Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Quantifying regulatory protein diffusion in the bacterial cell cycle by high-throughput single particle tracking PALM (CELL CYCLE PALM)

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: Switzerland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2014-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 192622.2
EU funding (EUR): 192622.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The precise timing and spatial organisation of the cell cycle is essential to the survival of any organism. Caulobacter crescentus is a simple, easily synchronisable organism which provides an excellent model system for cell cycle regulation, where a complex interacting network of regulatory proteins controls the precise timing and position of cell cycle processes. Although significant work has been carried out to determine the temporal and spatial dynamics of these proteins, the biophysical mechanisms by which bacterial regulatory proteins localise to specific cellular structures is largely unknown, due to the experimental challenge of studying diffusion of high-copy-number proteins. It has recently become possible to study the diffusion of high-copy-number proteins using single particle tracking photoactivated localisation microscopy (sptPALM). We will develop a high-throughput implementation of sptPALM (HT-PALM), capable of automatically recording sptPALM data for multiple cells over the duration of the cell cycle. We will use HT-PALM to study C. crescentus cell cycle regulatory proteins, determining the spatio-temporal variation in diffusion coefficient and molecular confinement (“molecular mobility”) and its effect on protein localisation dynamics. This study will advance our biophysical understanding of the role of molecular mobility in the bacterial cell cycle and at the same time provide the technological basis for a broadly useful high-throughput modality of the PALM technique. Thus, the proposed work will enable high-throughput super-resolution microscopy studies in additional prokaryotic systems, and pave the way for eukaryotic high-throughput super-resolution microscopy.

Keywords: microbiology,bacteriology,cell biology,cell cycle,biophysics,microscopy,super-resolution microscopy,single molecule,fluorescence,high-throughput,single particle tracking
Normannitas: Landscape, Identity and Norman Kingdoms. (N-LINK)

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-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-05-07
End date: 2014-05-06
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 200371.8
EU funding (EUR): 200371.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The main aim of N-LINK is to compare England and Italy before and after the Norman Conquest, exploring specific European case studies of historic landscape evolution. The research questions are whether, how and why the Normans changed the settlement patterns within their Kingdoms, specifying similarities and differences between both countries by applying and developing new interdisciplinary landscape-focussed methods and tools (especially GIS and HLC). I will investigate the role of the Normans in shaping and exploiting two border lands in their Kingdoms of England and Sicily (in the former kingdom of Northumbria, northern England, and the medieval Principality of Capua, Italy, both border lands which were controlled by Norman conquerors). The hypothesis I seek to investigate in my research proposal is whether a specific Norman Identity (‘Normannitas’) was expressed in the ‘building’ of conquered landscapes. Thus, I have chosen to compare two Norman territories, scientifically selected, analysing the effects of the conquest on both landscapes, using a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach integrating archive research and archaeological data through GIS. Research objectives are: to analyse: geomorphologic conditions and previous use of natural resources; pre-existing settlement organization and land exploitation; results from archaeological excavations and surveys; to identify Norman settlements and features, reconstructing their networks and defining Norman development phases in medieval settlements; to test and apply GIS-based HLC in this analysis. This is the first time that the same project has ever expressly aimed to tie together British and Italian landscapes, sharing methodologies and historiographical issues in order to develop a new method of research. Therefore, N-LINK has to bridge two different European academic approaches, building new links across ‘cultural European borders’.
Arthero-Space project: A model based exploration of the regulatory mechanism of the microcirculation for the prevention of orthostatic intolerance (ARTHEROSPACE)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IOF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2015-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221718.6
EU funding (EUR): 221718.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Orthostatic intolerance remains a problem upon return to Earth from the microgravity environment of spaceflight. To improve astronaut's countermeasure programs, a better understanding of the response of the cardiovascular system to changes in hydrostatic pressure is crucial. My objective is to assess the regulatory mechanisms of the microcirculation in response to hydrostatic pressure by combining in vivo experiments and 1D blood pressure wave propagation model. At the Aerospace Physiology Laboratory of SFU, I will perform in vivo experiments using a tilt table and a Low Body Negative Pressure set-up to generate a step and linear increases in the hydrostatic pressure. Quadratic increases in hydrostatic pressure will be generated with a Short Arm Human Centrifuge at the Space Physiology division of the DLR. Combining these three protocols will allow me to differentiate responses to abnormal hydrostatic loads (step and quadratic increases) from a linear gradient in hydrostatic pressure normally felt on earth. High resolution ultrasound imaging techniques will be used to measure hemodynamical parameters of large vessels. Concurrently, the theoritical effects of hydrostatic pressure will be implemented in a 1D wave propagation model of blood flow and pressure to simulate the cardiovascular response to the in vivo protocols described above. Furthermore, a fitting process between in-vivo data and simulated data will provide physiological parameters describing the specific vasoconstriction responses of the peripheral bed to the different hydrostqtic loads. The results of this project will bring new insights into the response of the cardiovascular system to changes in hydrostatic pressure which are essential to improve astronaut's training programs and resolve crucial issues in hypotension and peripheral vascular diseases. This project will enable me to make an important step towards my career objective to become an established researcher in the field of space physiology.

