Objective
Bacteria constituting the gut microbiome play a crucial role metabolizing dietary fats. How these bacteria physically interact with these fats is unknown. LIPTO will provide direct visual insight into this process and translate them into quantitative, predictive tools. LIPTO hypothesizes that topological defects created by dense bacterial biofilms act as physical and metabolical hotspots.
It will pursue three integrated objectives. O1 quantifies how gut-relevant bacteria remodel oil droplets under controlled conditions. Using anaerobic microfluidic chips and live confocal imaging, it will measure attachment, growth and interface deformation (area and curvature change) while extracting orientation fields to locate nematic order and defects. O2 tests whether mechanical states map to transcriptional states. A microfluidics-compatible smFISH panel targeting lipid metabolism, stress responses and surface sensing will read out gene expression directly inside structured biofilms, allowing a cell-resolved comparison of defect-rich and smooth regions. O3 develops computational models that link bacterial alignment, curvature, and stress to lipid access, validating them against the movies and gene data and releasing open code and datasets.
The project is firmly interdisciplinary combining soft-matter physics, microfluidics, quantitative imaging and spatial omics, with expert supervision at Sorbonne Université and collaborations in active-matter theory. Results will advance fundamental understanding of living interfaces and generate reusable methods for analyzing bacterial biofilm mechanics. Societally, the work informs microbiome strategies for dietary lipid control, aligning with Horizon Europe Cluster 1 and SDG 3 (health and well-being). Training spans advanced imaging, transcriptomics, modeling, and a non-academic placement (NAP) focused on valorisation.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences classical mechanics fluid mechanics microfluidics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences physical sciences condensed matter physics soft matter physics
- humanities arts modern and contemporary art cinematography
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy confocal microscopy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75006 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.