Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
MRI based mapping of microscopic brain composition in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (uImaging)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Spreading excellence and widening participation
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Other Widening
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Chemistry
Countries involved: Portugal
Call: Widening Fellowships (H2020-WF-02-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-05-01
End date: 2022-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 159815.04
EU funding (EUR): 159815.04
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project aims to establish a neuroimaging framework which informs about microscopic brain composition and apply it to study neurodegeneration in a genetic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is the most common cause of dementia, characterized by progressive neurodegenerative changes leading to a gradual cognitive loss and memory impairment. Pathological changes in AD are characterized by the accumulation of proteins to form amyloid plaques and tau-tangles as well as by variations in microscopic brain composition such as cell body density, neurite density, axon and myelin morphology, which can precede macroscopic brain atrophy and clinical symptoms even by decades. Thus, developing imaging biomarkers which can inform about these changes throughout the brain is a crucial step for early diagnosis and a better understanding of the disease. To achieve this goal, this proposal takes an interdisciplinary approach combining state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities and novel computational methods, and has the following objectives: 1. Develop and validate a neuroimaging framework which encompasses advanced diffusion MRI and multi-exponential T2 MRI to map microscopic brain composition (markers of soma size and density, neurite density, axon diameter and myelin fraction). Pre-clinical imaging will be performed both in-vivo and ex-vivo in wild type mice and compared with histological staining 2. Apply this methodology to investigate the changes in microscopic brain composition with the progression of AD in the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model which develops Aβ-plaques, mimicking the early disease stages. 3. Study the association between neurodegeneration and the development of Aβ-plaques, that will be quantified based on both MR micro-imaging with ultra-high resolution and histological staining. Accomplishing these objectives will be a stepping stone for Neuroimaging of degenerative disorders, especially AD.

Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging,tissue microstructure,machine learning,alzheimer s disease
Female Agricultural Entrepreneurs: Identifying Institutional Barriers to Equality (FEMAGREE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Society and Enterprise panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2017, 2017)
Start date: 2018-05-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 85730.4
EU funding (EUR): 85730.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the EU there are a number of economically disadvantaged rural areas experiencing outmigration of in particular young women in the search of better education and employment opportunities. Past research demonstrated the importance of women for the economic and social viability of rural areas, in particular of female entrepreneurs. Business opportunities in agricultural dominated areas typically arise within a farm environment. Studies conducted so far explored the experiences of female entrepreneurs at farm level, such as the struggle to combine childcare and household duties with professional work. Other studies analyzed the potential impact of policies on gender equality in agriculture. However, little empirical work has been done on evaluating the actual effectiveness of policies in promoting gender equality in the agricultural sector. The objective of the proposed research project FEMAGREE is to identify the effectiveness of rural development policies in supporting female agricultural entrepreneurs. More specifically, it will establish, which support tools have been fruitful in the past, how existing tools can be improved as well as identify gaps in the current support system. For this purpose, the study will employ a qualitative approach to data collection in the form of narrative enquiries with current and future female agricultural entrepreneurs. The two case study areas will be in a region in eastern Bavaria, Germany, and a region in the West of Ireland, both of which are characterized by the outmigration of young women and a cultural dominance of traditional gender roles. The project will be hosted by a government institution, the Department of Agriculture in Bavaria, Munich. Secondments are planned with in total three partner organizations from both the academic and non-academic sector.

Keywords: female entrepreneurs,comparative studies,bavaria,ireland
European School of Network Neuroscience (euSNN)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Innovative Training Networks (ITN)-European Training Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Spain,Italy,Germany,Germany,Sweden,Netherlands,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Innovative Training Networks (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2019-10-01
End date: 2024-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3966875.64
EU funding (EUR): 3966875.64
Participants: 13
Project status: SIGNED

Taking neuroscience from the study of individual brain regions to a network-based approach is essential for unravelling the mechanisms of cognition and behaviour and their breakdown in disorders. Network neuroscience is only at its incipient stages. Therefore, we propose an ETN for training ESRs on this emerging field and its application domains. euSNN will integrate leading European groups in network neuroscience and deliver training on knowledge and skills that enable students to pursue a successful career in this emerging field. euSNN will combine and train all approaches relevant for investigation of brain networks, including (f)MRI, M/EEG, in-vivo recordings, analysis, modelling, network modulation with optogenetics or non-invasive neurostimulation and studies on network changes in neurological disorders. The novelty of euSNN's training results from the unique combination of experimental, analysis and modelling approaches, which is amplified in a highly integrated programme that cuts across disciplines and sectors. This is in stark contrast with traditional concepts on graduate training in neuroscience, which often have been confined to a single research approach. All euSNN thesis projects focus on the key goal of identifying, analysing, and manipulating network interactions underlying cognitive and sensorimotor functions or their disturbances. Each project will operate across both academic and industrial partners in the network, giving a unique translational and application-geared orientation to the training. Exploiting intense collaborations between experimental, theoretical and clinical groups, we link basic research on large-scale brain dynamics with new pathophysiological approaches and clinical applications. Overall, euSNN will contribute to assuring Europe’s leading position in the field of network neuroscience, while giving ESRs state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary research and entrepreneurial skills.

