Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Genome mining in Streptomyces violaceusniger, a prolific antibiotic producer (ZHOU_PFL_POLYKETIDES)

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-2010-IIF, 2010)
Start date: 2012-07-02
End date: 2014-07-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 210092.8
EU funding (EUR): 210092.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Complex polyketides are microbial natural products (including clinically-useful medicines) whose chemical structures correlate with the sequence of the modular enzymes responsible for their biosynthesis. This unique paradigm means that the structure of the gene can be inferred from the chemical structure of the molecule, and (with less certainty) the reverse is true. Now, genome-scale sequencing of actinomycetes has revealed untapped chemical diversity in culturable streptomycetes: there are many biosynthetic clusters present but most are cryptic (silent). Expression of biosynthetic genes is now a severe bottleneck in trying to develop a genuine “synthetic biology” of natural products, in which PKSs are designed and fabricated to order to produce a specificed target molecule. We have sequenced and will study an extreme example of “one strain-many clusters”: a strain of Streptomyces violaceusniger which houses 11 clusters (of which seven silent and some are novel). We will: (1) use in-frame PKS gene deletion followed by chemical analysis of the resulting mutants, to test whether and how inactivation of one pathway affects the simultaneous production of others; (2) attempt to activate cryptic pathway genes by alterations in regulatory genes and by ribosome engineering, and isolate any new products; (3) clone whole PKS clusters in high-yielding (and sequenced) strains of, respectively, the monensin-producing Streptomyces cinnamonensis and the erythromycin-producing Saccharopolyspora erythraea for heterologous expression of polyketides in “pre-optimised” backgrounds; and (4) use genome reduction triggered by cre-loxP recombination, to radically simplify the secondary metabolite profile of all three strains and test the mutants for improved expression of cloned PKS genes.

Keywords: chemical biology,genome mining,actinomycetes,polyketides,biological chemistry,enzymology,combinatorial biosynthesis,pathway engineering
Dissipation in quantum gases (DIBEC)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-03-01
End date: 2013-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 162242.4
EU funding (EUR): 162242.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the realm of quantum physics dissipation plays a crucial role as it takes place every time a measurement is performed. Indeed the measurement process, while inducing decoherence, provides the coupling between the quantum system and the (classical) environment, allowing energy exchange. Therefore dissipation and decoherence share the same physical origin and they can often be treated as two sides of same coin. The complete understanding of these processes is still missing and one of the most important questions of modern physics. By exploiting the novel technique of electron scanning microscopy on cold atomic samples the IEF project will provide extensive insights and a complete view on dissipation in quantum systems. This main goal will be achieved by engineering a local dissipative potential for a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. An electronic beam on a trapped BEC will ionize the atoms by electron impact ionization or excite them. The impact between the electrons and the atoms will cause the lost of coherence and the escaping of the latter from the trapping potential. The researcher is an expert in ultracold bosonic mixtures and the investigations that are the objective of this proposal will allow him to acquire excellent expertise in the pioneering research method of electron scanning microscopy on cold atoms, in which the host is the worldwide leader. The observation of fundamental phenomena, such as the quantum-Zeno effect, the onset of topological excitations, the formation of pattern and chaotic dynamics will help the researcher to obtain scientific maturity and to become a specialist regarding dissipation in quantum gases. This, in combination with the complementary training, will make the IEF project consolidate the fellow’s long-term aim to reach an independent position at a university or research institution in Europe.

Keywords: atomic physics,superfluidity,dissipation,decoherence,bose-einstein condensation,topological defects,excitations
New Catalysts for Degradable Polyethylene (CATYLENE)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-05-01
End date: 2013-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 184540.8
EU funding (EUR): 184540.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Polyethylene is one of the most common materials in our daily lives and accounts for 40% of the total volume of world production of plastic materials. It is used in a large variety of products from plastic bags to medical implants. The annual world production is a staggering 120 million tons. Its production is highly reliant on ethylene gas from petrochemical resources. Moreover it is non degradable, which causes severe problems in the (marine) environment. Catylene aims at addressing both issues by developing alternative polyethylene-like materials from bio-derived macrolactones. These polymers resemble properties of polyethylene and are potentially degradable under environmental conditions. Recent breakthrough technology developed at TU Eindhoven will be exploited in this project, which is the first efficient organometallic catalyst for the polymerisation of macrolatones and the ability to process the polymers into applicable devices like fibres. In this project the up-to-now unknown underlying mechanism of the organometallic polymerisation of macrolactones will be investigated and used for the rational design of more sophisticated catalysts. The knowledge will be applied to obtain polyethylene-like polymers with build-in degradability for applications ranging from simple plastic goods to biomedical materials. This will be done combining expertise and training in catalysis, biotechnology, polymer chemistry, material science and life cycle analysis in collaboration with SABIC Europe. Successes will open opportunities to green polyethylene-like polymers with reduced environmental impact.

