Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Vision in color: Molecular mechanism of the color visual system (CONESYSTEM)

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-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-08-01
End date: 2014-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 50000.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The retina of vertebrates contains two kinds of photoreceptor cells, the abundant rod cells, containing the rhodopsin pigment, and the much scarcer cone cells, with the blue, green and red cone pigments. Upon photoactivation, they interact and activate a specific heterotrimeric G protein, transducin, initiating the visual signalling phototransduction cascade. To date, little information about the interaction cone pigment-transducin is known. The main goal of this project is to provide an overall picture that integrates in a coherent scheme the molecular basis of the interaction cone pigment-cone transducin following two approaches. In a first approach, Dr Ramon proposes to unravel the effect of cone degeneration associated mutations found in cone pigments, and transducin α subunit genes. To do that, these mutant proteins will be expressed (using eukaryotic or prokaryotic systems) and characterized by means of immunocytochemic and spectroscopic techniques. On a second approach, Dr Ramon will study the interaction cone pigment-cone transducin by means of Surface Plasmon Resonance spectroscopy, providing the kinetic features of the biomolecular interactions and NMR spectrosocopy, by determining the conformation of cone transducin upon cone pigment binding The collaboration of different groups with the host institution -which will allow short stays of the applicant in these laboratories- and their involvement in the development of this project will help to disseminate the results not only Europe, but worldwide. Cone pigments have not been widely studied due to the scarcer amount in nature as compared with the rod pigment rhodopsin. most of the information available on cone pigment phototransduction is inferred or extrapolated from the rod system due to its similarities with rhodopsin, the prototypical representative of G protein coupled receptors. For this reason, the project herein proposed will represent an important advance in the visual diseases arena.

Keywords: visual pigments,cone distrophies,g protein coupled receptors
Quantum Bits in Carbon Nanostructures (CARBONQUBITS)

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: Hungary
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Quantum computation (QC) is expected to improve the efficiency of certain computational tasks. QC schemes are formulated in terms of operations on quantum bits (qubits), whose values are superpositions of two quantum states. A natural candidate for the physical implementation of a qubit is the spin of an electron. In fact, breakthrough experiments recently demonstrated the ability to initialize, manipulate, couple and read out spin-based qubits using electrons confined in a solid state environment. New perspectives have been opened in solid-state QC by recent proposals exploiting the peculiar characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs): utilizing electronic states circulating around the CNT circumference in qubit implementation is promising for various reasons. To evaluate the potential in these novel qubit realizations, we plan to develop a profound theoretical understanding of the physical mechanisms allowing initialization and readout of the qubit, causing two-qubit interactions, as well as those leading to the loss of information encoded in the qubit. We expect that our results will enable the design of carbon nanostructures optimized for QC, provide understanding of related recent and future experiments, and highlight fundamental new quantum-physical phenomena on the nanoscale. The completion of the project requires tools of condensed matter theory (tight-binding and envelope-function models, theories of hyperfine, spin-orbit, exchange and electron-phonon interactions), and the theory of non-equilibrium quantum systems (quantum master equation). The EU contribution would enable the applicant to establish himself in Hungary after his mobility period, contribute significantly to the scientific success of his research career, improve considerably the prospects of his permanent integration, allow the transfer of knowledge he has acquired abroad, and enable him to maintain co-operation with the scientific and industrial environment of the countries he visited.

Keywords: nanotube,graphene,spin qubit,valley qubit,kramers qubit,readout,manipulation,decoherence,quantum information,quantum dot,spin-orbit coupling,hyperfine interaction,electron-phonon coupling
Understanding horse speciation and domestication through comparative palaeogenomics (HORSEDOMESTICATION)

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-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Horses have played a critical role in human societies, warfare and for facilitating the exploration of novel territories. In addition, the rich fossil record of the horse family over the past 55 million years has made it an icon for the patterns and processes of macroevolution. However, most horses have become extinct in the wild precluding direct comparison of domestic and wild horse genomes to understand the processes of domestication and speciation. Here, I propose to use state-of-the-art ancient DNA methods in combination with 2nd and 3rd generation sequencing technologies to characterize the complete genomes of the modern donkey, the Przewalski's horse and of two Pleistocene horses, dating back to more than 12,000 years ago. Through comparative genomics, these genomes will deliver the sequence of all horse genes before humans started breed selection and will identify the genetic changes that occurred in the course of the domestication process. In addition, direct comparison between the genomes of the Przewalski's horse and those of pre-domestic Pleistocene horses will clarify the conservation status of this highly endangered horse. While promising to supersede 2nd generation approaches, no 3rd generation sequencing technology has been so far used in ancient DNA context. This project is the first exploring the potential of 3rd generation approaches for ancient DNA, which could open access to a whole range of fossils previously considered as devoid of any trace of DNA. At the genetic level, the domestication process has never previously been studied through the merger of ancient and modern genome-wide data. Therefore, this project represents an unprecedented attempt to understand the dynamics of genomic changes over time in relation with animal domestication.

