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Section: Partnerships and Cooperations
European Initiatives
FP7 Projects
EvoEvo
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Partners: Université Joseph Fourier (France, D. Schneider), Utrecht University (Nederland, P. Hogeweg), University of York (UK, S. Stepney) and CSIC (Spain, S. Elena)
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Abstract: Evolution is the major source of complexity on Earth, at the origin of all the species we can observe, interact with or breed. On a smaller scale, evolution is at the heart of the adaptation process for many species, in particular micro-organisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses). Microbial evolution results in the emergence of the species itself, and it also contributes to the organisms' adaptation to perturbations or environmental changes. These organisms are not only organised by evolution, they are also organised to evolve. The EvoEvo project will develop new evolutionary approaches in information science and will produce algorithms based on the latest understanding of molecular and evolutionary biology. Our ultimate goal is to address open-ended problems, where the specifications are either unknown or too complicated to express, and to produce software able to operate in unpredictable, varying conditions. We will start from experimental observations of micro-organism evolution, and abstract this to reproduce EvoEvo, in biological models, in computational models, and in application software. Our aim is to observe EvoEvo in action, to model EvoEvo, to understand EvoEvo and, ultimately, to implement and exploit EvoEvo in software and computational systems. The EvoEvo project will have impact in ICT, through the development of new technologies. It will also have impact in biology and public health, by providing a better understanding of micro-organism adaptation (such as the emergence of new pathogens or the development of antibiotic resistances).
Neuron-Astro-Nets
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Instrument: ERCIM and Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development
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Duration: Juin 2013-Mai 2017 (ERCIM Juin 2013-mai 2014 puis IOF Marie Curie Juin 2014-mai 2017)
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Partner: N. Brunel, Statistics Dept, University of Chicago (USA)
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Abstract: Healthy functionality in the brain relies on intricate neuron-glia networks. Recent data suggest that glial, including astrocytes, play a crucial role in the processing and storing on by the brain. In particular, synapses might not be bipartite, but rather tripartite structures, comprised of the pre- and the postsynaptic terminals and the surrounding astrocyte. Moreover, astrocytes, like neurons, form intricate interconnected networks that afford long-range communication via the propagation of calcium waves. Therefore, neurons and astrocytes form intertwined neuron-glial networks supporting active partnership between the two cell populations. Hence, understanding the nature of neuron-glia interactions is essential to understand how the brain functions, and will serve as a stepping stone for deciphering brain disorders. Our long-term goal is to reveal the mechanisms that control and regulates the activity of combined neuron-glia networks. The specific objectives of this application, which are fundamental in the pursuit of that goal, are (1) to determine the properties of astrocytic modulation of synaptic transmission; and (2) to characterize how such modulation shapes neuronal activity in neuron-glia networks of the brain. To pursue these aims we will employ a comprehensive theoretical investigation to develop mathematical and biophysical models in support to experiments, at the many levels and scales of action of neuron-astrocyte signaling. The significance of understanding glia-neuron interactions is several-fold as it pertains to a very wide range of applications, from basic understanding of neuronal activity, to developing therapeutic strategies toward the treatment of neurological disorders. Here, we will focus on how modulations of synaptic transmission by astrocytes could favor the emergence of synchronized neuronal, leveraging the predictions of our theoretical approach in the perspective of brain disorders, and epilepsy in particular.