Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : CilDyn (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Entité participante : University of Oxford — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1727456.0 €

The unexpected connection between the primary cilium and cell-to-cell signalling is one of the most exciting discoveries in cell and developmental biology in the last decade. In particular, the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway relies on the primary cilium to fulfil its fundamental functions in orchestrating vertebrate development. This microtubule-based antenna, up to 5 µm long, protrudes from the plasma membrane of almost every human cell and is the essential compartment for the entire Hh signalling cascade. All its molecular components, from the most upstream transmembrane Hh receptor down to the ultimate transcription factors, are dynamically localised and enriched in the primary cilium. The aim of this proposal, which combines structural biology and live cell imaging, is to understand the function and signalling consequences of the multivalent interactions between Hh signal transducer proteins as well as their spatial and temporal regulation in the primary cilium. The key questions my laboratory will address are: What are the rules for assembly of Hh signal transduction complexes? How dynamic are these complexes in size and organisation? How are these processes linked to the transport and accumulation in the primary cilium? I will combine state-of-the art structural biology techniques (with an emphasis on X-ray crystallography) to study the molecular architecture of binary and higher-order Hh signal transduction complexes and live cell fluorescence microscopy (for protein localisation and direct protein interactions). These two approaches will allow me to identify and define specific protein-protein interfaces at the atomic level and test their functional consequences in the cell in real time. My goal is to consolidate a world-class morphogen signal transduction laboratory, deciphering fundamental biological insights. Importantly, my results and reagents can potentially feed into the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics and reagents promoting stem cell therapy.

Mots-clés : hedgehog pathway,primary cilium,morphogen signalling,signal transduction,cancer,stem cells,embryonic development,live cell fluorescence microscopy
Projet ERC : PRINTSolar (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The unique ability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to harvest very efficiently incident solar radiation even with films of only a few hundred nm thickness that can be infiltrated by solution processing onto planar substrates and into screen printable scaffold structures provides strong and unprecedented innovation potential in photovoltaics. Demonstration of high power conversion efficiency at very low cost along with the requisite durability metrics will form a persuasive argument for large investments in this new technology. Drawing from concepts developed as well as the latest advancements and discoveries made under our MESOLIGHT project (ERC grant 247404), we shall employ novel designs to gain further advantages over competing technologies. Particularly, mixed A cation –X formulations will be used to in ABX3 perovskite formulations along with inorganic hole conductors such as lithium doped NiMgO designed and developed as part of MESOLIGHT task will be utilized in the construction of PSCs for testing under solar light conditions. We have recently reached a certified solar conversion efficiency of 21% under standard AM 1.5 solar illumination with small laboratory cells. This POC will focus on upscaling to industrial PSC architecture on the module level and demonstrate long term stability for large scale deployment.

Mots-clés : metal halide perovskite solar cells,high efficiency modules,scaleup printable modules
Projet ERC : QUAMAP (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Autonomous University of Madrid — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UAM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 405750.0 €

The use of delicate quasiconformal methods, in conjunction with convex integration and/or nonlinear Fourier analysis, will be the common theme of the proposal. A number of important outstanding problems are susceptible to attack via these methods. First and foremost, Morrey's fundamental question in two dimensional vectorial calculus of variations will be considered as well as the related conjecture of Iwaniec regarding the sharp $L^p$ bounds for the Beurling transform. Understanding the geometry of conformally invariant random structures will be one of the central goals of the proposal. Uhlmann's conjecture regarding the optimal regularity for uniqueness in Calder\'on's inverse conductivity problem will also be considered, as well as the applications to imaging. Further goals are to be found in fluid mechanics and scattering, as well as the fundamental properties of quasiconformal mappings, interesting in their own right, such as the outstanding deformation problem for chord-arc curves.

Mots-clés : vectorial calculus of variations,quasiconformal geometry,holomorphic motions,nonlinear fourier analysis,calder n s inverse problem,convex integration,chord arc curves,conformal invariance,dimer models
Projet ERC : METAMORPHOSIS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : University of Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. Cambridge
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The use of hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance (HP 13C MR) to perform radiological scans can provide novel information for medical diagnostic purpose. HP 13C-molecules are injected intravenously and allow performing metabolic imaging, highlighting diseased tissues and treatment response. HP 13C-urea is also a potential nontoxic alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents for MRI. Hyperpolarization aims at dramatically increasing the 13C MR signal by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which requires the use of free radicals. The presence of free radicals prevents the storage and transport of HP 13C-molecules which thus need to be prepared a few minutes prior to injection using hot water as dissolution medium. Within the framework of the ASSIMILES project, it was already demonstrated that by using photo-induced free radicals, HP 13C-molecules can be polarized and then extracted in the form of frozen solution following the annihilation of the free radicals. The aim of METAMORPHOSIS is to implement and commercialize devices compatible with the creation and annihilation of photo-induced free radicals in a controlled and reproducible manner, and that can be easily transferred in and out of a cryogenic environment. This innovation is expected to lead to a paradigm shift for 3 main reasons: (a) it will eliminate critical failures related to the dissolution process currently used to prepare doses of HP C-molecules for injection; (b) it will remove the need for synchronizing production and injection since doses can be polarized ahead of time; (c) it will become possible to place the polarizer in a remote location because doses can be stored and transported. The overall objective is to provide a complete solution to prepare and deliver HP 13C-molecules to MRI suites. Unlike with the current dissolution DNP method, the MRI suite would not need to be equipped with a polarizer, which could instead be remotely located in another building or in a nearby facility.