Keywords: homogeneous catalysis,macromolecular chemistry,polymer chemistry,organometallic chemistry,green chemistry,material science
Dynamics of Active Suspensions (ACTIVEDYNAMICS)

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-2010-IIF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2014-02-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 211092.8
EU funding (EUR): 211092.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Collective behaviour is ubiquitous in nature: from crystallization through to animal swarming. Such phenomena are ubiquitous in colloids– 0.1-1micron particles suspended in liquids by Brownian motion – and are responsible for their amazing ability to ‘self assemble’. The self assembly of colloids is now an established route to new materials, e.g. photonic crystals. Recently, active colloidal particles capable of self propulsion have been synthesized. Their collective behaviour is completely unknown. The researcher proposes a research programme into collective phenomena in active suspensions. While synthetic active colloids have only recently been synthesized, ‘natural active colloids’ have existed for billions of years – motile bacteria. Therefore the candidate proposes to investigate both natural motile particles (bacteria) as well as synthetic ones. The bacterial results should have significant biological relevance, although the primary goal is to generate new, fundamental physics insights, which will lead to ‘design principles’ for a completely new type of self-assembled structures based on active colloids. We will use a new method, ‘differential dynamic microscopy’ (DDM), which uses everyday laboratory apparatus (a microscope and a camera) to generate comprehensive dynamical information on the collective motion of suspended particles (in the form of the so-called ‘intermediate scattering function’). Compared to single-particle tracking, the standard tool in active colloids and bacterial motility research to date, DDM yields much better averages and is orders of magnitude quicker to perform. The researcher and co-workers have demonstrated recently the use of DDM for the high-throughput characterisation of the motility of dilute populations of bacteria. A second goal of the proposed work is to develop DDM into a versatile tool for studying active particles of all kinds, at a range of concentrations.

Keywords: soft matter and polymer physics,colloid physics,self-assembly,active suspensions,dynamics,collective motion,bacteriology
Graphene-Based Ultra-Sensitive Gas Sensors (GRAPHENEGASSENSORS)

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-2010-IIF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-06-10
End date: 2013-06-09
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 280680.0
EU funding (EUR): 280680.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Goal of the proposed research is to transfer the knowledge of experienced researcher to Europe. Detection of minor gas leaks in a hazardous work environment has been a challenging research problem for many decades as it involves health, safety and environmental risks. In this proposed research we will develop graphene based gas sensors with ultrafast response, high sensitivity, great selectivity and high durability to detect the environmental pollutants even in very low concentrations. We intend to target the detection of various toxic gases such as CO2, CO, H2S, NOx, ethanol, and SO2 in ppb level. Graphene is relatively a new material to be used for practical sensor purpose. The idea underlying the selection of graphene for sensor application is its variable conductivity, which makes it available for electron transport phenomena with very high electrical mobility in the presence of oxidizing and reducing gases. The feature of high conductivity will be exploited by using graphene as conductivity-based chemical gas sensors. The proposed study will allow the optimization of sensor parameters for making sensors with good selectivity for target gases by using metal catalyst such as Pt, Pd, and Au on the surface of graphene. The idea underlying the present proposal is that by coating graphene with metal nanoparticles, one could increase the effective surface area and modify the work functions, thereby improving the sensitivity and selectivity of the gas sensors. Successful completion of this research will have enormous benefit to European society through numerous applications, including the reduction of health risks and improvement of public security, detection of environmental toxins and semiconductor processing. Researcher Dr. Rakesh K. Joshi is expert in nanomaterials synthesis and sensor development while Prof. Andre Geim is the discoverer of graphene and its sensor application. Both researchers have worked extensively in graphene and gas sensors.