Keywords: biomedical engineering,cardiology,modelling tools,space physiology,orthostatic intolerence,vascular ultrasound,cfd,1d wave propagation model,human centrifuge
Genetics and quorum sensing regulation of antifungal and antioomycete biocontrol in plant-associated enterobacteria (BACTOFUNGICIDE)

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-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2014-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 209033.4
EU funding (EUR): 209033.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Fungi cause frequent and costly plant diseases which are extremely difficult to control. An attractive approach to this environmental problem is to exploit the biocontrol properties of plant-associated bacteria. The Salmond group has access to two plant associated strains of Serratia and a rhizosphere strain of Pantoea which present high antagonistic activity toward plant pathogenic oomycete and fungi, respectively. In this Proyect, the antagonistic properties of these strains will be characterized including the identification of bioactive compounds and the elucidation of their corresponding biosynthetic pathway(s) and regulatory genes. To achieve these objectives, we are employing genome sequencing, mutagenesis and heterologous expression. Our two Serratia strains produce the anti-oomycete compound oocydin A. Through genome sequencing and mutagenesis we have identified a biosynthetic cluster of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of this halogenated compound. The Pantoea strain is being sequenced and by using random mutagenesis we have recently isolated several non bioactive mutants. These three strains make quorum-sensing (QS) molecules and preliminary results showed that QS contributes to their biocontrol capabilities. However, more work is required to directly link QS molecules to the biocontrol properties of the strains. Therefore, antifungal regulation by QS dependent mechanism is an important emerging field of study that may provide useful and exploitable insight into the control of fungal diseases. Finally, the involvement of the new enterobacterial biosynthetic gene clusters in novel bioactive compound synthesis will be verified by the in vivo reconstruction of such biosynthetic pathways in a heterologous host(s). In summary, this proposal constitutes a multidisciplinary approach to identify the mechanism(s) of biocontrol of fungal/oomycete plant pathogens by plant-associated bacteria.

Keywords: natural sciences,enterobacteria,serratia marcescens,pantoea agglomerans,biocontrol,fungal/oomycete plant pathogens,bioactive secondary metabite,oocydin a,quorum sensing,ahls
Biocatalytic cascades to access valuable building blocks (BIOCASCADE)

