Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Multiple levels of selection in Fungi (MULTISELF)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2016-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 206350.8
EU funding (EUR): 206350.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project aims to restart a research career for the fellow, allowing her to be trained to up-to-date methods in experimental work, genomic tools and data-analysis, capitalizing on her former experience in evolutionary biology. This renewed experience in research is aiming to allow the fellow to move from a current full-time teaching position to research positions. The research context of the proposal is the interaction between selection levels, in connexion with the broader issue of the emergence of multicellularity. In multicellular organisms, selection can act at the higher level of the whole organism, but also at lower levels, like genes, nuclei, or cells, provided they are genetically heterogeneous. Intra organismal genetic heterogeneity does exist in any individual and may lead to genetic conflicts between selection levels. The best example is cancer, where genetic heterogeneity of some cells leads to the disruption of the whole organism. However, focusing on cheating cell lineages, like cancerous cells, may have lead to overlook that different levels of integration may also act in cooperation rather than generate genetic conflicts. Fungi, and among them ascomycetes, are ideal models to test for these issues of multilevel selection. Ascomycetes are indeed displaying a high potential for genetic heterogeneity and for nuclear selection, partly because of the dikaryotic phase in their life cycle. We intend to investigate if selection at the nuclear level is acting in cooperation, or conflict, with the organismal level. We will combine experimental approaches with genomic approaches, using next generation sequencing tools to resolve these issues. The host laboratory has a world-class expertise in these fields. This combination of approaches will be an important output to the mobility of the fellow, allowing her to interact with different groups of her laboratory of origin upon her re-establishment, and contributing to extend the european research network.

Keywords: levels of selection,evolution of multicellularity,genetic conflicts and cooperation,experimental evolution,genomics,fungi
Towards the structural understanding of human telomerase (HTR)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-19
End date: 2016-05-18
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 299558.4
EU funding (EUR): 299558.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences rich in guanine residues located at the termini of linear chromosomes of eukaryotic organisms. Telomeres function as capping agents to protect chromosomes both from shortening at each replication cycle and from fusing with other chromosome ends or rearranging. Maintenance of telomeres length is critical for genomic stability and cell viability. Telomeres are consumed during cell division but can be replenished by telomerase, a unique ribonucleoprotein enzyme that adds telomeric repeats onto chromosome ends to maintain telomere length. Telomerase uses an RNA template that is integral part of the enzyme and a specialized reverse transcriptase to processively synthesize the G-rich telomeric strand. The importance of the discovery of telomeres and telomerase was recognized by the Nobel Prize award in Physiology or Medicine in 2009. Telomerase is not active in normal somatic cells, but is highly active in most cancers, and is thus of interest as a target for anticancer drugs. In addition, mutations in both the telomerase RNA and telomerase proteins are associated with some diseases. Human telomerase contains a 451 nt RNA along with a variety of proteins besides the reverse transcriptase. Only a few nucleotides of human telomerase RNA (hTR) are needed as a template to elongate telomeres, but the function the rest of the RNA is unknown. By investigating the structure of the hTR, we will try to shed light to this question. The aims of the project presented for this fellowship are to determine by X-ray crystallography the three-dimensional structures of separate domains of hTR, the interaction between domains and, ultimately, the structure of the whole hTR alone and/or complexed with a reverse transcriptase protein. The knowledge of the precise three-dimensional structure of hTR and its interaction with telomerase reverse transcriptase is essential to understand its role in telomerase function and how it can be regulated.

