Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Roles of non-coding RNAs in translational regulation during root developmental adaptation to phosphate starvation (TRANSPHO)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Outgoing Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IOF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-15
End date: 2016-11-01
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 268781.1
EU funding (EUR): 268781.1
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The sessile lifestyle of plants requires them to adapt their growth and development to environmental variation. This implies a tight spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression to control developmental responses. Translational control, the regulation of the initiation, elongation or termination of ribosomes on an mRNA, provides cells additional mechanisms to rapidly control gene expression in a reversible manner, in response to environmental and developmental cues. It is known that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) can modify spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, and play a key role in developmental plasticity. Their role in the regulation of initiation of mRNA translation have been described in animals and hinted in plants, where mechanistic details are limited. Improving tolerance to nutrient deficiency is a major goal of agricultural research. Improvement of inorganic phosphate (Pi) starvation has been the target of classical breeding and genetic engineering. ncRNAs (i.e. miRNA399) have been shown to regulate root development during Pi starvation in roots of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The three objectives of this project are to (a) analyze the role of translational control at the genomic level in response to Pi starvation using state-of-the-art methods that resolve ribosome activity to the codon level; (b) to assess the role of diverse classes of ncRNA in translational regulation in response to Pi starvation; and (c) to delve into the mechanistic role of selected ncRNAs in translational regulation during Pi starvation Towards these goals, we will isolate ribosomes specifically from root meristem cells and translation will be analyzed using genomic and bioinformatics approaches, The outcome will be identification of mechanisms of translational that control root developmental response to Pi starvation. This project will provide the postdoctoral fellow training in two groups with complementary expertise in translational control and ncRNA function in plants.

Keywords: l310 developmental genetics - embryology in plants,l105 protein synthesis - modification and turnover,non-coding rna,silencing,plant stress,root development
Looking for Tipping Points on Tropical Forest-Savanna Transitions (TIPTROPTRANS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-11-18
End date: 2015-11-17
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 236352.6
EU funding (EUR): 236352.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The response of tropical forest –savanna transitions has received much attention in the scientific literature over the last years. However, most studies use global models or remote sensing approaches that represent the transition from forest to savanna as a competition between a few functional groups (often just two groups: tropical grasses and tropical trees). There is plenty evidence that the transition between tropical forest and non-forest biomes is not gradual, but a threshold phenomenon between two stable states that can occur at the same level of rainfall. The switch between these two stable states has been suggested to be primarily mediated by fire, although light, nutrients and other factors can also mediate this transition. This proposal aims to gather a detailed ecological and ecophysiological understanding of the dynamic process of tropical forest-savanna transition, at a number of sites of South America and Africa. The study is framed in the context of the forest-savanna fire thresholds from a functional trait perspective, with the aim of testing and further developing the role of fire and its interaction with drought and resources availability. This will be achieved through detailed plot surveys to understand and quantify the tree mortality and recruitment processes, and through targeted manipulative experiments to understand and quantify responses to fire, drought, light and nutrient availability. This will enable the applicant to explicitly evaluate forest and savanna species’ ecological response to fire and to multiple interacting abiotic factors and provide a useful model to describe the process of possible tropical forest dieback and/or woody encroachment under some scenarios of climate change.

Keywords: v 305 ecology,v302 biodiversity - comparative biology,resources,functional traits,fire,drought,climate change
Forming High-Temperature Solids in Protoplanetary Disks (COOKINGDUSTINDISKS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Denmark
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IIF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221154.6
EU funding (EUR): 221154.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Strong evidence, regarding the properties and environment of chondrules and calcium-aluminium rich inclusions (CAIs) in the meteoritic record suggests that a local, transient heating mechanism is required to produce a significant amount of the solid material found in the solar system. With the early solar nebula as a proxy for early solar systems in general, this heating process must then be a significant component to understanding the evolution of dust in protoplanetary disks in general. I propose to develop the theory of the short-circuit instability recently proposed by myself and my collaborators. This instability acts in thermally ionised plasmas such as significant parts of the midplane of a protoplanetary disk, and satisfies a range of established constraints on the formation of chondrules and Type B CAIs. We have already established that it attains the necessary temperatures, but to establish the correct parameter regimes for the onset of the instability, and the timescales of the heating and cooling requires significant computational modelling, which is the subject of this proposal.

