Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Structural and biochemical characterization of the BRCA2 breast cancer tumour suppressor (BRCA2COMPLEXES)

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: 2014-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Our genetic material is constantly exposed to mutagenic factors. DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) represent one of the most dangerous forms of DNA damage and cells utilise two major pathways for their repair: error-prone non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and error-free homologous recombination (HR). The breast cancer susceptibility protein BRCA2 is a central player in HR that cooperates with its partner PALB2 in promoting the recruitment of RAD51 recombinase to the site of DNA damage. BRCA2 function is essential for the maintenance of genome integrity and mutations in the BRCA2 gene have been linked to breast and ovarian cancer, and to the cancer-prone syndrome Fanconi anemia. To obtain new insights into how various aspects of homology-directed repair are coordinated by BRCA2 and its cofactors I intend to: 1. Characterize the structural properties of BRCA2 together with its partners RAD51 and PALB2, in order to identify important interaction regions. 2. Define the functional relevance of these interaction sites using a combination of biochemical and in vivo techniques to uncover the molecular mechanism of BRCA2-mediated DNA repair and to address the specific roles of its partner proteins RAD51 and PALB2. The results will be important for understanding the molecular basis of BRCA2-associated pathogenesis.

Keywords: brca2/rad51/palb2,dna repair,homologous recombination,cancer,fanconi anemia
Introgression of alien chromosomes from barley into wheat breeding lines to increase genetic variation: epigenetic control of centromere function stability and transmission (ALIENC)

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: 2014-07-01
End date: 2016-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 231283.2
EU funding (EUR): 231283.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In hybrid derivatives of bread wheat Triticum aestivum L. that include additional chromosomes from other species (aliens), the stability of these aliens varies; centromere function is responsible for segregation at mitosis and meiosis. Our objective is to understand the cause of differential centromere activity and hence failure of regular alien chromosome segregation in such lines. Centromere function requires loading of centromere-specific histone H3 (CENH3) to centromeric nucleosomes at epigenetically competent DNA sequence tracts; incorrect binding of CENH3 leads to chromosome elimination. Using comparative analysis of parents and wheat-barley addition lines carrying stably and unstably inherited barley chromosomes, we will measure the time course of CENH3 loading on the different centromeres, modification of DNA by methylation, differences in specific DNA sequences in the centromeres, contrasts between mitotic (from the embryo and adult) and meiotic cells where loss may occur, and differences or modification of nucleosomal proteins between wheat and alien chromosomes. We will answer how chromosomal and molecular organisation of barley centromeric DNA and its interaction with wheat CENH3 influences chromosome stability, elucidating the role of epigenetic control mechanisms in DNA-protein interactions. The results lead to fundamental understanding of centromere behaviour and hence of chromosome segregration. Alien introgression lines are of major value because they increase the genetic diversity available to breeders: most lines are too unstable for use in breeding programmes. Wheat has a narrow genetic base and the introduction of novel genetic characters is required to meet existing needs (eg virus or other disease resistance) and new crop requirements (abiotic stress: climate change, water limitation; or socioeconomics: food security, biofuels and sustainable agriculture). Knowledge of centromere stability can be exploited to develop novel introgression lines.