Keywords: human telomerase rna,x-ray crystallography,rna structure,rna-protein interactions,ribonucleoprotein,telomerase,cancer,aging,degenerative diseases
MITOCHONDRIAL STEROIDOGENESIS in the ADRENAL (MISTRAL)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-04-14
End date: 2016-04-13
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Steroid hormones to control sex development, metabolism, stress response, blood pressure and body composition. Steroid hormones synthesis and action is conserved across species. The importance of cofactors in the function of steroidogenic enzymes has become apparent during recent years. Data from in vitro research suggests important regulatory capacity of co-factors significantly influencing total steroid hormone production. However, the significance of these mechanisms in vivo remains elusive. Our central hypothesis is that cofactor regulation of mitochondrial cytochrome P450 enzymes is a key regulatory mechanism of steroidogenesis. Thus, following a novel approach to address these unanswered research questions, this project will address these questions in zebrafish. This will have the advantage that consequences of disrupted steroidogenesis can be easily studied in embryos and in adult animals. Two zebrafish models will be used to dissect the first and rate limiting step of steroidogenesis by disrupting the enzymatic function as well as the cofactor function. Comparing these two models will provide novel mechanistic insights into the regulation of the crucial step of steroidogenesis. Since this can have vital consequences on the developing and adult organisms, we will conduct in vivo studies analysing the response of regulatory pathways to differentially disrupted steroidogenesis. In addition, we will study the impact of cofactor modifications on steroidogenesis to explore novel mechanisms regulating key parts of steroidogenesis. Thus this project will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the regulation of steroidogenesis. This will provide novel insights into physiological processes and fundamental pathways during development and adult life. Finally, the identification of new interactions is highly likely, which can be targeted for development of novel antihypertensive drugs and substances modulating stress response.

Keywords: zebrafish,steroidogenesis,redox regulation,p450 side chain cleavage,ferredoxin,cyp11a1,fdx1
Patterns and drivers in malaria-like infections: meta and infra-population dynamics of specialised parasites (AVIANMALARIAGENETICS)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-01-01
End date: 2016-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 197811.6
EU funding (EUR): 197811.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Understanding how transmission influences parasite population structure and virulence in understudied non-human pathogens is crucial for general models of host-parasite coevolution and our ability to cope with emerging diseases. Therefore, I propose a study to reveal coevolutionary and population dynamics and their underlying mechanisms within and between hosts of parasites in wild bird populations. To achieve this, I will make use of the unique opportunities offered by raptors, an intensively studied group across Europe, in combination with the first developed set of population genetic markers for their specialised malaria-like parasites. My preliminary work resulted in a draft genome for Leucocytozoon, a blood parasite of raptors, which allows me to use microsatellite and parasite antigenic markers and reconstruct transmission pathways. I will first analyse these in one population of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo, where over 1900 nestlings i.e. all naïve hosts in the area, have been sampled over the last 11 years, and data on host phenotype and transmission locations are available. A cDNA microarray developed for both buzzard and parasite, and multiple samples taken in the course of infections will provide an unparalleled picture of the host-parasite molecular arms race, its dependence on population connectivity, and its effects on host fitness. A collaboration network with raptor research and conservation groups, and animal rescue centres across Europe will also be initiated. It will provide samples from different raptor species and populations and allow me to find scale-dependent patterns of parasite population dynamics and discover how gregariousness and other host life-history traits determine parasite population structure and virulence. In the course of this study, I will acquire combinations of state-of-the-art molecular techniques, will use my networking skills and improve my complementary skills enabling me to lead my own research group in the near future.

Keywords: avian malaria,raptors,spatial epidemiology,population dynamics,host-parasite,arms race,microsatellite,variant surface antigen,microarray,single cell genotyping,metapopulation,network
A Level-1 Tau Trigger for CMS at HL-LHC (HLTAUS)

