Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : NanoBubbles (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 749250.0 €

Science relies on the correction of errors to advance, yet in practice scientists find it difficult to erase erroneous and exaggerated claims from the scientific record. Recent discussion of a “replication crisis” has impaired trust in science both among scientists and non-scientists; yet we know little about how non-replicated or even fraudulent claims can be removed from the scientific record. This project combines approaches from the natural, engineering, and social sciences and the humanities (Science and Technology Studies) to understand how error correction in science works and what obstacles it faces, and stages events for scientists to reflect on error and overpromising. The project’s focus is nanobiology, a highly interdisciplinary field founded around the year 2000 that has already seen multiple episodes of overpromising and promotion of erroneous claims. We examine three such “bubbles”: the claim that nanoparticles can cross the blood-brain barrier; that nanoparticles can penetrate the cell membrane; and the promotion of the “protein corona” concept to describe ordinary adsorption of proteins on nanoparticles. Findings based on error (non)correction in nanobiology should be generalizable to other new, highly interdisciplinary fields such as synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. We trace claims and corrections in various channels of scientific communication (journals, social media, advertisements, conference programs, etc.) via innovative digital methods. We examine error (non)correction practices in scientific conferences via ethnographic participant-observation. We follow the history of conferences, journals, and other sites of error (non)correction from the 1970s (before nanobio per se existed) to the present. And we attempt to replicate nanobiological claims and, in case of non-replication, document obstacles to correcting those claims. Finally, we will spark a dialogue within the nanobiology community by organizing workshops and events at c

Mots-clés : conference studies,scientometrics,controversy studies,sociology of science,scientific publishing,cell imaging,blood brain barrier,endocytosis,text mining,post publication peer review
Projet ERC : ULTRA-FAST (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Lund University — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998792.0 €

Scientists have always been particularly intrigued by the extremes in nature and made significant efforts to study these; microscopes allow us to observe the smallest objects, while telescopes permit us to explore the largest objects and also those farthest away. The work proposed herein will provide new means and generate insights to phenomena occurring on the shortest timescales in nature. Past methods to probe ultrafast events – occurring on picosecond timescale or faster – have mostly relied on pump/probe scanning, yet these can only measure the dynamics of such processes if they are repetitive. Understanding all spatiotemporal aspects of ultrafast phenomena, however, requires experimental means to spatially, spectrally and temporally resolve them. Recently the PI invented a “coding” imaging concept called Frequency Recognition Algorithm for Multiple Exposures (FRAME) that can film at up to 5 trillion frames per second. To date, FRAME is the only videography method that can unify a femtosecond temporal resolution with spectroscopic compatibility, making it a powerful tool with high potential for new scientific discoveries. This project aims to (i) develop novel diagnostic tools based on FRAME and (ii) apply FRAME videography to study ultrafast events, whose temporal evolution could not be visualized in the past. Ultrafast science is a wide field, making the project highly interdisciplinary. For example, within photo-physics, systems will be developed to film plasmas and laser filaments. Diagnostics will be developed to image the lifetime of coherent states as well as fluorescence decays of two fluorophores in parallel, which holds potential within biology, physics and chemistry. A two-color FRAME setup will be developed to temporally track the creation and consumption of two species in a chemical reaction simultaneously. The ensemble of work-packages proposed herein constitutes a significant step forward in the research area of ultrafast imaging and videography.