Keywords: wheat,barley,centromere,chromosome stability,wheat improvement,addition lines,cenh3,dna methylation
Paradise Unexplored: Biodiversity of the Seven Sister States of North East India (EXPLORATION-NEI)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-11-04
End date: 2016-11-03
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Biodiversity is unevenly distributed in space and time, and biologists seek to explain the generalities and exceptions. North East India (NEI) is very rich in biodiversity. Previously this was thought to be because it is a gateway between the Himalaya and IndoBurma regions. These two latter regions are considered biodiversity conservation hotspots, with the boundary between them running through NEI. It was a major surprise therefore when the applicant discovered and named a new family of amphibians (Chikilidae) that is endemic to NEI, has been evolving here for 10s of millions of years, and has its closest living relatives in Africa. This newly discovered major lineage has demanded i) that the new family is thoroughly characterized and understood in the broader context of amphibian evolution, ii) that the generality of the historical biogeography of Chikilidae is tested using independent but broadly similar lineages, and iii) that the environmental and biological history of NEI is reassessed, especially the implications for recognising biogeographic units and demarcating hotspots. The applicant will address these issues by a) analysing the internal anatomy, life-history, distribution and genetic variation of Chikilidae in a comparative context, b) inferring the phylogeny and biogeographic history of two other soil-dwelling vertebrates with overlapping distributions – ichthyophiid amphibians and swamp eels, and c) determining to what extent the two lineages resemble Chikilidae in having radiated in NEI for a long period. The applicant is a world expert on NEI and Indian amphibians. The hosts run the world’s leading caecilian biology research group. The host institution has state-of-the-art facilities (specimen collections, genetics, morphological imaging labs) and several experts with overlapping expertise. The project will address questions of broad relevance in evolution and conservation, and build long-term collaborative links between Europe and India.
Synthetic biology approach for the design of new-to-nature peptide-based antibiotic molecules (PTM-FLEX)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-04-15
End date: 2016-04-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 199317.6
EU funding (EUR): 199317.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The rise of pathogenic bacteria that are resistant against a variety of antibiotic treatment emphasizes the need for novel active molecules. One promising novel class of active molecules is genetically encoded and ribosomally synthesized peptides, as they offer the potential to employ directed evolution approaches across a huge sequence space directly on an active substance in order to engineer novel activities and thus introduce a novel engineering principle into antibiotic development. However, in many cases the activity of the peptide molecule depends on substantial posttranslational modifications (PTMs) which give the peptides conformational stability and protect against proteolytic degradation. Consequently, the degrees of freedom in the engineering of such peptides on sequence level are highly dependent on the flexibility of the PTM-machinery to accept such changes. Here, we propose a synthetic biology approach to study systematically the flexibility of PTM-machineries for the class of lanthipepetides in order to assemble a highly flexible machinery that will support a broad range of engineering measures and thus optimize the chances to discover molecules with modified or completely novel activities. We also propose to implement a high-throughput screen for the bioactivity of these molecules in order to be able to engineer specific enzymes of the PTM-machinery for increased flexibility and to finally implement large scale directed evolution screens for novel antibiotic activities.

Keywords: antibiotics,lanthibiotics,synthetic biology,high throughput screen,post-translational modification,peptide engineering
The development of a diamond-based nanopore sensor for the detection and identification of DNA (BIONANODIAMOND)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IOF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-04-06
End date: 2017-04-05
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 282109.2
EU funding (EUR): 282109.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The detection of specific sequences of DNA is pivotal in the diagnosis of a number of infectious diseases, such as chlamydia. It is also important in detecting and identifying potential bio-warfare agents. Current methods of DNA detection typically involve laboratory based sample analysis, which is slow and costly. This proposal seeks to address these drawbacks by developing an alternative approach based on nanopore unzipping. In this method the current-time transient is recorded for a single molecule of dsDNA as it denatures and passes through a protein pore. The current as the DNA blocks the pore, as well as the time taken for the dsDNA to 'unzip' (denature) is characteristic of the DNA sequence, length and the presence of any modifications. The proiten pore itself must be suspended in a lipid bilayer across a nm-diameter orifice that acts as a platform. Whilst identification of DNA targets with nanopore unzipping is expected to be quick and efficient, the platforms typically used for such measurements (mainly silicates) are fragile and lack bio-compatibility. This proposal seeks to bring the power of nanopore unzipping outside of the laboratory through the development of a robust, ultra-stable, platform constructed from diamond. The research conducted during this proposal could lead to a commercially viable device capable of detecting and identifying DNA at the point need, for example in medical diagnostics in a hospital or identifying potential bio-warfare agents in the field of operation.