Keywords: p301 astronomy - astrophysics and cosmology,p105 gas and plasma physics,protoplanetary disks,metorites
Testing Gauge String Duality (TESTINGGSD)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-10-01
End date: 2015-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of this project is to invent new mathematical and physical methods of integrable systems and use them to compute the non-local observables of gauge theory and string theory exactly with respect to the coupling constant. It is believed that a special type of gauge theory and string theory are two equivalent descriptions of the same physical phenomena. This idea is called the Gauge/String Duality or AdS/CFT correspondence. This research thereby tests the AdS/CFT correspondence via the exact computation of non-local objects based on integrability methods. The integrability method called the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA) equations is the basis of our method. This set of equations is expected to give the spectrum of the conformal dimension of local operators in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, and the energy of closed string states on the AdS_5 x S^5 space-time, for any operators/states and at any value of the coupling constant. This project aims at generalizing this powerful formulation, and developing novel methods to solve nonlinear integral equations of TBA-type in analytic and numerical manners. The theory of integrable systems has rich mathematical structure, and is one of the major research fields in the modern mathematical physics. The integrable systems have a long history of its own since the discovery of quantum mechanics, and their exact solutions have provided important physical insights with the researchers of low-dimensional lattice models, quantum field theories, string theory and the AdS/CFT correspondence. The applicant will undertake the research at the Mathematical Institute in Oxford under the supervision of Prof. Luis-Fernando Alday. The applicant will also participate in the Oxford String Theory Group, which is one of the largest string theory research groups in UK with 9 faculty members from the Mathematical Institute and the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics.

Keywords: p101 fundamental interactions and fields,m113 mathematical physics,string theory,ads/cft correspondence,integrable systems
Apelin inhibition as an anti-cancer therapy (APELIN THERAPY)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Austria
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2014-02-01
End date: 2016-01-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 179137.2
EU funding (EUR): 179137.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The spread of cancer is a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout Europe and beyond. As the growth of solid tumours is dependent on the formation of a neovascular supply, inhibition of tumour-induced neoangiogenesis represents an actively pursued strategy to treat human cancers. Current anti-angiogenic therapies are, however, hampered by the onset of resistance through upregulation of additional angiogenesis factors. Therefore, the identification and study of these alternative neo-angiogenesis regulators as therapeutic targets is currently of key interest. Apelin is a potent angiogenic factor frequently found upregulated in cancer. However, the in vivo pathophysiological relevance of apelin function in cancer has not been addressed so far. In this proposal, we intend to study apelin inhibition and function in spontaneous cancer models. We will take a multidisciplinary and entirely in vivo approach that will combine the power of mouse genetics with state-of-the-art analysis techniques. We will evaluate in parallel the function of apelin in cancer and the highly promising effectiveness of apelin inhibition as a therapeutic cancer target either alone or in a combined anti-angiogenesis therapy. The relevance of de novo formation of lymphatic vessels in the progression of cancer has only recently been recognized. Using state-of-the-art techniques we will extend our studies by not only assessing the in vivo role of apelin in angiogenesis but also its involvement in lymphangiogenesis. Taken together, we believe that this project will shed new light on the role and function of a novel factor that regulates vessel formation in cancer and validate its potential as therapeutic target. If successful, our in vivo multidisciplinary study will open a new avenue for the treatment of resistant cancer cases and for the development of combinatorial anti-cancer therapies with higher efficiency and a reduced incidence of resistance formation.