Mots-clés : ultrafast imaging and videography
Projet ERC : SCORE (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : University of Geneva — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIGE
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Searching for life signatures on another planet is one of the key endeavours of astrophysics and today, we are in a unique position to make this possible. The TESS satellite, which just started observing, will find the first Earth-twins orbiting bright stars, which will allow follow-up studies with JWST and ELTs to characterize the atmosphere of those exoplanets. However, TESS will only measure the radius of the detected Earth-twins, which is not enough to interpret the spectroscopic features in their atmospheres. The mass is also required, and it can be obtained using the radial-velocity (RV) technique, which measures the gravitational influence of an exoplanet on its host star. To measure the mass of the Earth-twins that TESS will detect, the community have built incredible RV instruments that can reach a RV precision of 0.25 m/s (ESPRESSO commissioning). Such an extreme precision is required to measure the tiny signature of an Earth-twin, however, this is without considering the perturbing signals induced by its host star, by Earth’s atmosphere and by instrumental noise. Indeed, we know that these perturbing signals mask completely the signal induced by an Earth-twin, and now that the RV instruments have the sensitivity to detect such planets, it is urgent to develop novel methods for mitigating the different perturbing signals. Understanding the different perturbing signals is extremely challenging and require incredible data. The PI have built two telescopes that feed Sun-light into the best RV instruments. The obtained data are of exceptional quality, and the goal of SCORE is to analyse them, explore novel promising methods for mitigating the different perturbing signals and find the tiny signatures of Earth and Venus. This will open the way towards the mass-measurement of Earth-twins, which is essential in the quest for finding life elsewhere, but also to understand planetary formation and dynamics. SCORE will therefore benefit the entire planet community.

Mots-clés : stellar signals in radial velocity,telluric lines contamination in radial velocity,near infrared radial velocity,machine learning algorithms
Projet ERC : BOLD (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : University of the Basque Country — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UPV;EHU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2424212.0 €

Searching for neutrinoless double beta decays (NLDBD) is the only practical way to establish if the neutrinos are their own antiparticles, a discovery of enormous importance for particle physics and cosmology. Due to the smallness of neutrino masses, the lifetime of NLDBD is expected to be much longer than the ones from the noise associated with the natural radioactive chains. A positive identification of NLDBD decays requires finding a signal that cannot be mimicked by radioactive backgrounds. In particular, the NLDBD decay of Xe-136 could be established by detecting the doubly ionized daughter atom, Ba2+ created in the decay. Such a detection could be achieved via a sensor made of a monolayer of molecular indicators. The Ba2+ would be captured by one of the molecules in the sensor, and the presence of the single Ba2+-complexed indicator would be subsequently revealed by a fluorescent response after interrogation with a laser system. Our proposed sensor is based on a new type of molecular bicolor fluorescent indicators, able to shift their emission spectra when complexed with Ba2+. The interrogation and detection system will be based in fast, two photon absorption microscopy. The primary goals of this proposal are: 1, a full demonstration of the feasibility of a sensor capable of detecting single Ba2+ ions in a High Pressure Xenon Chamber (HPXe), and 2) the construction of a large HPXe demonstrator, the BOLD detector, which will implement a full Barium Tagging Detector System and will demonstrate the feasibility of building a background-free experiment at the ton-scale, with large discovery potential.

Mots-clés : neutrinoless double beta decay,supramolecular chemistry,barium tagging,lasers,ion beams,sensors,particle physics,instrumentation
Projet ERC : BOLD (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Asociacion de investigacion mpc - materials physics center — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 125000.0 €

Searching for neutrinoless double beta decays (NLDBD) is the only practical way to establish if the neutrinos are their own antiparticles, a discovery of enormous importance for particle physics and cosmology. Due to the smallness of neutrino masses, the lifetime of NLDBD is expected to be much longer than the ones from the noise associated with the natural radioactive chains. A positive identification of NLDBD decays requires finding a signal that cannot be mimicked by radioactive backgrounds. In particular, the NLDBD decay of Xe-136 could be established by detecting the doubly ionized daughter atom, Ba2+ created in the decay. Such a detection could be achieved via a sensor made of a monolayer of molecular indicators. The Ba2+ would be captured by one of the molecules in the sensor, and the presence of the single Ba2+-complexed indicator would be subsequently revealed by a fluorescent response after interrogation with a laser system. Our proposed sensor is based on a new type of molecular bicolor fluorescent indicators, able to shift their emission spectra when complexed with Ba2+. The interrogation and detection system will be based in fast, two photon absorption microscopy. The primary goals of this proposal are: 1, a full demonstration of the feasibility of a sensor capable of detecting single Ba2+ ions in a High Pressure Xenon Chamber (HPXe), and 2) the construction of a large HPXe demonstrator, the BOLD detector, which will implement a full Barium Tagging Detector System and will demonstrate the feasibility of building a background-free experiment at the ton-scale, with large discovery potential.