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-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2013-01-15
End date: 2015-01-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 187888.2
EU funding (EUR): 187888.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this project is to provide training in the multidisciplinary fields of organic chemistry, biocatalysis, molecular biology, biochemistry and microbiology to design and develop artificial cascades by combining various types of enzymes such as L-amino acid oxidades, alcohol dehydrogenases and lyases. This is a truly competitive, innovative and timely field in which to work, and for sure the results derived from this cutting-edge project will be published in top ranked journals contributing to European Excellence. The project is expected to make a major contribution to replace traditional chemical manufacturing which relies in highly toxic, expensive and stoichiometric reagents, many steps and toxic solvents with so-called “white biotechnology” which employs powerful natural biocatalysts such as enzymes or whole cell microorganisms that allow the combination of several steps in one-pot without isolation of intermediates (cascade reactions) establishing environmentally benign and sustainable chemical processes for the preparation of optically active valuable compounds and minimizing the wastes. The research project will be divided in three main research objectives: (i) Enzymatic cascades leading to aminoacids to hydroxyacids: Novel enantioselective routes for the preparation of enantiopure hydroxyacids, (ii) Biocatalytic cascades leading to trans-coumaric acid derivatives, (iii) Redox-neutral cascade coupling of lactate to phenol via C-C bond formation. Applications to natural product synthesis. The optimal development of the project is guaranteed by the high quality of the host institution (University of Graz) and the supervisor (Prof. Wolfgang Kroutil). The host institution owns all the facilities and infrastructures that are required for the performance of this interdisciplinary project while Prof. Kroutil is a world-leading scientific in the field of biocatalytic cascade transformations with well established collaborations with world-class researchers.

Keywords: natural sciences,chemistry,organic chemistry,biocatalysis,enzymes,cascade processes,homogeneous catalysis,atom economy,optically active compounds,pharmaceutical compounds
Total Synthesis of 13-Desmethyl Spirolide C (SPIROSYNTH)

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-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2014-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 193594.8
EU funding (EUR): 193594.8
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Marine phycotoxins such as spirolides produced by toxic dinoflagellates concentrate in shellfish tissues, and by vectorial transport reach marine animals and humans. In 2005, spirolides have been detected in oysters in the Arcachon bay (France), and sanitary authorities have banned their commercialization, causing heavy losses to shellfish farms around. To date, no toxicological study has been conducted to determine the long-term impact of spirolides on human health due to the low amount available. 13-Desmethyl spirolide C was shown to be the most active of the spirolide family, presenting a potent antagonist effect on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with only little specificity for a particular receptor subtype. No total synthesis of a spirolide has been described to date. The objective of this research program is to achieve the total synthesis of 13-desmethyl spirolide C using an original strategy by developing a new and convergent method to build up north and south fragments of the target. The north fragment includes a spiroimine skeleton that will be synthesized through a 3-component radical process as a key-step. The south fragment characterized by a bis-spiroketal will be synthesized using a sila-Stetter reaction. The north and south fragments will then be assembled subsequently through a Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi and a Suzuki coupling. The results obtained during this program will contribute to the development of new methodological methods and provide biologists with sufficient amount of this phycotoxin to carry out toxicological studies. This project is also aimed at training a promising organic chemist from Spain in total synthesis of natural product, a fundamental objective in chemical sciences. This researcher possesses an excellent scientific background with five years experience in carbohydrate chemistry, having led to remarkable achievements. This training period should allow him to enlarge his vision of scientific research and upgrade his personal future.

Keywords: carbon chemistry,total synthesis,multicomponent reactions,organocatalysis,radical chemistry,organometallic processes,natural products,neurotoxins,coupling reactions,asymmetric synthesis
Deciphering mycobacterial subversion of early steps of adaptive immunity in vivo: A new approach to solve an old problem (IMAGING TB)

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: France
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-04-01
End date: 2014-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 269096.4
EU funding (EUR): 269096.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and currently one third of the world’s population is latently infected with Mtb, in spite of the existence of a vaccine. This scenario is in part due to Mtb’s ability to adapt to current treatments, e.g. development of multi-resistance to antibiotics. However we also lack a proper understanding of the immunological mechanisms subverted by Mtb to establish a chronic infection and the reasons for the failure of the current vaccine to provide protection. Hence, new cross-disciplinary approaches are required to identify at what level Mtb virulence factors or the current vaccine strain prevent the induction of a protective immune response. Here we will identify the mechanisms by which mycobacterium strains subvert T cell immunity that is critical for the protection from fatal infection. We will do this in the context of an infection with virulent Mtb and vaccination with the current vaccine strain (BCG) or a new attenuated Mtb strain that is a promising candidate for a new TB vaccine. To this purpose we will investigate a critical step for the initiation of T cell immunity against mycobacteria, the migration of infected dendritic cells to the draining lymph node. Our approach will make use of unique tools to gain new insights into the interaction between host factors and mycobacteria virulence factors. These include novel intravital multiphoton microscopy studies of the infectious process in the lung and cross-disciplinary approaches such as a high-throughput screen of a library of Mtb mutants for regulators of dendritic cell function. This research proposal will benefit from the unique synergy between the expertise in mycobacterium’s biology of the host institution and my immunological expertise of T cell immunity. Therefore, we foresee making significant contributions that will be instrumental for the development of new vaccines and more efficient treatments of TB.