Keywords: network neuroscience,connectivity,neuroimaging,computational modelling,neurostimulation,optogenetics,translational use of network approaches,neurological disorders
Evidence Based Planning of Future Clinical Research (EBAR)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2016-06-01
End date: 2018-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 187419.6
EU funding (EUR): 187419.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Clinical studies that are planned without prior consideration of existing evidence potentially experiment with an unnecessarily large number of patients or try to answer a question to which the answer is already available. This project aims to develop a framework of efficient and sustainable research planning that minimizes cost and has the potential to direct resource allocation by optimally planning future clinical studies based on existing evidence. A circular updating process is suggested; before a trial is planned the existing evidence (a network meta-analysis) about the effectiveness of all competing interventions is considered and its conclusiveness is statistically evaluated. If further experiments are needed these are designed considering patient’s preferences and with an aim to render the existing evidence conclusive. The new data is then used to update the existing knowledge. This innovative approach to plan clinical studied requires methodological developments from various fields (biostatistics, operational research, epidemiology) and its feasibility will be evaluated in answering a real clinical question about the best intervention for a given condition and in designing a new trial. The circular updating process is of high interest to public research funding bodies, guideline developers and pharmaceutical companies. The project has a strong public engagement component as patients and major health care organizations are involved in many of the planned activities in the development of the circular updating process. The project will be carried out in a stimulating academic environment (University of Bern) with extensive experience in clinical trials and a secondment in Novartis is planned. I will acquire technical skills in clinical trials, will continue to produce high-impact publications and develop leadership skills. These additions to my curriculum will enable me to progress to an academic carrier in a high-profile European Institute.

Keywords: evidence based medicine,clinical trials
Single cell tracking of malignant transformation in GATA2 deficiency (scGATA2track)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-09-01
End date: 2023-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 160932.48
EU funding (EUR): 160932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Precision medicine has improved overall survival of cancer patients; unfortunately, not all diseases can benefit from this practice due to a scarce understanding of their molecular mechanisms. This is the case of GATA2 deficiency, a complex multi-system disorder characterized by bone marrow failure, immunodeficiency and high risk to develop myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Chemotherapy and allogenic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation are the only available treatments, underlining the lack of predictive tools as a clear medical need. Penetrance and expressivity within GATA2 families is often variable, suggesting that cooperating somatic mutations and epigenetic events are required to trigger the disease. Here I propose to unravel the molecular mechanisms of malignant progression of GATA2 deficiency by combining single cell multi-OMICs approaches with groundbreaking functional assays in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). First, to identify pathogenic single nucleotide variations and small insertion-deletions, I will perform an integrative analysis combining whole exome sequencing with whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to analyze the methylation status genome wide on 15 well-annotated GATA2 carriers. Then, I will model the stepwise progression of normal cells to MDS through the sequential introduction of recurrent GATA2 mutations and known second driver mutations in hiPSCs by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. The hiPSC-derived hematopoietic progenitors will be used for simultaneous profiling of transcriptome and chromatin accessibility at single cell resolution to decipher the underlying gene regulatory networks among the different genetic backgrounds. A thorough understanding of the genetic and epigenetic features of GATA2 carriers and the transcriptional dynamics during cancer initiation/progression will provide valuable insight into early detection and the design of novel personalized therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: gata2,single cell,multiomics,chromatin accessibility,hipscs
Using FREshwater organisms to MItigate the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (FreeMi)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-06-01
End date: 2017-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 171460.8
EU funding (EUR): 171460.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Amphibians are currently suffering severe worldwide declines caused by chytridiomycosis, an emerging infectious disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). So far, disease mitigation strategies have taken a host-level approach, in which only the host-pathogen interactions have been considered. However, recent results have shown that disease dynamics can be affected by pathogen-environment interactions and underscored the importance of the host-pathogen-environment interplay. Indeed, in the field and laboratory, freshwater zooplankton was found to trigger Bd infection in two amphibian species by directly consuming Bd zoospores. This study raises the hope that chytridiomycosis outbreaks could be controlled in nature by natural augmentation of zooplankton. The project FreeMi aims at developing a safe and effective mitigation strategy targeting Bd at the habitat level. To achieve this aim, I will first identify whether amphibians are protected by the species richness, the overall abundance and/or a few key zooplankton organisms able to consume a high number of Bd zoospores. The samples will be collected from two regions: the Pyrenees and Germany. Then, I will identify the local species that are the most efficient at consuming zoospores. I will isolate these species and establish self-maintaining cultures in outdoor microcosms. Finally, I will test the efficiency of the cultures, in single as well as community trials, under biologically relevant conditions. Compared to other approaches, this highly innovative approach lacks the downsides associated with introducing non-native biocontrol agents (such as antifungal chemicals or non-native skin bacteria) in the environment. Moreover, it would allow to treat all amphibian individuals present at a site, of all species and from larvae to adults directly in the field, and therefore would be more cost-effective than individual treatment strategies.

