. More importantly, new anticancer agents are targeted to specific cancer genes and are expected to be effective only in tumors in which these genes are mutated or otherwise abnormal. Consequently, the success of personalized treatment of cancer patients depends on matching the most effective therapeutic regimen with the characteristics of the individual patient, balancing benefit against risk of adverse events. The primary challenge in achieving this goal is the heterogeneity of the disease, recognizing that breast, lung, colon and the majority of cancers are not single diseases but rather an array of disorders with distinct molecular mechanisms. High-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing, gene expression microarrays have the capacity to dissect this heterogeneity and now doing an unbiased interrogation of the human genome, which allows strategies to search for novel, previously unsuspected, biomarkers of drug response and afford opportunities to match therapies with the characteristics of the individual patient’s tumor. Here we propose to develop an integrative bioinformatics approach as part of CNIO’s personalized cancer treatment platform that will predict treatment response and select new biomarkers based on the integration of genomics data and drug response analyzed in patients with pancreatic cancer and personalized xenografted mice. A cross-disciplinary integrative effort that will convert the information contained in multidimensional data sets into useful biomarkers that can classify patient tumors by prognosis and response to therapeutic modalities.

Keywords: l210 bioinformatics,l211 computational biology,l406 cancer and its biological basis
Statistically Efficient Structured Prediction for Computer Vision and Medical Imaging (STRATEGIE)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2014-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Inference in medical imaging is an important step for disease diagnosis, tissue segmentation, alignment with an anatomical atlas, and a wide range of other applications. However, imperfections in imaging sensors, physical limitations of imaging technologies, and variation in the human population mean that statistical methods are essential for high performance. Statistical learning makes use of human provided ground truth to enable computers to automatically make predictions on future examples without human intervention. At the heart of statistical learning methods is risk minimization - the minimization of the expected loss on a previously unseen image. Textbook methods in statistical learning are not generally designed to minimize the expected loss for loss functions appropriate to medical imaging, which may be asymmetric and non-modular. Furthermore, these methods often do not have the capacity to model interdependencies in the prediction space, such as those arising from spatial priors, and constraints arising from the volumetric layout of human anatomy. We aim to develop new statistical learning methods that have these capabilities, to develop efficient learning algorithms, to apply them to a key task in medical imaging (tumor segmentation), and to prove their convergence to optimal predictors. To achieve this, we will leverage the structured prediction framework, which has shown impressive empirical results on a wide range of learning tasks. While theoretical results giving learning rates are available for some algorithms, necessary and sufficient conditions for consistency are not known for structured prediction. We will consequently address this issue, which is of key importance for algorithms that will be applied to life critical applications, e.g. segmentation of brain tumors that will subsequently be targeted by radiation therapy or removed by surgery. Project components will address both theoretical and practical issues.

Keywords: g109 knowledge engineering and artificial intelligence,g108 intelligent systems
Development of Novel Biological Lasers based on Fluorescent Proteins, Live Cells, and Self-Assembled Resonators (BIOLAS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2013-08-01
End date: 2017-07-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Biological structures with optical functionality have fascinated mankind for generations. In the future, their application for bioinspired and bioderived optical devices might enable new photonic tools. An example of such a novel biooptical component is the biolaser that was recently pioneered by the Applicant. In this type of laser coherent emission is generated by a single biological cell that is genetically programmed to produce a fluorescent material (the so called green fluorescent protein, GFP). Current biolasers, however, are quite inefficient and require both an artificial resonator and an external pump source. The Applicant’s long-term goal is to establish whether laser light can be generated completely independently within a living organism. During the integration phase, the Applicant will develop a better understanding of lasing and stimulated emission in biological materials and systems and improve the performance of these lasers. The focus will initially be on investigating biologically derived gain media, in particular different fluorescent proteins, and their in vitro characteristics as laser materials. Moreover, in vivo lasing based on cells expressing fluorescent proteins will be studied in detail and self-healing of lasers will be demonstrated. Suitable resonators for completely natural lasers, in particular self-assembled structures, will also be investigated. The Applicant currently has a competitive edge in the field but other groups, especially outside Europe, are expected to become strong competitors over the next years. The integration phase thus constitutes a unique opportunity to establish a strong position in this truly novel field within Europe. Synergies between work on organic lasers, intensively studied at the Researcher’s new host institution, and the recently invented biolasers render integration at the chosen host institution particular attractive.