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: Cyprus
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-03-01
End date: 2016-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 145252.2
EU funding (EUR): 145252.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The leading scientific breakthrough of 2012 came from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments, which provided evidence for the existence of a Higgs boson in the mass region of ~126 GeVc-2. This discovery, made by the ATLAS and CMS Experiments at CERN, has finally brought the High-Energy Physics community to the Higgs Era. In order to build on this discovery, the LHC is planning for an immensely exciting science programme known as the high-luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). The HL-LHC is planned for the early 2020's and provides an unparalleled scientific opportunity for exploring the high-energy frontier for new physics. With upgrades to the injector chain and to the LHC itself, performance is expected to press for higher instantaneous luminosities and finally reach ~5E34cm-2s-1. To keep up with this without sacrificing physics, CMS plans to replace the central tracker for HL-LHC, allowing the opportunity for a new Track-Trigger, a conceptual design for which is currently being developed. This proposal aims to contributing to the rich HL-LHC physics program by developing innovative techniques for selecting tau-jets with CMS. The first objective is to develop a new Level-1 Tau Trigger algorithm that will fully exploit the increased Calorimeter granularity and, for the first time in CMS, information from the Tracker. This algorithm will be able to efficiently select tau-jets with high efficiency and low rates, while also providing large discriminating power against the background. The second object is to test this trigger in various scenarios in order to assess and improve its performance. The third objective is to employ this Level-1 Tau Trigger algorithm in producing physics output that will accommodate various analyses during the HL-LHC programme, and will be fully documented in the CMS HL-LHC Technical Design Report (TDR). Finally, the fourth objective is the dissemination of results to the scientific community and the general public through various activities.

Keywords: physics,high-energy physics,particle physics,lhc,high-luminosity lhc,cms,level-1 track trigger,susy,standard model,tau leptons,tau jets,pixel detectors,strip detectors,higgs boson.
POLYmer microACTuators for biomedicine (POLYACT)

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: Sweden
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2016-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 197811.6
EU funding (EUR): 197811.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Within the areas of cell biology, biomedicine and minimal invasive surgery, there is a need for soft, flexible and dextrous biocompatible manipulators for handling biological objects, such as single cells and tissues. Present day technologies are based on simple suction using micropipettes for grasping objects. The micropipettes lack the possibility of accurate force control, nor are they soft and compliant and may thus cause damage to the cells or tissue. Other micromanipulators use conventional electric motors however the further miniaturization of electrical motors and their associated gear boxes and/or push/pull wires has reached its limits. Therefore there is an urgent need for new technologies for micromanipulation of soft biological matter. Our aim, in light of this proposed Marie Curie Fellowship, is to develop soft, flexible micromanipulators such as micro- tweezers for the handling and manipulation of biological species such as cells and surgical tools for minimal invasive surgery. This ambitious objective will be accomplished by developing novel patterning and microfabrication methods for polymer microactuators and integrate these microactuators into easy to use manipulation tools. We aim to produce tools with minimal dimensions of 100 µm to 1 mm in size, which is 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than existing technology.

Keywords: polymer actuators,conducting polymer,biomaterials,microactuators,micromanipulators.
Secretome analysis of intrathecally applied bone marrow stromal cells in experimental stroke. (STEMFORSTROKE)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-03-01
End date: 2016-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 168794.4
EU funding (EUR): 168794.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have been shown to be neuroprotective after experimental ischemic stroke when given systemically. By this route of administration, however, over 99% of cells are trapped in lung, spleen and kidneys. This off-target distribution of BMSCs may result in serious ectopic side-effects thereby making their use in humans questionable. The applicant’s previous work has demonstrated that transplantation of BMSCs to the cerebrospinal fluid compartment (CSFC) reduces post-ischemic brain damage. The cells circulate in the CSFC, attach to ventricular walls and potentially undergo cell-host interactions. Nevertheless, their presence seems sufficient to provide suitable trophic support and promote tissue repair, suggesting a secretory mechanism of action (secretome). Whether the beneficial effect is solely due to the BMSCs secretome in the CSFC or to cross-talk mechanisms between BMSCs and the brain is not clarified. A better understanding of these potential modes of action offers a promising opportunity for future development of "cell-free" based therapy. In this project, we seek to go ahead by studying the CSFC secretome and the observed cell-host interactions of BMSCs after experimental stroke by using state-of-art techniques such as Laser Capture Microdissection and Mass Spectroscopy. The ultimate goal of the project is to determine whether a "cell-free" CSFC secretome, which is devoid of any cell-specific side-effects, recapitulates the effects of transplanted BMSCs. Taken together, this project will analyze the in vivo BMSCs-secretome after cerebral ischemia and will translationally demonstrate the pre-clinical proof-of-concept of a “cell-free” BMSCs therapy for stroke. Due to the high socioeconomic burden of stroke for Europe, novel and effective treatments are urgently needed.

