Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Dissecting the Role of Chromosome Instability in Cancer (CINCANCER)

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: 2012-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Chromosomal instability (CIN), the inability to correctly segregate sister chromatids during mitosis, is a hallmark of cancer cells. Overexpression of the mitotic checkpoint protein Mad2, commonly found in human tumors, leads to CIN and the development of aneuploid tumors in mouse models. However, recent observations from various laboratories suggest that aneuploidy can promote or suppress tumorigenesis depending on the context. This proposal aims to understand the relationship between aneuploidy and tumor formation and to identify in what context aneuploidy acts oncogenically and those in which it acts as a tumor suppressor. We propose to generate inducible mouse models that recapitulate the aneuploidy state of human tumors, to investigate the role of CIN in promoting or suppressing cancer. In addition, we have shown that CIN facilitates escape from oncogene addiction (the dependence of tumor cells on their initiating lesion for survival) and may be responsible for tumor relapse after targeted therapies. Due to the clinical relevance of these findings, we will investigate how CIN potentiates oncogene independence. It is possible that some CIN cells in the primary tumor are already independent of the initiating oncogene prior to treatment. Alternatively, CIN cells are more susceptible of acquiring additional mutations and evolve to become independent of the initiating lesion. We will develop an innovative three-dimensional in vitro culture system to isolate and characterize surviving cells after de-induction of the transgenes. It is necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to CIN and the consequences it has in tumor initiation, suppression and relapse, hoping that the genes or proteins identified could be targeted therapeutically. Finally, if human tumors are characterized by an overactive checkpoint we should validate the therapeutic potential of acute downregulation of mitotic checkpoint function in vivo.

Keywords: anticancer therapy,oncology,oncogene dependence,chromosome instability,mad2,her2,targeted therapies
Dissecting the gene regulatory mechanisms that generate serotonergic neurons. (SEROTONIN)

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: 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

Mental disorders constitute a human and economic burden for developed countries. Many mental disorders have been linked to serotonin dysfunction, but the precise mechanisms underlying these defects are not well understood. Serotonin Related Mental Disorders (SRMD) are multigenic, which makes the identification of these mechanisms a very difficult task. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that generate serotonergic neurons may provide the tools required for the identification of the mutations that would predispose to SRMD. In this grant we will use a multidisciplinary approach to dissect the transcriptional mechanisms that generate serotonergic neurons. Serotonergic neurons are very ancient in evolution and enzymes and transporters responsible for the production of serotonin (serotonin pathway genes) are highly conserved in all metazoans. We will take advantage of this evolutionary conservation and use the genetic amenability of C. elegans to dissect the genetic mechanisms responsible for the generation of the serotonergic neurons. Next, we will apply the lessons learned from C. elegans to unravel analogous mechanisms regulating mouse serotonergic differentiation. Our preliminary results show that the serotonergic pathway genes are co-regulated by the same factors, and that this mechanism is evolutionary conserved. We will identify the cis-acting sequences (serotonergic motif) and trans-acting factors responsible for the activation of the serotonergic features, both in worms and mice. Finally, we will apply our knowledge on serotonergic differentiation to generate serotonergic neurons in vitro. If successful, this project should lead to (i) the identification of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the specification of serotonergic neurons, and (ii) the generation of new tools to understand and treat SRMD.

Keywords: development,neurobiology,terminal fate,serotonin,regulatory logic,transcription factor,terminal selector,mental disorders
The Cognitive Neuroscience of Deception (COND)

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: 2012-08-01
End date: 2016-07-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Deception is a pervasive behavior that can serve a useful social purpose, but it can also have catastrophic consequences. This is why societies have long sought methods to study deception and to assess veracity. Traditional methods such as observing behavior and measuring peripheral physiology (e.g., with the polygraph) typically rely on detecting increases in autonomic nervous system arousal. However, these methods are inaccurate because arousal is loosely associated with deception. Moving beyond the notion of arousal, the neurocognitive approach adopted here integrates ideas from cognitive theories of deception postulating that deceptive responses are cognitively more complex than honest responses, and a framework that treats deception as a neurocognitive process and examines directly the brain, the organ that produces lies. This approach aims to identify specific neural patterns produced by cognitive processes associated with deception. To date, there have been only sparse attempts to articulate and test neurocognitive theories of deception and to quantify basic aspects of neuroscience-based deception detection technologies, resulting in a knowledge gap. The overarching goal of the CoND project is to begin filling this knowledge gap. The general aims are: i) to define key neurocognitive processes underlying deception by means of combined cognitive neuroscience methods, functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related brain potentials to monitor cortical activity, and transcranial magnetic stimulation to transiently disrupt such activity, and ii) to evaluate the potential of these methods to lead to neuroscience-based deception detection procedures. Developing novel ways to understand and reliably detect deception that are grounded in cognitive neuroscience theory could have a substantial impact on society and could eventually revolutionize the legal system and improve veracity assessment methods for use in criminal and national security investigations.

