Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : HIGCC (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : RWTH Aachen University — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RWTH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1973875.0 €

In the standard model of particle physics (SM), the Higgs boson explains the existence of mass of the elementary particles. However, the model suffers from severe weaknesses: radiative corrections drive the theoretical mass of the Higgs boson to extremely high, unnatural values, while the observed mass is rather low (the famous hierarchy problem). Unknown mechanisms of physics beyond the standard model (BSM) must exist to avoid this unnatural situation. Such BSM mechanisms modify the predicted properties and decay patterns of the Higgs boson. The experimental collaborations at the LHC are measuring these decay patterns as precisely as possible. The decay of the Higgs boson into bottom quarks is dominant with a predicted decay fraction of 57%. Neither this nor the subdominant decay into charm quarks of 2.9% have ever been observed. The small decay fraction into charm quarks makes it susceptible to BSM modifications, if they exist. A measurement of this charm decay fraction would either unravel new physics that has been sought for more than 60 years, or constrain BSM scenarios to enhance the understanding of the fundamental theory of matter. However, the decay of the Higgs boson into charm quarks has been considered to be experimentally inaccessible at the LHC, because of the difficulties to distinguish charm quarks from other quarks. In this proposal I will show how to overcome these experimental obstacles with new methods for the detection of charm quarks in the CMS detector. The new methods will be based on decay vertex reconstruction algorithms that make use of modern pattern recognition concepts. In combination with new techniques for data analysis and interpretation, this will facilitate the first observation of the Higgs to charm decay, and the measurement of its branching fraction, if it is anomalously enhanced through BSM contributions. With this strategy the first indication for physics beyond the standard model may be found.

Mots-clés : cms experiment,large hadron collider,cern,higgs boson
Projet ERC : POCON (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Amsterdam University Medical Centers — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149953.75 €

In this ERC Proof-of-Concept project, we aim to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of a nanobody to target Osteopontin (OPN) for (co)treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). This proposed project builds further upon recent findings as part of the ERC CRCStemCellDynamics project, in which we showed that OPN plays an important role in clonal expansion and cancer stem cell functionality. CRC accounts for ~10% of all cancers worldwide and forms a heavy financial burden for the EU healthcare system. The 5-year survival rate for patients with CRC is < 60% and for metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients even < 20%. Over the last 15 years, treatment options for CRC have been static and new therapies for CRC are urgently needed. Findings from our lab indicates that a nanobody to block OPN would be an attractive approach for CRC (co)treatment. In this project we will 1) generate a therapeutic nanobody together with key experts in the field, 2) demonstrate efficacy of the nanobody in human CRC xenograft models, 3) compile a “data package” to attract partners for further financing towards commercialisation, 4) establish a solid business plan, including intellectual property (IP) protection, a market/competitor analysis and an exploitation plan, and 5) set up collaborations with pharmaceutical partners for (co)development and/or a licensing deal.

Mots-clés : colorectal cancer,drug development,nanobody,clone expansion
Projet ERC : HypoRuLight (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Leiden University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In this Proof-of-Concept project I will show the commercial potential of ruthenium-based photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) compounds developed in my ERC Starting Grant by demonstrating their efficacy on hypoxic cancer models. Photoactivated chemotherapy is a new class of phototherapy to treat cancer. In principle, PACT looks similar to photodynamic therapy (PDT): light irradiation of the tumour in vivo leads to local activation of the anticancer prodrug, thereby limiting the toxicity of the treatment to the diseased tissue, and thus lowering side effects for the patient. However, the mechanisms of PACT and PDT are very different: in PDT the light-absorbing prodrug requires molecular oxygen to kill the cancer cells, whereas in PACT oxygen is not involved in prodrug activation. As a consequence, PACT agents should be able to treat hypoxic tumours, which are characterized by low oxygen concentrations and high resistance to PDT and other existing therapies. In this project the efficacy of a selection of Ru-based PACT compounds will be tested in hypoxic cancer models and compared to their efficacy in normoxic conditions. In parallel I will develop, in collaboration with my network of collaborators from the clinics, business analysts, and patent attorney, a plan for (pre) clinical development of PACT compounds.