Keywords: evolutionary biology,conservation biology,palaeozoology,genomics
Quantitative Glycomics and Glycoproteomics for Biomarker Discovery (GLYCOPROTEOMICS)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-08-01
End date: 2015-07-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the proposed project new, integrated technologies for quantitative and high throughput glycomics, glycoproteomics and the related bioinformatics will be developed. Glycoproteins are important cell-cell communication molecules: primarily located on the membrane, glycoproteins mediate inter-cell interaction, while secreted glycoproteins can distribute throughout the whole organism via the bloodstream. The structures of the glycans attached to these glycoproteins are known to change in response to disease. With more than 50% of all human proteins being predicted to be glycosylated, there is a dearth of reproducible and quantitative analytical technologies to determine the extensive micro- and macro-heterogeneity of these molecules. In this proposal, we aim to develop novel interdisciplinary approaches to provide hitherto unknown, accurate and detailed information on the identity and quantity of glycoproteins, AND their glycosylation, simultaneously and in a high throughput manner. The lack of any template or prediction tools that allow deduction of this information makes it crucial to develop new technologies in this area. This capacity will enable the acquisition of in-depth knowledge of protein glycosylation and the investigation of the biological role of these molecules in the context of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The prevalence of IBD has risen in the past 10 years with every fifth IBD patient being a child or adolescent. In Germany alone more than 300 000 patients suffer from IBD. To date a cure of IBD is still not possible and IBD are suspected to increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer, which itself is already the third most common cancer in developed countries. The findings produced by this study will provide the first steps for understanding IBD onset and improving diagnostic tests and treatments.

Keywords: proteomics,glycomics,glycoproteomics,inflammatory bowel disease,mass spectrometry,glyco-bioinformatics,biomarker
Osmium alloys & the pulse of the Earth (OS.EARTH)

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-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Our knowledge about the geological history of the Earth is almost exclusively derived from studies of the Earth's crust, the ~35 km ultra-thin skin covering our planet. There are indications that most of the continental crust has been produced during a few, short-lived bursts - so-called 'super-events' - throughout Earth history, but the issue is controversial. If true, these global events almost certainly had a major impact on the development of the atmosphere, on the evolution of life on Earth and on the formation of world-class mineral deposits. Processes in the Earth's mantle must have played a major role in these proposed 'super-events'. The aim of this project is to study the vital clues about the large-scale melting events in the history of the Earth that are preserved within the mantle in the form of tiny grains of alloys of the element osmium (Os). Os alloys form when parts of the mantle are melted to a high degree. The formation of these alloys can be dated using the different isotope proportions of osmium. An innovative, multi-faceted approach - already tested by pilot studies – is proposed. The goal is to collect a large number of Os alloys from key river and beach placer deposits worldwide, followed by Os isotope analysis using time- and cost-effective methods, thus constructing a global record of the history of mantle melting. This will allow for a rigorous and systematic testing of the mantle super-event hypothesis. Reaching across to other scientific disciplines, this project will also target some alluvial gold deposits that were already exploited by man in pre-historic times, as the Os isotope distributions of Os alloys mixed with this gold will not only yield new data on the global mantle super-events, but can also be used to define the characteristic Os isotope signature for the deposit. Such signatures will allow testing of the hypothesis that Os alloy inclusions in prehistoric gold objects can be used to pinpoint the source of the gold.

Keywords: earth science,isotope geochemistry,mantle,ophiolite,geodynamics,petrology,osmium,gold,archaeometry
Protecting biodiversity in the face of climate change. (PROTECTINGBIOFACCTS)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Human-induced land use changes are causing extensive habitat fragmentation. As a result, many species are not able to shift their ranges in response to climate change, and will need to adapt to changing conditions. A prudent strategy to maximize the evolutionary potential of populations is to focus conservation efforts on areas where levels of intraspecific variation are high. Recently, I proposed a novel approach to integrate evolutionary processes with traditional prioritization strategies, using spatially explicit models of intraspecific genetic and phenotypic variation. The next crucial step in the further development and refinement of the framework is to understand its general utility. The objectives of this project are to: 1) measure morphological characteristics and genotype 10 common species each in Bulgaria/Romania and Cameroon; 2) map the spatial patterns of intraspecific variation in these regions; 3) prioritize areas for conservation based on intraspecific variation versus species richness; 4) measure the effectiveness of intraspecific variation in one species as a surrogate; 5) compare the overlap in reserves based on either intraspecific variation or species richness; 6) compare the utility of coding versus non-coding genetic markers. The deliverables will be: 1) maps identifying areas with high amounts of intraspecific variation, 2) insight into the general applicability of our approach, 3) a better understanding of the relationship between biotic and abiotic diversity, 4) insight into the effects of neutral and selective processes on population divergence, 5) further understanding of how environmental variation shapes divergence in neutral and adaptive loci, 6) a toolbox of methods for use by conservation planners. This project will greatly enhance the implementation in conservation prioritization of the framework developed, as well as our ability to make recommendations on its usage.