Keywords: human biology,behavioural biology,neuropsychology,neurophysiology,cognitive science,psychonomics,social sciences,experimental psychology,neurosciences,neurology,neurobiology
A Resilient Legacy: Giacomo Leopardi's Zibaldone di pensieri (RECEP-ZIONE)

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: Switzerland
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

This project aims to offer the first systematic and comprehensive study of the impact that the publication of the Zibaldone di pensieri in 1898 has made on Giacomo Leopardi’s 20th- and 21st-century reception, and of the role the notebook has played in the reconfiguration of its author’s profile as a poet-philosopher. The project, spread over four years, is divided into three major parts corresponding roughly to three phases of interpretation that appear to be characterised by distinct patterns and/or reading strategies: 1898-1947, 1947-1998 and post-1998. The project aims to identify which precise historical, socio-cultural and technological circumstances have subtended the development of different interpretative discourses on Leopardi and the Zibaldone, and how they have operated in the course of the 112-year public history of the notebook. On the basis of this analysis, the project will also make a reliable assessment of Leopardi’s present position within the Western literary and philosophical canon, an evaluation that is extremely relevant to the current historical and cultural contingency, which features an unprecedented boom in translations of the Zibaldone into foreign languages. In addition, (1) the forthcoming publication of the first complete translation of Leopardi’s notebooks into English, which is bound to significantly facilitate the circulation of Leopardi’s knowledge outside of the Italian-speaking world and outside of the boundaries of scholarly circles; (2) the availability of internet tools such as e-journals and blogs for research purposes, of which the project will make extensive use, will help lay the basis for future research on / and experimentation with (not only) Leopardi and the Zibaldone. This includes cross-comparisons with other key figures and texts long recognised as canonical to European philosophical culture, and the maximization of technological innovation to support literary and philosophical studies.

Keywords: humanities,literary criticism,philosophy,poetry,giacomo leopardi,zibaldone di pensieri,reception history,cultural canon,research and the internet
Study of Nitric Oxide Synthase in Amphioxus (AMPHIOXUSNOS)

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: Italy
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

It is clear that a conserved set of developmental genes is shared between animals, but it is becoming even more evident that changes in gene regulation rather than changes in gene function may have been involved in the origin of morphological novelties and complexity during animal evolution. The candidate is interested in the study of the Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) family evolution, its regulation during development and its biomedical importance being implicated in the physiopatology of many human diseases. Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential molecule to many physiological functions including neurotrasmission, learning and memory, cardiovascular homeostasis, angiogenesis, immune response, development and apoptosis. NO, probably one of the oldest bioregulatory systems controlling metazoan physiology, is a diffusible highly reactive gas produced by the enzymatic conversion of L-arginine by Nitric Oxide Synthases (NOS). The aim of the proposal is the study of the expression pattern and regulation of three different NOS genes in the chordate amphioxus, a marine invertebrate organism, in order to find out vertebrates ancestral functions. Amphioxus is the best available stand-in for the proximate invertebrate ancestor of the vertebrates, with a body plan and a genome that are vertebrate-like, but simpler. The comparison of multiple NO/NOs roles between different animal models would elucidate new functions as well as to improve our understanding of NOS function in both physiological and pathological conditions in humans. The candidate will setup an amphioxus facility in the Host Institution, the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn of Napoli (Italy), which is very suitable for the project’s success, being a marine laboratory with a long history in studies of comparative embryology and evolution. Availability of amphioxus within the Host Institute will allow the expansion of on-going research programs into comparative directions.

Keywords: nitric oxide (no),nitric oxide synthase (nos),evo-devo,evolution,amphioxus,metazoan,phylogenetic footprinitng,physiology
A forward genetic screen in the marine planktonic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata (GYPSY)

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: Italy
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

Diatoms carry out 1/5 of the photosynthesis on Earth and are essential to aquatic ecosystems. In addition to their fundamental role in carbon fixation, they play a key role in the biogeochemical cycle of nitrate and silica, have other complex metabolic abilities (urea cycle, fatty acid metabolism) and developed several strategies for the adaptation to different, sometimes extreme, environments. An improved knowledge of diatom biology is crucial for understanding the basis of their ecological success, for predicting their capability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment, including climatic changes due to greenhouse gasses, and for industrial exploitation of their biological properties. The scope of this project is to generate a collection of stable mutants for diatoms through random chemical mutagenesis. Specifically, we want to isolate mutants with altered production of fatty acids, oxylipins and domoic acid, both to characterise the molecular pathways involved and to obtain clones of potential interest to industry. So far genomics and functional data are available for less than 10 of the 200.000 known species, we want to generate a tool that will facilitate molecular studies in these organisms. We have selected the species Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata for our studies because of its ecological relevance in Mediterranean ecosystems and because of its controllable life cycle with known sexual stages. As a preliminary step to this study we plan to exploit new sequencing technologies to sequence the genome of the selected diatom, this will allow to undertake positional cloning once mutants have been isolated and will represent per se a valuable resource. We will contribute to establish a Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata as a model organism and to develop molecular biology and functional genomic resources for diatoms. Ultimately, we want to generate information that will allow a better comprehension of the data and observations that will come from the sea.