Mots-clés : metallodrugs,hypoxia,cancer,photochemotherapy,photodynamic therapy,tumour model,photosubstitution
Projet ERC : WIREDETECT (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Lund University — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498971.0 €

In this project I will develop ultra-high resolution X-ray detectors based on semiconductor nanowires, whose spatial resolution will be radically better than the current state of the art. In X-ray detectors the primary X-ray absorption induces a cascade of secondary electrons and photons which are measured at the front or back of the detector, but during the long transport to the point of detection these can spread orthogonally to the optical axis. This limits the resolution in present bulk detectors. My novel concept is to create a nanostructured detector based on an array of semiconductor nanowires, which will confine and physically prevent spreading of the secondary electrons and photons. In a nanowire array, the pixel size is the diameter of the nanowire, which can be as low as 10 nm, while the nanowires can be as long as the X-ray absorption length. The very high aspect ratio of nanowires allows detectors with simultaneously very high spatial resolution and sensitivity. I will investigate both direct detectors and scintillators, in which the secondary electrons and photons are detected, respectively. The objective is to create detectors based on arrays of 10 nm-diameter nanowires. Time- and temperature resolved measurements will be used to improve understanding of the X-ray physics in these nanodevices, with strong quantum confinement of electrons and phonons and high surface to volume ratio. I will test the detectors within an imaging project targeting the neural connectome, and compare the nanowire detectors with commercial ones. This novel detector concept could revolutionize high-resolution imaging of samples on the nanoscale, maintaining the unique ability of X-rays to study samples in realistic conditions: DNA within live cells, the strained channel in single operational transistors or individual nanoparticles in a charging battery. High resolution detectors could also be employed in X-ray spectroscopy and diffraction.

Mots-clés : x ray,detector,nanowire,imaging
Projet ERC : PaPaAlg (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : University of Bergen — Pays : Norvège — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499557.0 €

In this project we revise the foundations of parameterized complexity, a modern multi-variate approach to algorithm design. The underlying question of every algorithmic paradigm is ``what is the best algorithm?'' When the running time of algorithms is measured in terms of only one variable, it is easy to compare which one is the fastest. However, when the running time depends on more than one variable, as is the case for parameterized complexity: **It is not clear what a ``fastest possible algorithm'' really means.** The previous formalizations of what a fastest possible parameterized algorithm means are one-dimensional, contrary to the core philosophy of parameterized complexity. These one-dimensional approaches to a multi-dimensional algorithmic paradigm unavoidably miss the most efficient algorithms, and ultimately fail to solve instances that we could have solved. We propose the first truly multi-dimensional framework for comparing the running times of parameterized algorithms. Our new definitions are based on the notion of Pareto-optimality from economics. The new approach encompasses all existing paradigms for comparing parameterized algorithms, opens up a whole new world of research directions in parameterized complexity, and reveals new fundamental questions about parameterized problems that were considered well-understood. In this project we will develop powerful algorithmic and complexity theoretic tools to answer these research questions. The successful completion of this project will take parameterized complexity far beyond the state of the art, make parameterized algorithms more relevant for practical applications, and significantly advance adjacent subfields of theoretical computer science and mathematics.

Mots-clés : fixed parameter tractability,algorithms,computational complexity
Projet ERC : 2D-Liquid (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
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 : 3499845.0 €

In this project, we will introduce a myriad of nanoscopy techniques to investigate the liquid-solid interactions taking advantage of either engineered defects or defects already hosted in 2D materials. We will address the pertinent question on the mechanism of reactivity of 2D materials with aqueous electrolytes at ambient conditions and the role of the defects on the dynamics of interfacial charges. At the start of the project, we will explore defects hosted in two classes of 2D materials: hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Our plans are to define strategies to extend defect imaging combined with other characterization approaches to a multitude of 2D materials. In parallel, we will explore the role of interfacial liquid taking advantage of novel nanofluidic platforms termed angstrom slits that will allow fine-tuning the balance between 2D and 3D liquid. To control defect density in 2D materials, we will use approaches based on focused ion beam irradiation with Xenon and Helium ions We will adapt and develop different nanoscopy tools such as single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), single-particle tracking, Point Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography (PAINT) Minimal Emission Fluxes Microscopy MINFLUX and Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM). All nanoscopy modalities used in 2D-LIQUID project can operate in –situ under ambient conditions and are compatible with the probing of defect chemistry, charge dynamics in different pH environments, and under different solvents or solvent mixtures. We believe that obtained insights regarding the role of defects in dynamics of the surface charges will shed light on the water and ion transport through nanopores, nanotubes but also ultimately narrow angstrom. Our findings will propel the development of nanofluidics, biosensing, energy harvesting, molecular separation and other nanoscale technologies that exploit liquid 2D-material interfaces.