Keywords: l406 cancer and its biological basis,l811 genetic engineering - transgenic organisms,l206 molecular genetics - reverse genetics and rnai,angiogenesis,lymphangiogenesis,cancer therapy,apelin
Magnetically responsive nanoparticle-vesicle hydrogels as "smart" biomaterials for the spatiotemporal control of cellular responses (MAGNANOVES)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-05-01
End date: 2015-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project will develop a new “smart” self-assembled biomaterial containing supramolecular magnetic nanoparticle-vesicle assemblies (MNPVs) as the active elements, which are able to convert non-invasive magnetic signals into biochemical responses in cells. This new biomaterial will have enhanced biocompatibility and allow spatiotemporal control over the release of bioactive compounds from MNPVs in the hydrogel. To achieve temporal control, a dual-release mechanism will be built into the biomaterial so that a short duration magnetic pulse will release a bioactive compound and elicit a cellular response, followed by a longer duration “self-destruct” magnetic pulse that will release enzyme/reagents able to dissociate the MNPVs and the surrounding hydrogel. Both non-covalent and enzymatically cleavable linkages between magnetic nanoparticles and vesicles and in the hydrogel matrices will be assayed. This second “self-destruct” signal will facilitate non-invasive clearance of the synthetic hydrogel either in vivo or in vitro without mechanical damage to the cells. To achieve spatial control, the hydrogel will be magnetically patterned at the macro and micro scale during the preparation of the vesicle gels. Furthermore, to increase the hospitability of the prepared biomaterials across cell types and target the MNPVs to certain cell lines, glycolipids and lipopeptides will be synthesized chemically/chemoenzymatically and doped into MNPVs. Throughout the project, each magnetically responsive biomaterial will be tested as a cell culture platform, with the effect of the released compounds on the cells assessed using standard assays, like cell counting, MTT for metabolic activity, DNA assays for cell proliferation, flow cytometry and real time PCR. Obtaining spatiotemporal control over cells cultured in these “smart” self-assembled biomaterials will open a path towards exciting potential applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Keywords: c128 nanomaterials,c130 intelligent materials - self assembled materials,c140 supramolecular chemistry,c129 biomaterials synthesis,c137 characterization methods of materials,c141 organic chemistry
Design of orthogonal molecular probes targeting engineered von-Hippel Lindau (VHL) E3 ubiquitin ligase for the control of intracellular protein levels (ORTHOPROTACS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-08
End date: 2015-04-07
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The development of potent, selective and cell-permeable small molecule chemical probes as tools to interrogate and modulate cellular functions of the human proteome is a rapidly growing field. The direct manipulation of protein intracellular level and activity using small molecules has enormous potential to elucidate and validate new drug targets and therapeutics tools. In the last decade, researchers have discovered an alternative method to directly control the level of protein components inside the cell without altering its DNA or RNA. This approach uses chemicals known as PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeric moleculeS (PROTACS) which exploit the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway to direct the intracellular degradation of any Proteins Of Interest (POI) by linking a section that mimics the recognition? motif of the natural substrate to one that binds the POI. PROTACS enable recruitment of any POI to an E3 Ubiquitin ligase. To date, the strategy has displayed some success, however much improvement is still required to known compounds to make this approach widely useful, and althernative new strategies need to be developed to add to the current arsenal of chemical tools. In preliminary work leading to this proposal the Ciulli Lab. (University of Cambridge) has discovered and characterised the first drug-like small molecules that target the Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) E3 Ubiquitin Ligase and disrupt its interaction with substrate Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) with low micromolar affinities. Harnessing this knowledge, and using these inhibitors as starting points, the proposed research will develop a multidisciplinary approach combining medicinal chemistry, protein engineering with biophysical studies and concerning designed, mutated/engineered VHL-ligand pairs that could ultimately be exploited as an orthogonal approach to modulate the level of any protein inside the cell.