Mots-clés : neutrinoless double beta decay,supramolecular chemistry,barium tagging,lasers,ion beams,sensors,particle physics,instrumentation
Projet ERC : CSEM (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
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 : 1367500.0 €

Seismic tomography images of the Earth's interior are key to the characterisation of earthquakes, natural resource exploration, seismic risk assessment, tsunami warning, and studies of geodynamic processes. While tomography has drawn a fascinating picture of our planet, today's individual researchers can exploit only a fraction of the rapidly expanding seismic data volume. Applications relying on tomographic images lag behind their potential; fundamental questions remain unanswered: Do mantle plumes exist in the deep Earth? What are the properties of active faults, and how do they affect earthquake ground motion? To address these questions and to ensure continued progress of seismic tomography in the 'Big Data' era, I propose new technological developments that enable a paradigm shift in Earth model construction towards a Collaborative Seismic Earth Model (CSEM). Fully accounting for the physics of wave propagation in the complex 3D Earth, the CSEM is envisioned to evolve successively through a systematic group effort of my team, thus going beyond the tomographic models that individual researchers may construct today. I will develop the technological foundation of the CSEM and integrate these developments in studies of large-earthquake rupture processes and the convective pattern of the Earth's mantle in relation to surface geology. The CSEM project will bridge the gap between regional and global tomography, and deliver the first multiscale model of the Earth where crust and mantle are jointly resolved. The CSEM will lead to a dramatic increase in the exploitable seismic data volume, and set new standards for the construction and reproducibility of tomographic Earth models. Beyond this project, the CSEM will be openly accessible through the European Plate Observing System (EPOS). It will then offer Earth scientists the unique opportunity to join forces in the discovery of multiscale Earth structure by systematically building on each other's results.

Mots-clés : seismic tomography,computational seismology,full waveform inversion,theoretical seismology,wave propagation,inverse theory
Projet ERC : ASCIR (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : University of Stuttgart — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 212014.76 €

Self-propelling, i.e., active colloidal particles constitute a novel class of non-equilibrium systems which exhibit structural and dynamical features similar to those in assemblies of bacteria or other motile organisms. Due to their reduced complexity, they provide an intriguing chance to understand the formation of dynamical structures in non-equilibrium systems in unprecedented detail. A central question in this rapidly growing field is, how interaction-rules determine the creation of e.g. swarms or complex networks. In addition to ordinary inter particle and hydrodynamic forces, interaction-rules can be much more complex. For example, they can regulate the particle motility depending on their relative orientation, their local density or otherwise distinct particle configurations. Here, we propose an experimental approach which aims towards controlling the amplitude and direction of the particle’s motility in dense active suspensions on a single particle level. Particle-propulsion is achieved by a light-activated diffusiophoretic mechanism, where the particle motility is controlled by an incident light field. By means of an acoustic-optical modulator and a feed-back loop, we create dynamical and spatially-resolved light fields which depend on the current configuration of active particles and user-defined interaction rules. Because these rules are imposed externally and not by internal forces, this permits the experimental realization of a wide range of rules (linear, non-linear, and even non-reciprocal) in dense, two-dimensional active systems. We expect, that the experimental realization of user-defined interaction-rules largely extends our understanding how active matter can organize in dynamical structures. In addition, the perspective of enhanced control of active particles, as suggested within this proposal, will be of considerable importance for their use as autonomous micro robots which will deliver payloads in liquid environments.
Projet ERC : REPLICOLL (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Fraunhofer Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FHG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1907325.0 €

Self-replication is the preeminent property of living systems and natural materials. Nature builds and repairs by self-replication. Purely synthetic materials so far lack this important ability. An indispensable prerequisite is the multi-directional control of interactions between the building blocks of materials. In order to generate colloidal building blocks, which are able to self-replicate in a non-biological two-step process, i.e. without the use of DNA, we propose to create a new class of patchy colloidal particles bearing three patches of two different chemical functionalities. The new production process will yield precise control over the patch location and chemistry and thus also gives particles that go well beyond known ABA- or ABC-type Janus particles. For synthesis and replication of colloidal superstructures (e.g. particle strands), the colloids will carry two patches that allow irreversible crosslinking of the self-assembled master-strand and one patch that serves for the recognition and reversible attachment of the single particles along the colloidal chain for the replication process. Thus, in analogy to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for DNA replication, single tri-valent colloids will reversibly attach to the colloidal master strand, followed by inter-particle crosslinking of the newly formed strand, which then is detached form the master by opening the bonds between the strands. The released chain copy will then serve as template for further replication processes in which the number of copies will double after each cycle. With this approach we aim to establish a technology platform for the production of sufficient quantities of simple and complex colloidal assemblies, where a well-defined or complex master-structure can only be produced and isolated in small amounts due to a difficult and tedious synthetic procedure.