Mots-clés : nanofluidics,2d materials,defects,nanoscopy,single molecule localization microscopy,scanning ion conducting microscopy,nanopores
Projet ERC : ElecOpteR (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Dhitech distretto tecnologico high-tech scarl — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Dth
Type d'entité : Autres
Financement ERC de l'entité : 31875.0 €

In this proposal we plan to bring to a development stage TRL 3 an electro-optical device working at room temperature and based on polaritons (an hybrid photon-exciton particle) made of 2D perovskites and of an optical surface mode in a Distributed Bragg Reflector waveguide. Such a device could lead to extremely compact and ultrafast electro-optical modulators that can be fully integrated in a microchip to allow for fast signal communications between each peripheral component of a processor. As a matter of fact one of the major bottlenecks in processing speed is caused by retardations and dissipations in the interconnections between the CPU and the memory elements as well as other interconnect functions. Conversion of the electrical signal into an optical one can allow for faster and more efficient processing. Our prototype can allow for switching and routing of guided optical beams via electrical signals using the intrinsic nonlinearities of the hybrid photon-exciton states.

Mots-clés : exciton polaritons,electro optical switching and routing,optical circuits,surface electromagnetic,waves,perovskites
Projet ERC : HDPROBES (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 647953.81 €

In this proposal, we introduce two new families of probes for live-cell super-resolution microscopy. The first class comprises small-molecule fluorescent sensors for detecting short-lived, small signaling molecules and active enzymes with single-molecule resolution. The spatiotemporal confinement of biological reactive molecules has been hypothesized to regulate various pathological and physiological processes, but the lack of tools to observe directly these microdomains of biochemical activity has precluded the investigation of these mechanisms. The ability to detect small signaling agents and active enzymes with nanometric resolution in intact live specimens will allow us to study the role of compartmentalization in intracellular signaling at an unprecedented resolution. Our studies will focus on detecting elusive reactive oxygen and nitrogen species directly at their sites of endogenous production. We will also investigate the subcellular distribution of protease activity, focusing on its role in non-apoptotic signaling. The second class of probes encompasses a palette of fluorescent dyes that switch continuously between dark and emissive forms. This dynamic equilibrium will enable the localization of single molecules in a densely labeled field without the need to apply toxic light for photoactivation. Based on a novel switching mechanism, we will prepare dyes of various emission wavelengths that blink in a controlled way. These dyes will allow us to perform, for the first time, super-resolution, multicolor, time-lapse imaging of live specimens over long time. Initial studies will focus on tracking a transcription factor that migrates from the endoplasmic reticulum to the nucleus to initiate a cellular stress response upon protein misfolding. These studies will provide spatiotemporal details of this important translocation, which takes more than one hour to occur and its observation at the single-molecule level is intractable with current super-resolution methods

Mots-clés : photoactivatable probes,single molecule localization microscopy,fluorescent sensors
Projet ERC : HDPROBES (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Zurich — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UZH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 850171.19 €