Keywords: p109 lasers and laser physics,p219 biophysics,p314 physical chemistry of biological systems,l818 biomimetics,c129 biomaterials synthesis
Role of CRMP2 and Pin1 in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD PATHOGENESIS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Czechia
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2017-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) is essential for neural development and function. It promotes axon growth but upon its phosphorylation it mediates axon retraction. Deregulation of CRMP2 has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) where CRMP2 was detected to form hyperphosphorylated aggregates within neurofibrillary tangles. The mechanisms that regulate formation of CRMP2 aggregates are so far largely unknown. We have recently found that one CDK5-phosphorylated CRMP2 isoform is specifically stabilized by Pin1 - a unique phospho-specific isomerase linked to AD, suggesting that deregulation of Pin1 could contribute to AD related CRMP2 pathology. In the present proposal we will study how various CRMP2 isoforms are involved in CRMP2 aggregate formation and how high levels of Amyloid-b peptide, CDK5, and Pin1 affect phosphorylation, stability or localization of CRMP2 isoforms in AD using mouse models. Funding of the proposal will bring a new insight into the role of Pin1 in AD-related CRMP2 pathology.

Keywords: neuroscience,alzheimer's disease,crmp2,pin1,axon growth and guidance,growth cone collapse,axon regeneration
Pathogenesis of autoimmune neurodegeneration: What causes the immune system to destroy healthy neurons? (POAN)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2014-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of this research is to determine under which conditions an autoimmune attack on neurons can occur. There is a growing interest in neuroimmunology, and data suggests that disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia have an autoimmune component. The ideal disease for studying this phenomenon is, however, the sleep disorder narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC), where the hypocretin (hcrt) producing neurons in hypothalamus are lost. Genetic and epidemiological evidence suggest that the specific hcrt cell loss is caused by an autoimmune attack, but the trigger of this is unknown. As post doctoral fellow at Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences Dr. Birgitte R. Kornum has been involved in the discovery of two genetic associations in NC. This has implicated the P2Y11 receptor and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in the pathogenesis of NC and warrants further studies of these two proteins and their functions in the immune system and the brain. The overarching aim of the research proposed here is to study autoimmune destruction of neurons, and how P2Y11 and DNMT1 contribute to the pathological process. Autoimmune destruction of neurons is prevented by several mechanisms. Negative selection of autoreactive T cells occurs during T cell maturation in the thymus. This process is, however, far from perfect and T cells with reactivity towards neuronal targets are instead controlled by other less well-understood mechanisms. These include inhibition of T cell activity by regulatory T cells, suppression of MHC expression in mature neurons, and a higher resistance in neurons to apoptotic signals from T cells. The experiments proposed here studies P2Y11 and DNMT1 in these processes using in vitro and in vivo models. Studies of patient samples from the Danish Center for Sleep Medicine will translate basic findings to the clinical situation. Together these studies will answer important questions, not only about NC, but about autoimmunity towards neurons in general.

Keywords: l304 apoptosis,l501 neuroanatomy and neurophysiology,l502 molecular and cellular neuroscience,l605 immunological memory and tolerance,l612 biological basis of immunity related disorders
The Russian World Proposal: From the Geopolitical Utopia to Affective Community (RUSMIR)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-01
End date: 2017-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This research studies geopolitical identities of contemporary Russians by focusing on the ‘Russian World’ (Russkii mir) project, promoted by the pro-Kremlin intellectuals and the political elite in the last fifteen years. The Russian World project aims at consolidation and instrumentalization of the Russian diaspora which counts up to 30 million people worldwide. However, the ability of the state to project its influence abroad through the Russian world infrastructure is significantly limited due to the diaspora's relative independence from Moscow. This means that the Russian world project heavily depends on its 'soft power' strategies of representations. The present research offers a complex tripartite analysis of the Russian world project through the prism of critical geopolitics. This analysis is pursued on the following levels: 1) 'critical geopolitics', which discusses the Russian world project in the context of geopolitical ideologies and traditions such as Eurasianism, 'Holy Russia' geopolitics, 'Orthodox civilization', pan-Slavism; 2) 'practical geopolitics' examines the Russian world as a soft power strategy of nation-(re)branding through different legistative and media initiatives; 3) 'popular geopolitics' uncovers shifts in identities and self-representations associated with the enactment of the Russian world project. The project proposal demonstrates that the whole top-down structure of the Russian world has been created recently, which includes federal agencies, departments at the ministry level, ‘independent’ (if fact, state-sponsored) foundations, local ‘Russian centers’ abroad as well as parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church which became very active under Kirill I Gundiaev’s rule as a patriarch. However, the real outcome of the Russian world project will be determined on a more fundamental level, because this project evokes the transfiguration of the Russian identity along the lines of decentralization and deterritorialization of the (self)images.