Mots-clés : patchy particles,colloidal self assembly,particle functionalisation,directed self assembly
Projet ERC : TOLERANCE FOOTPRINT (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LMU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2414500.0 €

Self-tolerance is a key feature of the immune system; its failure causes autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis or Type-1-Diabetes. Remarkably, T cell tolerance operates via two fundamentally different mechanisms: potentially dangerous cells are either eliminated (clonal deletion) or re-programmed to differentiate into regulatory T (Treg) cells (clonal diversion). Paradoxically, both tolerance modes can ensue from self-antigen-encounter in the thymus, and the parameters specifying these opposing cell-fates remain poorly understood. Moreover, the relative contribution of clonal deletion versus clonal diversion to tolerance at the level of diverse immune cell repertoires has not been determined. In particular, the paucity of antigen-specific cells is a major experimental obstacle to unravelling to what extent cells with shared autoreactive specificity, yet different T cell receptors (TCRs), are subject to either mode of tolerance. Breakthroughs in visualizing minute cohorts of antigen-specific cells, characterizing the TCRs on individual cells and large-scale TCR sequencing now provide a unique opportunity to tackle these challenging questions. Based upon my expertise in thymus biology and T cell selection, I will exploit these technological advances to reveal where and how tolerance either generates ‘holes’ in the repertoire or diverts cells into a ‘benign’ sub-repertoire. The main objectives are (i) to identify and classify deleted or diverted TCR-entities through comparing ‘uncensored’ and ‘censored’ repertoires in the absence or presence of a disease-relevant autoantigen and (ii) to identify TCR intrinsic features as well as T cell extrinsic determinants that specify clonal deletion versus clonal diversion. The proposed research elucidates a fundamental aspect of vertebrate immunology, but also has major implications regarding the therapeutic promise of harnessing endogenous, antigen-specific Treg cells in autoimmunity.

Mots-clés : t cell tolerance,t cell repertoire,thymus,clonal deletion,regulatory t cell
Projet ERC : EvolutioNeuroCircuit (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : The Francis Crick Institute — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1312500.0 €

Sensory systems encode the world around us to produce context-dependent appropriate behaviours. However, we know little about the way new sensory evoked behaviours arise as neural circuits are re-shaped during evolution. Tackling this question requires a deep understanding of the circuits underlying specific behaviours and integration of this knowledge with tools from other fields, including evolutionary and developmental biology. Recent technological advancements on neural circuit interrogation and genome editing have put progress on this fundamental biological question within reach. The olfactory system of the larval stage of the fly Drosophila melanogaster and related species is an ideal model for investigating these questions because (i) D. melanogaster has pioneered both the fields of population genetics and neurogenetics and (ii) its olfactory system is one of the best-characterised neural circuits. We will address the question of how olfactory circuits evolve by studying four species with divergent odour-guided behaviours through the following multidisciplinary aims: 1. Which olfactory pathways are targeted in the evolution of ecological specialisation? – Combining high-throughput behavioural assays, optogenetics and calcium imaging in the larva of all four species we will determine whether/which olfactory pathways have switched valences or sensitivity. 2. How have central neural circuits diverged? – We will address this question at unprecedented resolution through whole-brain calcium imaging and serial electron microscopy reconstruction. 3. What are the molecular and genetic bases of neural circuits rewiring during evolution? – Using transcriptomic profiling we will identify differentially expressed genes in conserved and divergent circuits across species, and functionally probe selected candidates to establish causality. 4. How do evolutionary forces shape olfactory circuits? – We will investigate this question using field studies and population genetics

Mots-clés : sensory biology,neuroscience,evolution,neural circuits,drosophila,olfaction,genetics,genome editing