Mots-clés : hyperpolarized 13c,metabolic imaging,dynamic nuclear polarization,photo induced radicals,contrast agents,transportable,metabolic substrates
Projet ERC : ZMOD (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : Max Planck Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MPG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

The vascular system is a complex network of blood vessels that transports gases, nutrients and hormones throughout the organism. Most blood vessels that form during development and growth arise by the sprouting of new capillaries from pre-existing vessels, a process termed angiogenesis. An imbalance in angiogenesis contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous disease states: insufficient angiogenesis limits tissue recovery in ischemic disease, whereas stimulation of angiogenesis by cancer cells promotes tumor vascularization and growth. Angiogenesis inhibitors are already in clinical use for anti-tumor therapy; however, multiple reports of resistance are calling for the identification of additional targets. Furthermore, vascular malformations are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. While the genetic basis for some vascular malformations is known, many genetic factors, including modifiers that affect the age-of-onset and severity of phenotypes, remain to be identified. Identifying modifier genes is important not only to fully assess genetic risk, but also to provide novel targets for therapy; however, identifying modifier genes has proven challenging. We recently uncovered a novel and simple way to identify modifier genes. By investigating gene and protein expression differences between knockout (mutant) and knockdown (antisense treated) zebrafish embryos, we found that mutations in specific genes, including some encoding angiogenic factors, lead to the upregulation of compensating (i.e., modifier) genes while knocking down these same genes does not. We hypothesize that the modifier genes identified through this approach in zebrafish also play important roles in humans. Thus, we will use this simple strategy to identify new genes that regulate vascular formation and homeostasis, and subsequently analyze their function in zebrafish as well as in mammalian models, as they are likely to play key roles in vascular development and disease.

Mots-clés : vascular malformations,tumor angiogenesis,zebrafish
Projet ERC : BITCRUMBS (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : EURECOM — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1991504.0 €

The vast majority of research in computer security is dedicated to the design of detection, protection, and prevention solutions. While these techniques play a critical role to increase the security and privacy of our digital infrastructure, it is enough to look at the news to understand that it is not a matter of "if" a computer system will be compromised, but only a matter of "when". It is a well known fact that there is no 100% secure system, and that there is no practical way to prevent attackers with enough resources from breaking into sensitive targets. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop automated techniques to timely and precisely analyze computer security incidents and compromised systems. Unfortunately, the area of incident response received very little research attention, and it is still largely considered an art more than a science because of its lack of a proper theoretical and scientific background. The objective of BITCRUMBS is to rethink the Incident Response (IR) field from its foundations by proposing a more scientific and comprehensive approach to the analysis of compromised systems. BITCRUMBS will achieve this goal in three steps: (1) by introducing a new systematic approach to precisely measure the effectiveness and accuracy of IR techniques and their resilience to evasion and forgery; (2) by designing and implementing new automated techniques to cope with advanced threats and the analysis of IoT devices; and (3) by proposing a novel forensics-by-design development methodology and a set of guidelines for the design of future systems and software. To provide the right context for these new techniques and show the impact of the project in different fields and scenarios, BITCRUMBS plans to address its objectives using real case studies borrowed from two different domains: traditional computer software, and embedded systems.

Mots-clés : incident response,computer forensics,embedded systems security
Projet ERC : CAT (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Utrecht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499631.0 €

The water cycle in the Himalaya is poorly understood because of its extreme topography that results in complex interactions between climate and water stored in snow and glaciers. Hydrological extremes in the greater Himalayas regularly cause great damage, e.g. the Pakistan floods in 2010, while the Himalayas also supply water to over 25% of the global population. So, the stakes are high and an accurate understanding of the Himalayan water cycle is imperative. The discovery of the monumental error on the future of the Himalayan glaciers in the fourth assessment report of the IPCC is exemplary for the scientific misconceptions which are associated to the Himalayan glaciers and its water supplying function. The underlying reason is the huge scale gap that exists between studies for individual glaciers that are not representative of the entire region and hydrological modelling studies that represent the variability in Himalayan climates. In CAT, I will bridge this knowledge gap and explain spatial differences in Himalayan glacio-hydrology at an unprecedented level of detail by combining high-altitude observations, the latest remote sensing technology and state-of-the-art atmospheric and hydrological models. I will generate a high-altitude meteorological observations and will employ drones to monitor glacier dynamics. The data will be used to parameterize key processes in hydro-meteorological models such as cloud resolving mechanisms, glacier dynamics and the ice and snow energy balance. The results will be integrated into atmospheric and glacio-hyrological models for two representative, but contrasting catchments using in combination with the systematic inclusion of the newly developed algorithms. CAT will unambiguously reveal spatial differences in Himalayan glacio-hydrology necessary to project future changes in water availability and extreme events. As such, CAT may provide the scientific base for climate change adaptation policies in this vulnerable region.
Projet ERC : EvoLucin (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Vienna — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Univie
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499561.0 €