Keywords: c134 biological chemistry,c143 protein chemistry,structure-based drug design,protein-protein interactions,orthogonal biology approach,von hippel-lindau protein (pvhl),protacs
Improved Statistical Monitoring Procedures for Attributes with Applications in Public Health Surveillance (SMPHS)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Intra-European Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 194046.6
EU funding (EUR): 194046.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Public health surveillance consists of the systematical collection, analysis and interpretation of public health data in order to (i) understand trends, (ii) detect changes in disease incidence and death rates, and (iii) plan, implement and evaluate public health policies. The monitoring of incidence rate of an event of interest (e.g., cancer incidence, surgical failures, etc.) is the main scope of public-health surveillance methods. For example, an increase in the incidence rate of a disease represents an increased risk to the public. Hence, the quick and accurate detection of such changes will lead to the development of effective medical and non-medical intervention strategies that will delay or reduce the impact of the outbreak in the community. The monitoring of public-health data over time is a scientific area closely related to the domain of statistical process control (SPC); the primary tool of SPC is the control chart. In case of public-health surveillance, the data are often discrete, assuming to follow a specific probability distribution. Thus, the application of ordinary control charting techniques is not valid. Therefore, new improved schemes are needed in order to deal effectively with the health-related processes, without leading to incorrect assessments and ambiguous conclusions. Also, the performance and the statistical design of the new control schemes should be evaluated under non-standard, more realistic, situations. Several procedures suitable for the monitoring of public health surveillance data have proposed and studied in the literature. However, further research is needed in the area. The basic aim of the proposed research is dual: (i) The development of improved monitoring procedures for attributes with specific applications in public-health surveillance problems and (ii) to assess the effect of several violations of the main assumptions on the performance of the proposed schemes, suggesting effective solutions and adjustments.

Keywords: m114 probability and statistics,l709 public health and epidemiology,statistical process control,estimated parameters,runs rules,cusum,ewma,markov chains,autocorrelation,biosurveillance
ROLE OF THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR FOXP1 IN B CELL FUNCTION AND LYMPHOMAGENESIS (LYMFOXP1)

Framework: FP7 — People
Programme: Marie-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: International Incoming Fellowships
Action type: Support for training and career development of researchers (Marie Curie)
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IIF, 2012)
Start date: 2013-11-01
End date: 2016-04-08
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 230036.6
EU funding (EUR): 230036.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

FOXP1 (Forkhead box-P1) is a winged-helix transcription factor that has been demonstrated to be expressed in a subset of activated B-cell type (ABC) diffuse B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). Strong FOXP1 expression appears to have an additive adverse role in the pathogenesis and clinical behavior of ABC-DLBCL. We believe that a better understanding of the molecular impact of FOXP1 deregulation in DLBCL will help us to improve the correct stratification of cancer patients as a prerequisite for acute diagnosis, and will allow us to propose novel pre-clinical therapeutic strategies to target the FOXP1-axis. To achieve this, we propose to characterize a collection of primary human DLBCL samples, stablished cell lines and the novel Emu-FOXP1 transgenic mouse model that has been recently generated in our lab, in an attempt to identify deregulated B-cell functional pathways, as well as sets of genetic and epigenetic events that might be "passengers" and/or "drivers" of lymphomagenesis. Our preliminary data has identified the B-cell mutagenic enzyme AID (activation-induced deaminase) as a FOXP1-target gene that could promote genetic and epigenetic instability in germinal-center B-cells. Consequently, we propose to explore the functional interaction of FOXP1 and AID both during normal B-cell activation and malignant B-cell transformation. By exploring functional and therapeutic strategies of targeting potential FOXP1/AID-related targets we pursue the development of translational protocols that could be used in the clinic to better diagnose patients with DLBCL and set the basis for designing future treatments and clinical trials.

Keywords: l406 cancer and its biological basis,l602 adaptive immunity,l208 epigenetics and gene regulation,l202 transcriptomics,l702 diagnostic tools