In this proposal, we introduce two new families of probes for live-cell super-resolution microscopy. The first class comprises small-molecule fluorescent sensors for detecting short-lived, small signaling molecules and active enzymes with single-molecule resolution. The spatiotemporal confinement of biological reactive molecules has been hypothesized to regulate various pathological and physiological processes, but the lack of tools to observe directly these microdomains of biochemical activity has precluded the investigation of these mechanisms. The ability to detect small signaling agents and active enzymes with nanometric resolution in intact live specimens will allow us to study the role of compartmentalization in intracellular signaling at an unprecedented resolution. Our studies will focus on detecting elusive reactive oxygen and nitrogen species directly at their sites of endogenous production. We will also investigate the subcellular distribution of protease activity, focusing on its role in non-apoptotic signaling. The second class of probes encompasses a palette of fluorescent dyes that switch continuously between dark and emissive forms. This dynamic equilibrium will enable the localization of single molecules in a densely labeled field without the need to apply toxic light for photoactivation. Based on a novel switching mechanism, we will prepare dyes of various emission wavelengths that blink in a controlled way. These dyes will allow us to perform, for the first time, super-resolution, multicolor, time-lapse imaging of live specimens over long time. Initial studies will focus on tracking a transcription factor that migrates from the endoplasmic reticulum to the nucleus to initiate a cellular stress response upon protein misfolding. These studies will provide spatiotemporal details of this important translocation, which takes more than one hour to occur and its observation at the single-molecule level is intractable with current super-resolution methods

Mots-clés : photoactivatable probes,single molecule localization microscopy,fluorescent sensors
Projet ERC : A-DIET (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : National University of Ireland — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NUI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1995548.0 €

In todays advanced technological world, we can track the exact movement of individuals, analyse their genetic makeup and predict predisposition to certain diseases. However, we are unable to accurately assess an individual’s dietary intake. This is without a doubt one of the main stumbling blocks in assessing the link between diet and disease/health. The present proposal (A-DIET) will address this issue with the overarching objective to develop novel strategies for assessment of dietary intake. Using approaches to (1) identify biomarkers of specific foods (2) classify people into dietary patterns (nutritypes) and (3) develop a tool for integration of dietary and biomarker data, A-DIET has the potential to dramatically enhance our ability to accurately assess dietary intake. The ultimate output from A-DIET will be a dietary assessment tool which can be used to obtain an accurate assessment of dietary intake by combining dietary and biomarker data which in turn will allow investigations into relationships between diet, health and disease. New biomarkers of specific foods will be identified and validated using intervention studies and metabolomic analyses. Methods will be developed to classify individuals into dietary patterns based on biomarker/metabolomic profiles thus demonstrating the novel concept of nutritypes. Strategies for integration of dietary and biomarker data will be developed and translated into a tool that will be made available to the wider scientific community. Advances made in A-DIET will enable nutrition epidemiologist’s to properly examine the relationship between diet and disease and develop clear public health messages with regard to diet and health. Additionally results from A-DIET will allow researchers to accurately assess people’s diet and implement health promotion strategies and enable dieticians in a clinical environment to assess compliance to therapeutic diets such as adherence to a high fibre diet or a gluten free diet.

Mots-clés : dietary biomarkers,nutritional metabolomics,human nutrition
Projet ERC : InOutBioLight (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : IMDEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

InOutBioLight aims to design multifunctional rubbers with enhanced mechanical, thermal, color-converting, and light-guiding features towards advanced biohybrid lighting and photovoltaic technologies. The latter are placed at the forefront of the EU efforts for low-cost production and efficient consumption of electricity, a critical issue for a sustainable development. In this context, the use of biomolecules as functional components in lighting and photovoltaic devices is still a challenge, as they quickly denature under storage and device operation conditions. This paradigm has changed using an innovative rubber-like material, in which the biofunctionality is long preserved. As a proof-of-concept, color down-converting rubbers based on fluorescent proteins were used to design the first biohybrid white light-emitting diode (bio-HWLED). To develop a new generation of biohybrid devices, InOutBioLight will address the following critical issues, namely i) the nature of the protein-matrix stabilization, ii) how to enhance the thermal/mechanical features, iii) how to design multifunctional rubbers, iv) how to mimic natural patterns for light-guiding, and v) how to expand the technological use of the rubber approach. To achieve these goals, InOutBioLight involves comprehensive spectroscopic, microscopic, and mechanical studies to investigate the protein-matrix interaction using new polymer matrices, additives, and protein-based nanoparticles. In addition, the mechanical, thermal, and light-coupling features will be enhanced using structural biocompounds and reproducing biomorphic patterns. As such, InOutBioLight offers three major advances: i) a thorough scientific basis for the rubber approach, ii) a significant thrust of the emerging bio-HWLEDs, and iii) innovative breakthroughs beyond state-of-the-art biohybrid solar cells.

Mots-clés : light emitting diodes,dye sensitized solar cells,biohybrid material