Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Building Academic Freedom And Democracy In Africa (BAFADIA)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Ghana
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF, 2011)
Start date: 2015-10-01
End date: 2016-09-30
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This Fellowship’s purpose is a comparative assessment of the protection for, and health of, academic freedom in the African nations, currently a vastly under-researched field, and a subsequent analysis of most relevant best practice for the protection of academic freedom in the EU, which can then aid the derivation of an African model of the concept, which will be disseminated across, and embedded within, universities in Africa. To achieve this, the project will unite the Fellow, who has a wide knowledge of academic freedom and human rights issues in Africa, with the Researcher in Charge, who has experience and expertise in assessing the protection of academic freedom in different states, to produce together new knowledge which will be disseminated across both Africa and the EU. The long-term effect of this research will be to substantially increase the institutional collaboration between universities in Africa and the European Union, enabling greater protection of academic freedom via the joint development of governance structures, processes and protocols. Additionally, through the mobility to the EU of a leading African human rights researcher, the project will facilitate aid and encourage greater teaching links and research collaboration, and academic and scientific outputs between the universities in the two continents. The main academic subject areas which relate to academic freedom are higher education policy and international law. However, by promoting greater collaboration at institutional, rather than subject, level this project will generate greater intercontinental collaboration across a wide range of academic disciplines, via increases in the number of EU-African university collaborations.
Children and War: Resilience Beyond Programmes (CAWRBP)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Uganda
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF, 2011)
Start date: 2015-08-01
End date: 2016-07-31
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this fellowship is to develop an integrated theoretical social (re)integration framework for children born of war and their ex-combatant mothers in light of the unique but extreme challenges faced by these children in contemporary African armed conflicts. Five objectives will be pursued, namely; 1. Identify and analyse the situation of “(re)integrated” ex-combatants and their children born out of forced pregnancies and rape by enemy soldiers in post conflict northern Uganda; 2. Identify and analyse the situation of “(re)integrated” ex-combatants and their children in post conflict countries of East Timor, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); 3. Compare social (re)integration policies and practices associated with study communities in Northern Uganda, East Timor, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the DRC; 4. Apply findings to the existent theoretical framework and thus revise and make more effective the social (re)integration approaches to benefit ex-combatants and the children born of war; 5. Participate in international discussions and contribute to building scholarship for improvement of social (re)integration policies and practices globally. Tasks will be accomplished in five phases, namely; preparatory; extensive and elaborate comparative analysis of study communities; in-depth analyses of social (re)integration policies and practices; development of alternative framework(s) for social (re)integration of children born of war and their ex-combatant mothers and the return phase to enable the emerging framework be tested on study communities in Oyam and Otuke districts in northern Uganda and thus, inform further refinement of the framework.
Plasma- and electron beam-assisted nanofabrication of two-dimensional (2D) substrates and three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with artificial cell-instructive niches for vascular and bone implants (PLASMANANOSMART)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Russian Federation
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IIF, 2012)
Start date: 2015-07-27
End date: 2016-07-26
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The project is aimed at investigation of the novel routes to prepare functional 2D-substrates or 3D-scaffolds with artificial cell-instructive niches for cardiovascular and bone implants using sophisticated plasma- and electron beam-assisted nanofabrication technologies. The project’s grand challenges are as follows: 1) Plasma-assisted fabrication of two-dimensional (2D) substrates and three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds of polymers, titanium and shape-memory alloys to control the differentiation of MSCs towards osteogenic and vascular (endothelial) lineages 2) Deterministic nanofabrication of the endothelial cell-targeted surface chemistry, topography and charge of two-dimensional (2D) substrates and three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds for the prevention of thrombosis of polymers, titanium and shape-memory alloys-based materials 3) Control over the hydrophobic nitric oxide groups containing surface chemistry, wettability and charge that prevent the formation of biofilm and adhesion of platelets 4) Differential diagnostics of cell associations and bioengineering constructions in vitro by use of synchrotron radiation 5) The development and studying of the novel 2D-substrates and 3D polymer scaffolds and their behavior in a bio-reactor (via tissue engineering) in vitro by use of dedicated X-ray multiple contrast diagnostics (objective for re-integration phase of the project). Completing the research planned during the PlasmaNanoSmart project it is suggested to obtain new fundamental data on biological response of novel elaborated biocomposites, which will serve further breakthrough in the field of 3D-bioscaffold technologies for regenerative medicine. The “cell biochips” advanced technology for “smart implants” carrying artificial niches for MSCs will be developed which allows us to gradually replace bioinert and bioactive materials. This new bioengineering (biomimetical) approach will reduce the medical, social and economic risks for the public (compared to cell therapy).