Keywords: physical sciences,graphene,gas sensors
Branching and fragmentation processes (BRANCH)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2012-03-09
End date: 2013-03-08
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 97924.8
EU funding (EUR): 97924.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This proposal aims to establish Dr. Piotr Miłoś as an active and independent researcher in the field of stochastic spatial models and more precisely branching and fragmentation processes. He is to master new techniques and skills which will allow him to further develop an independent career. The Fellowship will lead to publications in leading probability journals and long-term collaboration with the probability community in the United Kingdom. This will result in mutual benefits for both the Polish and British scientific societies. Piotr Miłoś will join the Probability Laboratory at Bath, a leading probability group in the United Kingdom. He will primarily work with Dr. Simon Harris solving problems in areas of branching and fragmentation processes. He also hopes to benefit from collaboration with Dr. A. Kyprianou, a leading expert in Levy and fragmentation processes, and Dr. P. Morters, a leading expert in the field of stochastic models. The rest of this proposal summarises the scientific problems Piotr Miłoś will investigate at Bath. The knowledge and experience acquired will provide him with new opportunities to contribute to the field. This will enable him to continue an active scientific career after the Fellowship is completed.

Keywords: natural sciences
Physiological impact of IF1 inhibitor on Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT) and atherosclerosis (CARDIF)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-06-01
End date: 2013-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 185748.0
EU funding (EUR): 185748.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Several large prospective studies established that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is an independent negative risk factor for CHD thus representing today’s major protective factor against atherosclerosis, mostly attributable to their roles in ‘Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT)’. RCT allows excessive cell cholesterol to be taken up and processed in HDL particles, and later carried to the liver. To identify new cellular partners involved in hepatic HDL-C clearance in human, Martinez et al. recently reported the presence on the cell surface of human hepatocytes of a complex related to the mitochondrial ATP synthase as a high affinity receptor for HDL apolipoprotein A-1. This complex is involved in a cell surface signalization pathway for HDL endocytosis in which apoA-1 binding to the ATP synthase (ectoF1-ATPase) stimulates extracellular ATP hydrolysis into ADP. The newly synthesized ADP specially activates the nucleotide receptor P2Y13 resulting in clathrin-dependent HDL-C endocytosis. P2Y13 deficiency in mice (P2Y13 knock out/Ko) provokes a significant decay in biliary lipids secretions. Studies on P2Y13 Ko mice on atherosclerotic background (apoE Ko) showed that double Ko mice displayed an increased atherosclerosis plaque, compared to apoE-Ko. We aim to study whether regulating the ‘F1-ATPase/ P2Y13’-mediated HDL endocytosis pathway might be a therapeutic target in prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. The F1-ATPase Inhibitor IF1 (inhibitor factor 1) is a10 KD protein that was shown to inhibit HDL uptake both on human hepatocytes and in situ on perfused rat liver. IF1 was found to be constitutively expressed at the hepatocyte surface, suggesting IF1 physiological role in inhibiting hepatic HDL endocytosis. However, very little is known on the physiological relevance of IF1 in this process. The research project proposes to characterize the physiopathologic role of the inhibitor of F1-ATPase IF1 in HDL-C metabolism and atherosclerosis development.

Keywords: high density cholesterol(hdl),atpsynthase,atherosclerose
Chemokine functions in collective cancer cell invasion: induction, guidance and systemic dissemination. (CICCI)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-06-01
End date: 2013-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 176185.6
EU funding (EUR): 176185.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cancer progression recapitulates, in part, ill-fated morphogenesis, including single-cell and collective cell migration and associated invasive growth, metastasis and poor prognosis of cancer disease. Chemokines and their receptors enhance cancer progression, by supporting both cancer invasion and proliferation. Previous studies have addressed chemokine function on individual cancer cell functions with emphasis on in vitro effects, yet their contribution to in vivo growth and collective cancer invasion remain unclear. In this project, using state-of the art in vitro and in vivo models, the impact of chemokines and chemokine receptor expression and function on collective cancer invasion and leader-cell function will be addressed. Candidate chemokines identified through in vitro invasion studies will be tested for their ability to guide collective cancer invasion in vivo, using orthotopic 3D matrix cultures and down modulation or overexpression of individual or multiple chemokine receptors. Chemokine-driven collective invasion will be monitored in orthotopic tumor xenografts in nude mice or zebrafish embryos, monitored by intravital microscopy. By inhibiting and/or overexpressing defined chemokine receptor pairs, chemokine-mediated cell sorting and leader-cell function will be monitored. This project will show new functions of chemokine signaling in collective cancer cell invasion, in reminiscence of multicellular movements during embryonic development.