Keywords: s411 collective memories - identities - lieux de memoire - oral history,s405 modern and contemporary history,s108 human and social geography,s409 history of ideas - intellectual history
TAILOR-MADE BIFUNCTIONAL CARBON NANOTUBES TO ENHANCE INTERFACIAL INTERACTIONS IN FIBER REINFORCED POLYMERIC COMPOSITES (CNT-IN-FRPC)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2017-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Structural composites that are combination high strength fibers with a continuous polymer matrix are already utilized in a variety of applications including aerospace, transportation, construction, marine goods and sporting goods. .As the usage of these materials increases rapidly and new application areas emerge for materials, performance expectations to meet these needs also rise. the energy output in wind turbine blades is directly proportional to the area swept by the rotor (square of the diameter of the blade) and with the aid of composite structures that are mechanically stronger, the length of blades used in wind turbine blades can be increased and the weight can be decreased with new designs, which results in higher energy output. Carbon nanotubes have recently attracted great attention in the field of material science due to their unique mechanical, electrical and thermal properties combined with their nanoscale size, high aspect ratio and low density. The proposed project offers a unique methodology for the production of next generation structural composites using chemically functionalized carbon nanomaterials for improved mechanical performance.

Keywords: c102 nanochemistry,c128 nanomaterials,c119 structural properties of materials,c139 polymer chemistry,g311 materials engineering,chemically functionalized carbon nanotubes,structural composites
Functional role of Foxp2 and Caspr2 in the cortex (CORTICAL FOXP2)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Life-long training and career development
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2017-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The identification of genomic variants associated with common neurodevelopmental syndromes is rapidly advancing. Recent estimates suggest that hundreds of genes are likely to contribute to susceptibility to a specific syndrome. Inherent in this hypothesis is the convergence of associated variants on common molecular networks mediating specific endophenotypes such as disturbed speech and language development across clinically distinct categories. Highly penetrant mutations account for only a fraction of language-related pathologies but are essential for understanding the common neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders. Rare mutations affecting the FOXP2 transcription factor cause a monogenic speech and language disorder. Mice carrying an identical point mutation to that observed in affected patients have been generated (Foxp2+/R552H mice) but the functional significance of Foxp2 expression in cortical neurons in not known. We will characterize Foxp2-expressing cortical neurons and investigate the functional impact of the mutation at the cellular, synaptic and network level. Furthermore, FOXP2 binds to and dramatically down-regulates CNTNAP2, a gene that encodes the neurexin Caspr2 and was recently associated with several language disorders. Using CNTNAP2+/- mice we will assess the functional consequences of decreased Caspr2 expression in Foxp2-expressing neurons. We will also attempt to rescue the cellular phenotype observed in Foxp2+/R552H mice by reexpressing Foxp2 or downregulating its target genes in adult animals. Finally, Foxp2 is expressed in a fraction of neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Using iPSC-derived neurons as disease models is challenging since different neuronal subtypes are differentially sensitive to a mutation. We will FACS-sort and characterize Foxp2+ neurons derived from human iPSCs to establish a cellular model of the Foxp2-related disorder.

Keywords: psychiatric disorders,penetrant mutations,speech and language disorders,neurophysiology,induced pluripotent stem cells
Hypervalent Iodine Reagents: A Tool Kit for Accessing Molecular Complexity (ITOOLS4MC)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Materials and Synthesis
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (ERC-2013-StG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-01-01
End date: 2018-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Against the backdrop of an ever-expanding world population and increasingly limited resources, progress in chemistry, and organic chemistry in particular, is essential for the future of humanity. In the last century, transition metal chemistry has completely changed the field of synthesis. Nevertheless, it is often based on rare and toxic metals. Traditional organic chemistry, on the other hand, makes use of cheap and innocuous organic molecules but at the cost of more limited reactivity. Herein, we propose to design new hypervalent iodine reagents, which will combine the high reactivity of metals with the lower toxicity and cost of main group elements while opening new horizons for the synthesis of organic molecules. The most important impact of the project will be to accelerate the innovative circle of progress, especially for research in medicinal chemistry. An extremely useful toolbox, an "iKit", will become available for medicinal chemists. The optimal outcome would be a "magic iodine bullet", which the chemist can use to install a chemical functional group on an organic molecule of his or her choice. An added impact of the project will be greater understanding of the reactivity of hypervalent iodine reagents and their interplay with metal catalysts, leading to unforeseen applications. This understanding can lead to the development of reactions catalytic in iodine, which can be useful not only for research, but also for the larger scale production of chemicals. Based on the successful outcome of this project, an unlimited number of organic transformations will be possible in the future. Applications will not be solely limited to synthetic chemistry, as there exists the possibility for emergent development of other well-defined reagents tailored to meet the needs of scientists in chemical biology and materials science.

Keywords: new reagents,medicinal chemistry,synthetic tools,c-h functionalization,hypervalent iodine,enantioselective catalysis,bioactive compounds,organic building blocks,heterocycles,natural products