Detecting and characterizing radio transients (RADIOTRANSIENTS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: South Africa
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IIF, 2012)
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Recent technological advances place radio astronomy on the brink of a revolution, with survey capabilities about to improve dramatically. The newly completed northern hemisphere Low-Frequency ARray (LOFAR), and the future Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) in the south, are two of the three new-generation radio telescopes driving this progress. It will now be possible, for the first time, to perform radio surveys sufficiently sensitive and wide to efficiently detect rapid, rare transients. Extreme astrophysical events, such as neutron star mergers and relativistic jet ejection from accreting black holes, are expected to show up amongst these radio transients. Such sources allow a glimpse of the laws of physics operating in conditions too extreme to be reproduced in a laboratory. The processes involved are of fundamental relevance in star and planet formation, galaxy evolution, and gamma-ray bursts. Furthermore, some classes of transients are expected to be the electromagnetic counterparts of bright gravitational wave sources. I propose to exploit the unprecedented new radio survey capacity to study high-energy processes in astrophysics. In particular, I will share an International Incoming Fellowship between the University of Southampton (UK) and the University of Cape Town (South Africa) -- two institutes uniquely well-positioned in the exciting new field of radio transients. There, I will utilize my extensive experience of optical/infrared observational astronomy, as well as numerical modelling, to characterize a variety of radio transients, in order to secure their astrophysical interpretation. This will allow us to study normally quiescent super-massive black holes, probe relativistic accretion and jet formation, measure kinetic feedback into the ambient medium, test theoretical models of the evolution of black hole and neutron star binaries, and perhaps to identify coherent radio bursts at cosmological distances.
Multi-scale Modelling of Mechanical Damage to Tomatoes (MMMDT)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: China
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IIF, 2012)
Start date: 2016-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The quality of fruit such as tomatoes can be reduced substantially by mechanical damage e.g. by poor handling during and post-harvesting. Damage manifested at the whole fruit or macro-scale is caused by failure of cells at the micro-scale, although cells in different tissues (meso-scale) react differently to external forces. Not much is known about how the mechanics of tomatoes across the scales can be correlated and how external forces cause damage to single cells internally. Therefore, the scientific aim of this Fellowship is to model the multi-scale mechanics of tomatoes to provide a tool for investigating internal damage to tomatoes caused by external forces during handling and processing. The first step will be to investigate the multi-scale anatomy of tomatoes. The multi-scale mechanical behavior of tomatoes, their component tissues, and the cells within those tissues will then be characterized. Such anatomical and mechanical data have never been determined fully for one fruit at one time and therefore existing data cannot be used to develop multi-scale mechanical models. The third step will be to develop and validate a multi-scale finite element model using a novel, user-defined 3D cell element type that will allowing all scales to be represented in a single model. Finally, internal mechanical damage to tomatoes caused by externally applied forces in compression tests of whole fruit will be simulated. This Fellowship will provide a valuable tool for investigating mechanical damage to tomatoes caused by external forces during handling and processing. Besides its scientific value, this project will have an impact of the economic efficiency of the European Union. It will be the basis for long-term collaborations between the University of Birmingham, UK and Henan Polytechnic University, China. The Fellow will undertake a broad range of outreach activities, including to schools and industrial and academic colleagues.