Keywords: natural sciences,cancer,metastasis,cell migration,chemokines,signaling,multiphoton microscopic imaging,3d collagen matrix,tumour spheroids,mouse,zebrafish
Enantioselective Organocatalytic Reaction Cascades of Substituted Pyrroles and their Application in Complex Alkaloid Natural Product Synthesis (ENACASCASYN)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-09-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 200049.6
EU funding (EUR): 200049.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Tracking the footsteps of nature, organocatalytic systems allow the formation of highly enantioenriched products starting from simple achiral substrates. Within this context, enantioselective organocatalytic cascade reactions have emerged as a powerful tool for the design of complex molecular architectures in single-step conversions. During this Fellowship we intend, in a very early stage, to address new, straightforward and synthetically powerful enantioselective cascade reactions towards the complex perhydroindole ring structure; a saturated and functionalized 6,5-fused bicycle system which is present in several targets with significant biological activities. Specifically, our methodology will be supported by the development of new asymmetric, organo-catalysed Michael, Michael cyclization cascades of activated pyrrole substrates with α,β-unsaturated ketones. In this sense our proposal takes advantage of the chemical reactivity of activated pyrrole substrates, based on their high acidity, and therefore tendency to enolisation giving the tautomeric nucleophilic form. This species can react with electron deficient alkenes by means of an organo-catalysed Michael addition. At this point, favoring the optimal catalytic conditions, we have envisioned that the intermediate Michael adduct can undergo an intramolecular Michael addition cascade to afford the desired bicycle target. Highlighting the scope of our approach towards the perhydroindole ring core, we are aiming to accomplish the first total synthesis of Daphhniyunnine D, a complex and important alkaloid recently isolated from a shrub endemic of the Peoples Republic of China, and with a prominent cytotoxic activity against several tumor cell lines. The Fellowship will touch therefore contemporary areas of modern chemical research, such as asymmetric methodology, catalysis and target oriented synthesis approaches towards bioactive compounds.

Keywords: physical sciences,organic chemistry,enantioselective organocatalysis,molecular modeling studies,bioactive natural products.
Visualizing the structural synaptic memory trace: presynaptic partners of newly formed spines (HEBBIANNEWSPINES)

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-2010-IEF, 2010)
Start date: 2011-04-01
End date: 2013-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 168863.2
EU funding (EUR): 168863.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The formation and elimination of spine synapses can be visualized both in vitro as well as in vivo using advanced imaging techniques. It is known that the number of dendritic spines changes both during development as well as during the acquisition of new memories. However, up to now these observations are entirely correlative. It is unclear if the presynaptic neuron forming a functional contact on a newly formed spine indeed was the one that showed correlated activity with the postsynaptic cell as would be required for a learning mechanism following classical Hebbian plasticity. In fact, since it has never been shown what information is transmitted via a newly formed spine synapse in vivo, it has yet to be demonstrated that new long-term stable spines indeed could carry a memory trace related to a specific previous experience. Here, I propose to functionally identify the presynaptic partners of newly formed spine synapses. I will assess if the information carried by a new spine can be predicted from readily observable global changes in neuronal activation strength in a well-defined sensory deprivation paradigm in vivo. Furthermore, I will study whether indeed neurons that ‘fire together’ also ‘wire together’ by forming new stable spine synapses in vitro. I will develop chronic single spine Ca2+ imaging techniques and novel optophysiological tools like a dual-color genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator (GCaMP3-based) and an activity-dependent structural tag (TetTag-based) of active axons. I aim to functionally define the active presynaptic population in during visual and electrical stimulation in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, I will assess if deletion of proteins involved in the functional maintenance of synaptic strengthening (LTP-maintenance) prevents the formation and/or stabilization of new synapses between defined coactive partners. This work will take our understanding of memory formation forward while providing a range of broadly applicable new techniques.

Keywords: neuroscience,strucutal plasticity,spine,synapse formation,in vivo imaging,2 photon,genetically encoded calcium indicators,optogenetics,leraning,memory,hebbian,long-term potentiation,ltp