Keywords: health sciences,immunology,infections,tuberculosis,dendritic cell migration,t cell immunity,multiphoton microscopy
Beyond Sovereignty: Delegation and Agency in International Security (BEYONDSOVEREIGNTY)

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-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2014-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 209033.4
EU funding (EUR): 209033.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

QUESTION: The international bureaucracies of the United Nations, NATO and the European Union play a crucial role in the planning and conduct of military operations. I will investigate why sovereign states delegate such important functions in the field of security and under which conditions these bureaucracies exert agency. INNOVATION: Using insights from international political economy, I innovatively expand the research domain on delegation/agency in international organisations to security issues. I will take a distinctive comparative approach looking at delegation/agency in the United Nations, NATO and the European Union. METHOD: For these organisations, I will analyse instances of delegation and non-delegation in the post-Cold War period to understand the reasons why states delegate tasks. I will use case studies to get an insight into the conditions for agency during the agenda-setting, planning and conduct of military operations. In terms of data, the emphasis is on official documents and semi-structured interviews. HOST UNIVERSITY: I will carry out the proposed research at Oxford University, which has strong expertise in delegation/agency theory and international organisations. Prof. Duncan Snidal is the scientist in charge. He is an internationally-recognized leading scholar in the study of international organisations. OUTPUT: My project will result in a research monograph and an international peer-reviewed journal article.

Keywords: political sciences,international relations,international security,international organizations,principal-agent theory,military operations
“Synthesis and biological activity of Cu(II) metallonucleases that target tumour cells” (CU METALLONUCLEASES)

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: Ireland
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF, 2011)
Start date: 2013-06-03
End date: 2015-06-02
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191938.2
EU funding (EUR): 191938.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Dr. Diego Montagner, an Italian national who is working as a postdoc in the group of Prof. B. Longato (Padua University), is making an application to this programme to move to NUI Galway in Ireland, where he is currently spending a period as Visiting Scientist in the group of Dr. A. Erxleben, to carry out a project for 24 months in the area of medicinal inorganic chemistry. This proposal specifically deals with the synthesis of Cu(II) complexes that selectively target tumour cells and act as artificial metallonucleases, i.e. cleave the DNA of the tumour cell through a hydrolytic mechanism. Specific carrier molecules such as estrogens will be conjugated to the complexes to increase the selectivity. The catalytic activity will be tested studying DNA models (like simple phosphate diesters with good leaving groups), short oligonucleotides and supercoiled plasmid DNA. Biological tests will be performed on different tumoral cell lines, including cisplatin-resistant ones. The fellow has already an excellent background in coordination chemistry and this project will allow him to deepen and expand his skills in organic synthesis. He will learn new analytical techniques and at the final stage of the project he will enter into the biological field. Besides contributing to his overall scientific growth, this experience will be important for his long-term plans to focus his research interests on biological aspects of medicinal chemistry, such as drug-biomolecule interactions. He proposes to join NUI Galway which is strategically developing strength in Biomedical Research and Cancer, a very important and challenging branch of Chemistry/Biochemistry research in Europe. NUI Galway will also provide training in transferable skills and mentoring to Dr. Montagner. Both the scientific and personal training will contribute to his personal development and will allow him to reach professional maturity and to become an indipendent researcher.

Keywords: physical sciences,cu(ii) metallonucleases,dna cleavage,hydrolysis,target delivery,estrogens,antitumoural complexes