Keywords: electrochemistry,nanopore,biosensor,diamond,dna,rna
Bacterial host cell death modulators – a genetic approach to identify anti-apoptotic factors of Chlamydia trachomatis and to explore their role during infection (GENCHLADEATH)

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-2013-IOF, 2013)
Start date: 2014-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 268329.3
EU funding (EUR): 268329.3
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading cause of sexually transmitted disease - with reported prevalence rates of up to 17% among asymptomatic women in Europe - and as such a frequent cause of infertility. While these bacteria have been known for more than a decade to protect infected cells from apoptosis, the lack of tools for genetic manipulation of chlamydiae significantly hampered the investigation of underlying molecular mechanisms and their role during infection. Yet, the research group of Dr. Valdivia (outgoing host) has recently established a unique system to perform forward genetics in chlamydiae, and in course of the proposed project Dr. Sixt (the fellow candidate) will be among the first researchers able to learn and exploit these techniques. In this process, she will first recover mutant C. trachomatis strains that display a reduced potential to block apoptosis. This will subsequently enable her to identify bacterial anti-apoptotic factors and to study the significance of Chlamydia-mediated cell death modulation in a murine infection model. Finally, she will assess the effect of interference with the anti-apoptotic trait on the immunogenic potential of dying host cells, based on the detection of specific cellular “immunogenicity predictors” that were recently identified by the group of Dr. Kroemer (European return host). This multidisciplinary investigation will provide invaluable insights into chlamydial virulence and will help to predict whether the anti-apoptotic trait may be a potential new drug target. The project offers Dr. Sixt extensive training that is highly complementary to her previous research experiences. The acquired skills, international experience, and newly established contacts will place her in an excellent position to take a leading role in the further development of this scientific field and will enable her to implement infection biology at the European return host institute, which will further expand the institute’s areas of excellence.

Keywords: chlamydia / bacterial virulence / genetics / mutants / apoptosis / immunogenic cell death / murine infection / animal model
Active Balancing Power Converters for Photovoltaic Energy Systems (ACTIVRENERGY)

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: 2014-11-06
End date: 2016-11-05
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 166336.2
EU funding (EUR): 166336.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The project is within the framework of power electronics applications for photovoltaic (PV) energy systems, which play a key role in the generation and storage of carbon-free energy. The main objective of the project is the development of new, smart PV modules, enhanced thanks to the intelligent use of power electronics devices. These power electronics devices replace bypass diodes and allow differential power processing between submodules (or substrings) in order to mitigate mismatch effects due to partial shading, soiling, temperature gradients, manufacturing tolerances and ageing. As a result, the proposed smart PV modules will be virtually immune to mismatch and will be able to operate during more years. This will increase the energy yield of PV systems, while decreasing cost and easing the operation of downstream power electronics. The proposal focuses (i) on the development of a comprehensive cell-level simulation tool for the prediction and evaluation of the advantages of the new PV modules and their optimal design, and (ii), on the high-power density realization of the power electronic devices, considering the results of objective (i).

Keywords: renewable energy systems,photovoltaic modules,differential power processing,dc-dc converters,mismatch mitigation,reliability of photovoltaic systems,submodule integrated converters.
3D-Monitoring of Ice and Forest from Space (3D-MIFS)

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: 2014-06-01
End date: 2016-12-09
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 161968.8
EU funding (EUR): 161968.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the current context of intense scientific discussion about the extent of climate change, the need to thoroughly monitor natural processes is constantly raised: a better observation capability is required to solve pressing scientific questions, such as a deeper understanding of Earth dynamics and the impact that the human activity is having on them. Nowadays though, these processes are only selectively observed at low temporal and spatial resolution and regular and global scale observations are missing for key Earth system parameters such as global vegetation biomass, glacial motion or freezing and thawing cycles of the permafrost. Besides, in the recent years, the importance to move from 2D to 3D observations has been stressed, since it has been demonstrated that the horizontal distribution is not sufficient for an appropriate assessment of a number of physical parameters of interest. Since Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) signals at low frequency can penetrate to a certain extent forest and ice bodies, they allow through advanced imaging techniques the extraction of relevant information related to the 3D structural parameters of the observed scene. In such a context, the objectives of this project are two-fold. First, a novel imaging approach is proposed to improve the quality of the 3D structure information retrieved by SAR systems in forest and ice scenarios. Then, the aim is to establish tools (currently missing) to bridge the gap between the SAR observations and the development of novel bio/geophysical information products in the framework of forest and ice monitoring. Synergies between different disciplines (engineering, signal processing environmental and climate studies) are necessary to translate SAR reflectivity observables into high quality estimations of quantitative environmental variables. This will contribute to establish earth observation systems as a long term operational source of information of global natural processes and ecosystem change.