The widespread recognition that interactions with microbes drive animal health, development and evolution is transforming biology, but we so far understand the underlying mechanisms in very few systems. Considering that virtually every animal on Earth evolved with and among the microbes in its environment, there is still immense potential for discovering fundamentally new mechanisms of interaction among the staggering diversity of animals and their microbial symbionts in nature. The ancient and exclusive association between marine lucinid clams and chemosynthetic symbiotic bacteria is ideal for investigating these interactions. Lucinidae is one of the most widespread and species-rich animal families in the oceans today, and has lived in symbiosis for more than 400 million years. The clam’s outstanding ability to select one specific symbiont from the trillions of bacteria in its environment challenges widely held assumptions about the function and specificity of the innate immune system. Symbiont-free juveniles can be raised in the lab, and experimentally infected, allowing unmatched insights into the early development of this symbiosis. Although the symbiont infection is specific to gill cells, symbiont-encoded proteins can be found in distant parts of the animal that are symbiont-free. I will combine cutting-edge molecular tools and experimental infection to better understand three key aspects of host-microbe interactions in these clams: 1) Acquisition and selection of microbes during animal development, 2) Maintenance along animal lifetimes through molecular communication and exchange, and 3) Emergence and perpetuation over evolution. I hypothesize that intracellular bacterial symbionts fundamentally alter host biology, and these effects are not limited to the location where symbionts are housed, but can affect distant organ systems. My overarching goal is to understand the molecular basis for these effects, and their evolutionary history.
Projet ERC : NanoCPPs (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : IMDEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The world energy demand is continuously growing due to the increase of population. This has triggered the need of new technologies that allow the sustainability of the planet. In this sense, the search of novel materials that can be introduced in these new technological approaches is mandatory. In NanoCPPs project, the design, synthesis and scale up of nanoparticles based on Conjugated Porous Polymers (CPPs) will be performed. Advanced techniques will be applied to obtain processable CPPs as colloidal solutions in the multi-gram scale as precursors to prepare thin films. These conductive polymer thin films will be used in photoelectrochemical devices for artificial photosynthesis processes, including hydrogen production from water and CO2 reduction. NanoCPPs will address the two main drawbacks inherent to the CPPs synthetic process currently used. Firstly, the particle size control will be improved, which allows to tune the photo(electro)physical properties, in the same way as it happens with nanoparticles based on inorganic semiconductors. Secondly, NanoCPPs will also advance towards the formulation of optimum colloidal solutions of nanostructured CPPs that offers new opportunities to their processability, which is an outstanding issue for this kind of materials. The knowledge transfer plan will be based on a vendor IP strategy, in which target companies will be preferentially those dedicated to polymers manufacturing for advance applications and those dedicated to electrodes production at large scale. With this aim, a market and IP assessment as well as a pre-technology study will be performed in order to transfer NanoCPPs new technology to the market”.

Mots-clés : conjugated porous polymer,microfluidic,miniemulsion,nanotechnology artificial photosynthesis,photoelectrochemical,photoelectrodes,solar fuels,hydrogen production,energy
Projet ERC : GMM (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Austrian Academy of Sciences — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : OAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1947513.75 €

The ‘universalization of the Holocaust’ has established the Shoah as an historical reference point legitimizing a global moral imperative to respect human rights. Much has been written about the ostensible ‘globalization of memory’, but as yet no genuinely global comparative study systematically confronting this hypothesis with the actual representations of atrocities exists. GMM breaks new ground by examining memorial museums on four continents, arguing that what is called ‘globalization’ in fact comprises three to some degree contradictory trends: 1) The US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem are role models for a universal moral orientation that focuses on the individual victim and generates aesthetic ‘standards’ for musealization. 2) The German concept of negative memory, self-critically confronting the crimes committed by her own population, has inspired museums to tackle the question of one’s own complicity in order to challenge collective self-victimization and the externalization of responsibility. 3) The genocides of the 1990s led to a ‘forensic turn’: the investigation of bones & other material evidence of atrocities has changed the way in situ memorial museums deal with material traces of violence. This shift has also impacted ‘old’ memorial sites like Sobibor, which has become a site of archaeological research after 70 years. GMM examines 50 memorial museums dealing with - the WWII period in the US, Israel, Europe, China, and Japan; - recent genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Scholars claim that ‘globalized’ memorial museums reflect new moral standards and a new language of commemoration, but what is the price of the attendant de-contextualization in the name of moral universals? GMM’s wholly original global typology of memorial museums has the potential to act as a genuine game changer that challenges the concept of ‘universal memory’ and the notion that memorial museums constitute a globalized space of communication and negotiation.

Mots-clés : globalization,memory,moral universals,world war ii,holocaust,rwanda,srebrenica