Keywords: natural sciences,conservation prioritization,evolution,climate change,landscape genetics,spatially explicit ecological modeling,morphology,remote sensing,africa,natura 2000
IDENTIFYING AND CHARACTERIZING REGULATORS OF PRIMORDIAL VASCULAR ADVENTITIA DEVELOPMENT, ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION (PVA DEVELOPMENT)

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: Israel
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Vascular development and function are complex processes of utmost importance to the organism involving numerous steps and cell types. One of the tissues participating in these processes is the vascular adventitia, the outermost layer of the vessel, mainly composed of connective tissue. Recently, with the association of the adventitia to a growing number of diseases, its activities have become slowly uncovered and shown to participate in a number of developmental and homeostatic processes. Despite this, the processes that regulate the development, organization and function of the primordial embryonic adventitia are still unknown. This proposal is aimed at addressing the mechanisms and key genes regulating primordial adventitia development, organization and function. It concentrates on uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying the activities of Tbx5, the transcription factor associated with Holt Oram Syndrome. Significantly, Tbx5 deletion during limb outgrowth leads to novel phenotypes whereby vessels form but are then ruptured as a result of an abnormal primordial adventitia organization. We have uncovered two putative target genes mediating its activities – the tumor suppressor Lysyl oxidase and the oncogene beta-Catenin. We will take advantage of the developing limb as a proven model system that allows easy access and manipulations to address the different developmental and functional aspects of the proposal. Taken together, the proposed experiments will uncover and characterize novel processes required for the development and function of the adventitia. Due to the unique properties of the adventitia, this research will set a basis for testing the relationship between a tissue's organization and function. It will enhance the understanding of the pathways that participate in the development of pluripotent, connective and vascular tissues and potentially provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of diseases they are implicated in.

Keywords: health sciences,limb,lysyl oxidase,beta catenin,tbx5,vascular adventitia,embryonic vascular development
Dissecting a new mechanisms of bacterial cell-cell communication (MICROBIAL SENSING)

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-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2011-10-01
End date: 2015-09-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

For many years, bacteria have been considered very simple organisms mostly studied in the context of single cells. However, recent discoveries revealed the ability of bacteria to develop complex communities. The study of bacterial communities is of biomedical and ecological importance as the formation of highly organized multicellular structures such as biofilms and fruiting bodies render infectious bacteria resistant to antibiotics and are very difficult to treat. Essential for biofilm and fruiting body formation is the ability of bacterial cells to communicate with each other. Recent observations on the model system Myxococcus xanthus suggest the existence of a previously undiscovered mechanism of bacterial cell-cell communication. Very likely, M. xanthus shares its way of cell-cell communication with other bacterial species also forming multicellular structures, including human pathogens. The proposed study will i) focus on the investigation of the mechanisms responsible of cell-cell communications; ii) take advantage of innovative techniques and integrate genetic, biochemical and cellular approaches; iii) open new insights in the knowledge of bacterial multicellularity.

Keywords: health sciences,microbial cell communication,chemotaxis,bacterial communities
Identification and functional and mechanistic characterization of Wnt-regulated long intergenic non-coding RNAs (WNTLINCS)

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: Greece
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG, 2011)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2016-10-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The canonical Wnt pathway plays a central role in stem cell maintenance, differentiation and proliferation in the adult, self-renewing intestinal epithelium. Wnt signaling activates gene expression through the induced formation of complexes between DNA-binding TCF factors and the transcriptional co-activator β-catenin. Constitutive, aberrant transcriptional activity of the TCF4/β-catenin complex, caused by mutations in APC, AXIN or β-catenin, is the primary transforming factor in colorectal cancer. At present, despite great inroads into the processes involved in Wnt-dependent transcriptional regulation, the mechanisms by which TCF4/β-catenin regulate target genes remain incompletely understood. My post-doctoral research on these mechanisms uncovered tantalizing clues for the existence of previously unappreciated layers in the Wnt-dependent repertoire of transcriptional targets and mediators. These clues point to the existence of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), the expression of which is regulated by the Wnt pathway and which, in turn, mediate its transcriptional activity and output. The proposed work aims at i) the systematic identification of such Wnt-regulated lincRNAs ii) the discovery of the protein factors with which they interact and iii) the elucidation of their functional and mechanistic contribution to Wnt-dependent transcription. These studies promise to shed light on new players and principles involved in normal and abnormal intestine physiology and to generate novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer.

Keywords: wnt signaling,chromatin,non-coding rnas,transcriptional regulation,epigenetics