Keywords: synthetic aperture radar,polarimetry,interferometry,tomography,biomass,ice bodies,satellite missions,3d structural patterns,dynamics
Searching for the remaining unknown neutrino oscillation parameters using the NOvA long baseline experiment. (NEUTRINOSNOVA)

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: 2014-04-01
End date: 2016-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 221606.4
EU funding (EUR): 221606.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The following proposal presents a comprehensive research programme based at the University of Sussex, UK on the NOνA long baseline neutrino experiment. This work addresses major questions in particle physics that are at the forefront of experimental and theoretical physics research today. The specific objectives are: the discovery of electron anti-neutrino appearance in a muon anti-neutrino beam; the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy; and the search for indications CP violation in the lepton sector. These measurements have the potential to significantly advance our knowledge of both neutrino physics and the Standard Model of particle physics. Furthermore such discoveries would have profound implications for Grand Unified Theories and for cosmology, helping to provide an explanation for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the current day. The NOvA long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment will use a novel "totally active” design for the detector technology and will be exposed to the world's highest power neutrino beam over a uniquely long baseline. No other experiments in the near future will be able to produce the results discussed in this proposal, furthermore no other sensitive experiments are under construction at the present time. This proposal addresses several of the key challenges vital for these physics objectives with the planned tasks: the development of the data-driven trigger system; and the implementation of the cutting edge particle flow reconstruction techniques. Europe and the UK have a history of leadership in such projects, which is important to maintain. The funding of this proposal will ensure that significant technical expertise will be built up in the UK. This will benefit the UK, the University of Sussex and the ERA region. The measurements proposed here, focusing on electron anti-neutrinos, are highly complementary to and will appreciably extend the existing programme of neutrino oscillation research in Europe.

Keywords: neutrinos,pnms,oscillation,high energy physics,long baseline,nova,triggering,particle flow,mass hierarchy,cp violation
Proteomic Profiling and Knock-out Analysis of Key Components of the Zebrafish Egg: Discovering Vitellogenin Contributions to Fish Egg Quality (FISHEGG)

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-2013-IEF, 2013)
Start date: 2015-03-01
End date: 2017-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 194046.6
EU funding (EUR): 194046.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Most farmed fishes exhibit problems producing high quality eggs, which has adverse socioeconomic impacts and endangers global food security. Almost no attention has been paid to imbalance of egg proteins crucial for early development as a potential cause of poor egg quality. The major components of fish eggs are yolk proteins (YPs) derived from circulating precursors, vitellogenins (Vtgs). All fish produce multiple types of Vtg and the different types may play disparate roles in oocyte maturation and embryonic versus larval nutrition. Underlying cytological events involve complex systems of Vtg receptors, endocytotic elements, enzymes and other proteome components. Preliminary evidence that dysfunction of these systems contributes to poor egg quality has been obtained. The proposed research will exploit zebrafish, having a sequenced genome, as a laboratory model for proteomics of fish egg quality. Objectives are; 1) Molecular characterization of multiple Vtg gene structure, expression, product proteins and phylogeny, 2) Quantification of the Vtgs or their derived YPs in maternal females, oocytes, eggs and offspring of good and poor quality spawns, and 3) Identification of the most significant Vtgs and their functions via application of novel vtg gene knock-out technology. This research will reveal fundamental molecular details of vitellogenesis and its relation to egg quality common to zebrafish and important farmed species. The host institution has ideal infrastructure and expertise available to the applicant to carry out the research, and the scientist-in-charge and his group are international leaders in this specific research area. The overall mobility program will endow the applicant with the scientific knowledge, the technical capabilities and other transferable professional skills, and the international network and visibility required for her to develop a superior research career of significant benefit to the European Research Area and associated countries.

Keywords: aquaculture,breeding,development,egg,embryo,fish,gene-knock-out,larvae,molecular biology,oocyte,proteome,reproduction,teleost,transcript,vitellogenin,yolk protein,zebrafish