Keywords: bone marrow stromal cell,transplantation,stroke,cerebrospinal compartment,safety,graft-host interactions,secretome
Towards Very Large Scale Human-Robot Synergy (TRAVERSE)

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: Germany
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2016-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 161968.8
EU funding (EUR): 161968.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Hazardous work environment for humans, growing necessity for an increase in the worldwide agricultural production, and a rapid rise in the public healthcare expenditures due to aging population are among some of the most predominant societal issues where robotics and automation are becoming progressively vital. Distributed multi-robot teams consisting of a large number of robots operating in close cooperation with humans is fundamental for such applications. How to achieve maximum synergy between teams of robots and humans, without jeopardizing human safety and comfort, within the constraints of resources, e.g., computational capacity of the robots, sensor and actuator costs, is still an open question. The focus of this research project is on investigating and developing integrated methods for robot team functionalities with human interaction that are scalable to a very large number of robots, thus enabling their successful real-world deployment. Using state of the art, ecologically valid and immersive virtual environments and virtual reality equipments, the project will study and model human behavior, perception and cognitive responses when they interact and/or cooperate with robots in a large-scale multi-robot scenario. Clear distinction will be made between human users and operators where the former is expected to benefit from directly using a robot that functions as a part of a large robotic team. On the other hand, human operators are those that are in charge of cooperating/controlling a team of robots to accomplish a collaborative task. Eventually, using the human behavior models, cooperative multi-robot functionalities, including localization, mapping and motion planning, will be optimally designed to be extremely scalable within the constraints of ease, safety, effectiveness and naturalness of human user/operator interaction with the robots.

Keywords: multi-robot systems,multi-robot perception and control,multi-robot motion planning,virtual reality techniques,immersive virtual environments,human behavior models,sensor fusion
Harmonic Analysis for optimal coding and the design principles of brain's Visual corteX (HAVIX)

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: Spain
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 166336.2
EU funding (EUR): 166336.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

HAViX is an interdisciplinary project on the interplay between frame theory, nonlinear approximation and group theory, aimed to obtain results relevant to the understanding of the functional architecture of brain's visual cortex and to applications to artificial vision. The objectives are highly relevant mathematical results with respect to deep current problems in harmonic analysis, and concern the characterization of noncommutative shift-invariant systems, the study of geometric properties of continuous wavelet transforms and the introduction of new techniques in nonlinear approximation. New approaches will be developed to address such topics, involving techniques from different areas of mathematical analysis such as abstract harmonic analysis and noncommutative Fourier duality, complex analysis, geometric and nonlinear analysis on groups. The expected results will permit to severely improve the present models of the functional architecture of the visual cortex and provide solid instruments for geometric data encoding and compression. The proposed mobility is from France, research center CAMS, mixed unit CNRS - EHESS, to Spain, Autonoma University of Madrid, Mathematics Department, and is motivated by the complementarity of competencies between the applicant, D. Barbieri, whose research activity in Italy and France allowed him to develop a strong interdisciplinary experience on different techniques of Analysis on Groups and on Modeling of the Visual Cortex, and the Scientist in Charge, E. Hernandez, who has an extremely high research expertise in Wavelet Theory, Nonlinear Approximation and Function Spaces, and belongs to a Host Institution that is a world excellence in Harmonic Analysis.

Keywords: wavelet theory,analysis on groups,nonlinear analysis,regularity,nonlinear approximation,visual cortex,receptive fields,cortical maps