Nano-technology enabled repositioning of Disulfiram as an anti-cancer stem cell agent (NANODISCAN)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: China
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Most cancers remain ‘incurable’ and life-thretening. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the source of chemo/radioresistance and responsible for cancer recurrence which suggests the urgent requirement of CSC-targeting drugs. Drug development is a slow (15 years/drug) and costly (US$1.5bn/drug) procedure with only 5-25% of new oncology drugs in clinical development actually reaching the market mainly due to the toxicity of novel molecules. This dilemma has led to an increasing appreciation of the potential of repurposing of known drugs. We have demonstrated that Disulfiram (DS), an old anti-alcoholism drug, possesses excellent anti-CSC activity with low toxicity to normal cells. Whereas its cancer clinial indication is limited by its bio-instability (~4 min half-life in blood stream). Our pilot data demonstrated that the anticancer efficacy of DS is significantly improved when mild extending its half-life by liposome encapsulation. In this study, the Incoming Fellow, who has very strong technical knowhow in cancer research, molecular pharmacology, anticancer drug development and nano-encapsulation, will bring novel nano-biomaterials invented in China into Europe. Taking advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities, CSC models, pharmaceutical resarch and developmental expertise and scientific/technical support from the Incoming Host and the other European collaborators, we will develop a long-circulating nano-encapsulated DS. The anticancer activity of the nano-encapsulated DS will be examined in vitro and in vivo in breast and liver cancer cell lines as well as the relevant CSC models. This study will pave the path for clinical trial of DS in cancer indication. The significance of this project will be: 1. Expand and extend our FP7-IRSES (2011-16) platform to strenthen long-term collaboration between China and EU partners; 2. Develop a new cancer therapeutics for the benefic of healthcare in Europe; 3. Open a new drug developmental window to benefit European economy.
Self-Assembled Virus-Like Particles from Polyferrocenylsilane-Based Polymers and Viral Capsid Proteins: Fabrication, Surface Engineering and Applications (HDIMSM)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships (Return Phase)
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: China
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2017-02-01
End date: 2018-01-31
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15000.0
EU funding (EUR): 15000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The capsid proteins of viruses have been shown to organize around a variety of non-biological polyanions, in a similar way that proteins assemble around RNA genomes, to form virus-like particles (VLPs). Metal-containing polymers such as polyferrocenylsilane possess additional interesting physical and chemical properties and may yield VLPs possessing very different morphologies and more diverse functionalities on co-assembly with capsid proteins. In a similar manner to almost all nanoscale objects, VLPs generally exist in the solid state but not in the liquid phase, because the scales of these systems are typically larger than the range of attractive interactions between such nanostructures. This situation comes with limitations regarding both storage and product formulation. Due to the recent development of liquid proteins via the surface engineering techniques, interest in the phase behavior of bionanomaterials has grown rapidly. The proposed research focuses on the fabrication and surface engineering of responsive VLPs through the self-assembly of polyferrocenylsilane-based copolymers and viral capsid proteins. This project is highly interdisciplinary and the project objectives will be accomplished by the proposed award of a Marie Curie Fellowship to a highly talented young scientist from China, Dr. Hongjing Dou. She has considerable expertise in the area of bionanomaterials and in biomedical science. The proposal involves her working at the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol in the UK together with Prof. Ian Manners, who has expertise in the field of synthetic metallopolymers such as polyferrocenylsilanes and also self-assembly, and cosupervisor Prof. Stephen Mann, an expert in bio-inspired chemically-derived routes to complex materials and a pioneer of solvent-free liquid proteins and viruses, to achieve the ambitious project goals.