Keywords: biocontrol,fungal pathogen,batrachochytrium dendrobatidis,wildlife disease,disease mitigation,zooplankton,amphibian conservation
PROSumers for the Energy Union: mainstreaming active participation of citizens in the energy transition (PROSEU)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure, clean and efficient energy
Theme: Robust decision making and public engagement
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Germany,Spain,Belgium,Croatia,Netherlands,Netherlands,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Portugal,Portugal
Call: Social Sciences and Humanities Support for the Energy Union (H2020-LCE-2017-RES-RIA-TwoStage, 2017)
Start date: 2018-03-01
End date: 2021-02-28
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3124073.75
EU funding (EUR): 3124073.75
Participants: 12
Project status: CLOSED

PROSEU aims to enable the mainstreaming of the prosumer phenomenon into the European Energy Union. Prosumers are active energy users who both consume and produce renewable energy (RE). The growth of prosumerism all over Europe challenges current energy market structures and institutions. PROSEU research will look into new business models, market regulations, infrastructural integration, technology scenarios and energy policies. PROSEU’s interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary team will closely work together with RE Prosumer Initiatives (15 Living Labs), policymakers and other stakeholders from eight countries, following a quasi-experimental approach to learn how prosumer communities, start-ups and businesses are dealing with their own challenges, and to determine what incentive structures will enable the mainstreaming of RE Prosumerism, while safeguarding citizen participation, inclusiveness and transparency. Moving beyond a case by case and fragmented body of research on prosumers, PROSEU will build an integrated knowledge framework for a socio-political, socioeconomic, business and financial, technological, socio-technical and sociocultural understanding of RE prosumerism and coalesce in a comprehensive identification and assessment of incentive structures to enable the process of mainstreaming RE prosumers in the context of the energy transition.

Keywords: prosumers,living labs quasi experiments,incentive structures,mainstreaming,energy transition
Discourse reporting in African storytelling (SPEECHREPORTING)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Panel description: Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, theoretical philosophy
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2017-STG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-02-01
End date: 2023-10-31
Duration (months): 69.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499375.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499375.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The project explores the role of discourse reporting in West African storytelling and the grammatical strategies used by storytellers to achieve their goals. It focuses on three phenomena characteristic of the narrative grammar of a number of West African languages: - logophoricity, or the use of special markers to signal self-reference by characters other than the current narrator, - the use of quotative markers (commonly described as "epistemic validators"), - and the use of foreign language or modified versions of the native language to represent the speech of certain characters. The different phenomena are argued to serve the same purpose: they help speakers manage the distance between the role of the current narrator and the roles of story characters that the same speaker performs. The use of specific discourse reporting strategies is therefore closely related to the modes of textual production and performance in the culture-specific narrative genres, and to the construction of deixis in relation to the event of narration. The comparative part of the project analyses similarities and differences in the ways discourse reporting functions in several West African cultures with similar data from an unrelated cultural area: the Turkic-speaking areas of Central Russia. The comparison of the organization of the same functional domain in two typologically and culturally distinct areas will assist in advancing our knowledge of universal structural and cognitive motivations underlying typologically diverse and culture-specific systems of discourse reporting.

Keywords: african languages,folklore,narrative strategies
A biomechanically driven, patient specific pre-planning and surgical tool to optimize placement of a novel meniscus prosthesis (BioMechMeniscus)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC-Proof of Concept (ERC-2017-PoC, 2017)
Start date: 2017-11-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In this BioMechMeniscus project we will develop a workflow for optimal placement of a novel meniscus implant. The medial meniscus implant (named ‘Trammpolin’) has been developed using methods developed during the BioMechTools project such as 1) principle component analyses based on MRI-segmented image to assess the anatomical shape of the meniscus, 2) assessing sensitivity of cartilage stresses and implant strains on size and design-parameters using finite element techniques and 3) utilizing load-predictions from our award-winning musculoskeletal models. All data shows that the biomechanical behaviour of Trammpolin in the knee will be sensitive to appropriate sizing and positioning within the knee. Therefore, this BioMechMeniscus project focuses on developing a surgeon-friendly platform to pre-plan the size and position and to execute the surgery as accurately as possible. The software will automatically perform MRI-segmentation of the tibia, femur and meniscus insertion sites. Subsequently, the best meniscus implant size and position (leading to the lowest cartilage stress and acceptable implant strains) is proposed by the program. The surgeon can adapt the proposal and gets feedback about the expected changes in biomechanical performance. After the pre-plan is accepted a patient-specific arthroscopic surgical guide is 3-D printed which will be used as an aiming device for an external (standard) surgical guide for fixation of the horns. The project is subdivided in four Tasks and will last for 18 months. An experienced team will supervise a post-doc during the various activities. A project scheme is made and a risk and contingency plan is defined. A detailed competitor and commercial analysis has been made and we are convinced that with the BioMechMeniscus project we have a unique opportunity to bring a novel implant to the market and support it with a distinct pre-planning and surgical assistance tool to optimize clinical performance.

Keywords: biomechtools,meniscus,implant,patient specific,surgery,biomechanics