Keywords: genetics,genomics,molecular genetics,marine biology,ecology. mutagenesis,diatoms,pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. oxylipins,domoic acid,fatty acids.
Homotopy theory of quasi-coherent sheaves on stacks (HOMOQCSSTACKS)

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: 2012-01-15
End date: 2017-06-05
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the last decade there has been a growing interconnection between algebraic geometry and homotopy theory. This project is part of that exciting development. The primary researcher has developed a homotopy theoretic approach to the theory of stacks. As part of this project the PI will apply this approach to the study of quasi-coherent sheaves on stacks and questions of representability by algebraic stacks. The PI plans to prove a series of structural results about the categories of quasi-coherent sheaves, including existence of pushforward and pullback functors, internal Hom, completions, and localizations, for a very general class of stacks. These results can then be applied to understand the structure of the categories of quasi-coherent sheaves and should have important applications in algebra and topology. In particular, the PI will show how these statements can be applied to the moduli stack of formal groups leading to new results in stable homotopy theory.

Keywords: stable homotopy,stacks
ROLE OF THE MICROBIOTA IN THE DEFENSE AGAINST ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT PATHOGENS (FLORA STOP INFECTION)

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: 2011-12-01
End date: 2015-11-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 100000.0
EU funding (EUR): 100000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Antibiotic resistant bacteria, such as Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) or carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC), are an increasing problem in hospitalized patients and commonly cause infections following antibiotic therapy. Infections with these opportunistic pathogens generally begin by colonization of the intestinal epithelium. Our intestinal tract is inhabited by hundreds of commensal bacterial species that suppress intestinal colonization by antibiotic resistant pathogens. Commensal microbes might prevent infection by releasing inhibitory molecules or by competing for nutrients. In addition, we have shown that the microbiota confers protection against intestinal pathogens by inducing the immune response. Disruption of the microbiota after antibiotic administration enhances intestinal colonization by antibiotic resistant bacteria. However, not much is known about how antibiotic-induced changes in the microbiota increase the risk of infection. Using high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing, We have begun to study the effect of antibiotic treatment on intestinal microbial populations and VRE/KPC colonization. We have shown that ampicillin treatment induces changes on the commensal flora that extend beyond the course of antibiotic administration. These long-lasting changes allowed establishment and persistence of VRE and KPC in the intestine. We hypothesize that some of the specific populations, lost after antibiotic administration, are key in suppressing VRE and KPC colonization. The goal of this proposal is to identify those specific microbial populations that confer protection against VRE or KPC. The mechanisms by which those bacterial species confer protection will also be studied. We will use a combination of microbiology, immunology and high-throughput sequencing techniques to pursue this goal. The results obtained in this proposal may lead to new therapeutic approaches to treat and prevent infections with antibiotic resistant pathogens.

Keywords: infectious disease,antibiotic resistant pathogens,antibiotic,intestinal microbiota,mucosal immunity,probiotics
Development and field-deployment of an original analytical tool: Toward new insights into the VOC budget (DEFI-VOC)

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: 2011-08-01
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

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) play a central role in the chemistry of the atmosphere, as they are involved in many processes that affect regional air quality and global climate change. However, a growing body of evidence suggests an incomplete understanding of the VOC budget, bringing into question the reliability of atmospheric models to address current environmental issues. To address this concern, we propose to develop an original analytical tool and its deployment in the field to provide new information on the sources and chemistry of atmospheric VOCs. This new tool relies on coupling the Comparative Reactivity Method with a Proton Transfer Reaction Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (CRM-PTR-TOFMS). The CRM-PTR-TOFMS will be tested for fast measurements of total OH reactivity and a full suite of poorly characterized oxygenated VOCs, including carbonyls, dicarbonyls, carboxylic acids and peroxyacyl nitrates. In addition, a new methodology will be developed to detect and identify potentially important unknown VOCs. Measurements provided by the field deployment of this instrument will be used to perform a detailed characterization of the VOC budget. These results will help to assess whether there is a gap in our understanding of the VOC budget, its potential impact on strategies of pollution control, and whether it is important to fill this gap. The outcomes of the project will benefit the atmospheric science community by advancing our knowledge of the VOC sources and chemistry. It will promote excellence in European research through the transfer of knowledge from the applicant to the host institution in the field of OH reactivity measurements. This project will also provide excellent research and educational opportunities for the applicant to further his career goals and to secure a research position in his home country.

Keywords: atmospheric chemistry,proton-transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry,instrumental development,total oh reactivity,volatile organic compounds,field measurements,natural sciences