The Evolution of the Chlamydiae - an Experimental Approach (EVOCHLAMY)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Evolutionary, population and environmental biology
Countries involved: Austria
Call:  (ERC-2011-StG_20101109, 2011)
Start date: 2012-01-01
End date: 2016-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499621.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499621.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Chlamydiae are a unique group of obligate intracellular bacteria that comprises symbionts of protozoa as well as important pathogens of humans and a wide range of animals. The intracellular life style and the obligate association with a eukaryotic host was established early in chlamydial evolution and possibly also contributed to the origin of the primary phototrophic eukaryote. While much has been learned during the past decade with respect to chlamydial diversity, their evolutionary history, pathogenesis and mechanisms for host cell interaction, very little is known about genome dynamics, genome evolution, and adaptation in this important group of microorganisms. This project aims to fill this gap by three complementary work packages using experimental evolution approaches and state-of-the-art genome sequencing techniques. Chlamydiae that naturally infect free-living amoebae, namely Protochlamydia amoebophila and Simkania negevensis, will be established as model systems for studying genome evolution of obligate intracellular bacteria (living in protozoa). Due to their larger, less reduced genomes compared to chlamydial pathogens, amoeba-associated Chlamydiae are ideally suited for these investigations. Experimental evolution approaches – among the prokaryotes so far almost exclusively used for studying free-living bacteria – will be applied to understand the genomic and molecular basis of the intracellular life style of Chlamydiae with respect to host adaptation, host interaction, and the character of the symbioses (mutualism versus parasitism). In addition, the role of amoebae for horizontal gene transfer among intracellular bacteria will be investigated experimentally. Taken together, this project will break new ground with respect to evolution experiments with intracellular bacteria, and it will provide unprecedented insights into the evolution and adaptive processes of intracellular bacteria in general, and the Chlamydiae in particular.

Keywords: microbiology,experimental evolution,intracellular bacteria,protozoa,amoeba
Walking the tightrope between life and death: Oxygen homeostasis regulation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (WTBLDOHRNCE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Physiology, Pathophysiology and Endocrinology
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (ERC-2011-StG_20101109, 2011)
Start date: 2011-11-01
End date: 2017-10-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1495922.0
EU funding (EUR): 1495922.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Oxygen (O2) is vital for the life of all aerobic animals. However, fine-tuned regulation of O2 levels is crucial since both shortage (hypoxia) and excess (via the production of reactive oxygen species, ROS) may be harmful. Indeed, both hypoxia and ROS may underlie the pathophysiology of many diseases such as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s. To understand how this fine-tuned O2 regulation is achieved at both the molecular and organismal levels my research proposal aims to explore the following integrated questions, using the nematode C. elegans as a model organism. 1) How do animal sense O2? What are the molecular sensors and how do they act together to fine-tune O2 responses? 2) How does O2 regulate food intake, and repress appetite in hypoxia? 3) How do animals survive and behaviorally adapt to hypoxia without HIF-1? 4) How hydrogen sulfide (H2S) regulates O2 responses and aging? 5) How do animals protect against mRNA oxidation damage? I have focused my research on the globins. GLB-5 is a C. elegans hexacoordinated globin that regulates foraging behavior in response to subtle changes in O2 concentration. Like neuroglobin and cytoglobin in our brain, GLB-5 is expressed in neurons. Recently I discovered that GLB-5 regulates the re-adaptation of animals to 21% O2 after hypoxia. To understand how GLB-5 regulates hypoxia-reoxygenation responses I made a mutagenesis screen and isolated four classes of GLB-5 suppressors, and mapped them using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP’s) to about a 1 Mbp genomic interval. Using a novel non-PCR based libraries preparation and Next Generation whole-genome sequencing, I have already sequenced four independent mutations and cloned one of the GLB-5 suppressors. In the future, I intend to clone more suppressor genes, and use this methodology in other parts of my project. By doing so, I aim to understand O2 homeostasis regulation at all levels; from the molecular signaling network to the physiology and behavior of the whole animal.

Keywords: redox biology,hypoxia,globins,oxidative stress,c. elegans,oxygen biology,hydrogen sulfide,reactive oxygen species,behavior,appetite,high-altitude,food avoidance,nematode,rnai,homeostasis