Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : StemCellHabitat (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : Instituto de Biologia Experimental Tecnológica — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 679635.0 €

Stem cell (SC) proliferation during development requires tight spatial and temporal regulation to ensure correct cell number and right cell types are formed at the proper positions. Currently very little is known about how SCs are regulated during development. Specifically, it is unclear how SC waves of proliferation are regulated and how the fate of their progeny changes during development. In addition, it has recently become evident that metabolism provides additional complexity in cell fate regulation, highlighting the need for integrating metabolic information across physiological levels. This project will answer the question of how the combination of metabolic state and temporal cues (animal developmental stage) regulate SC fate. I will use Drosophila melanogaster, an animal complex enough to be similar to higher eukaryotes and yet simple enough to dissect the mechanistic details of cell regulation and its impact on the organism. Drosophila neural stem cells, the neuroblasts (NB), are a fantastic model of temporally and metabolically regulated cells. NB lineage fate changes with time, directing the generation of a stereotypical set of neurons, after which they disappear. I have previously found that metabolism is an important regulator of NB cell cycle exit, which occurs in response to an increase in levels of oxidative phosphorylation. Using a multidisciplinary approach combining genetics, cell type/age sorting, multi-omics analysis, fixed and 3D-live NB imaging and metabolite dynamics, I propose an integrative approach to investigate how NBs are regulated in the developing animal. First I will dissect the mechanisms by which metabolism regulates NB fate. Second, I will investigate how metabolism contributes to NB unlimited proliferation and brain tumors. Finally, we will address how temporal transcription factors and hormones dynamically affect cell fate decisions during development.

Mots-clés : brain development,neural stem cells,drosophila melanogaster,energy metabolism,epigenetics,cell proliferation,differentiation and cancer
Projet ERC : SAVEBRAIN (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Mucke hermann — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Herman mucke pharma consultancy eu
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 19999.96 €

Stroke represents currently one of the largest – if not the largest - unmet medical need: It is the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. In contrast to this high demand for effective treatments, there is only one drug available, a blood-clot dissolving agent. However, this drug is marginally effective has over 30 contra-indications, and bears an extremely high risk of causing fatal bleeding that 85% of all stroke patients are not treated with it. The needed innovation would be a drug which is broadly applicable, i.e. has no contraindication, can be given in all forms of stroke and already in the ambulance, is safe, i.e. bears no risk to cause secondary bleeding, is effective, i.e. reduces the brain infarct, increases survival and improves neurological outcomes for patients, has a different mechanism of action, i.e. is directly neuroprotective. Our therapeutic principle, discovered in the course of the ERC-ADG RadMed fulfils all above criteria and is also commercially an innovative approach because we reduce the risk by developing only a single compound by here combining three compounds that target the same disease mechanism but at different points. We thereby expect to dramatically reduce the likelihood risk of failure in our post-proof of concept (PoC) clinical development and commercialisation process. We here propose to conduct the final step, the PoC, before a first-in-man study in stroke. Our PoC plan has three major objectives: To complete an IPR FTPO and Foreground analysis, to chose the optimal compounds and complete phase III pre-clinical to provide PoC for a first-in-man trial in stroke, to then allow the work-out of a complete business plan including competitive analysis, development strategy, and commercial/business development strategy.

Mots-clés : drug development,spin off company,out licencing
Projet ERC : PNICTEYES (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Autonomous University of Madrid — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UAM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1704375.0 €

Strong electronic correlations often produce intertwined phases where multiple length scales coexist. These produce spatially varying electronic properties containing unique insight on the many-body effects that determine the emergence of novel collective behavior. Addressing the problem of electron correlations requires powerful microscopes probing electronic properties down to atomic scale. A major challenge in electron correlated materials is to understand the emergence of high critical temperature (HTc) superconductivity. Fe-based superconductivity offers ultra-pure materials easily tunable through relevant phases emerging from electron correlations (antiferromagnetism, nematicity and superconductivity), providing a tremendous opportunity to unveil the microscopic pairing mechanism behind HTc superconductivity. High magnetic fields are needed to disentangle the electronic correlations, because they enable comparison between normal and superconducting phases and unveil quantum critical behavior and vortex physics. Traditional research under very high magnetic fields uses macroscopic measurements of the spatially averaged magnetic and electronic properties. The goal of PNICTEYES project is to combine very high magnetic fields with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to visualize spatial electronic heterogeneity in Fe-based superconductors. The microscopes developed within this project will operate up to 22 T using superconducting coils in-house and above 30 T using resistive and hybrid magnets at international high magnetic field facilities. Implementing novel spectroscopic methods, such as Landau level spectroscopy, we will disentangle the electronic correlations behind the microscopic mechanism of HTc superconductivity in Fe-based superconductors. The success of this project will provide new insights in fundamentals of HTc superconductivity and first enable ultra-high magnetic field STM opening innovative opportunities in other fields as graphene or magnetism.

Mots-clés : high critical temperature superconductivity,very high magnetic field,scanning tunneling microscopy,very low temperatures,strongly correlated electron materials
Projet ERC : ATTO-GRAM (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Weizmann Institute of Science — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

Strong-field-driven electric currents in condensed-matter systems open new frontiers in manipulating electronic and optical properties on petahertz frequency scales. In this regime, new challenges arise as the role of the band structure and the quantum nature of ultrafast electron-hole dynamics have yet to be resolved. While petahertz spectroscopy and control of condensed-matter systems holds great potential, revealing the underlying attosecond (1 attosecond – 10(-18) second) dynamics of electrons in solids is still in its infancy. The proposed research aims at the development of a state-of-the-art attosecond metrology scheme that integrates the concept of holography with attosecond gating. Attosecond-gated holography will provide direct insight into the instantaneous evolution of the complex quantum wavefunctions in solid-state systems. This scheme will enable us to follow the electron-hole wavepacket evolution during ultrafast band structure deformation, probing a range of fundamental processes – from sub-cycle phase transitions to ultrafast dynamics in correlated systems. In ATTO-GRAM, we will establish attosecond-gated holography and then apply it to study field-induced transient band structures, resolve electron-hole dynamics during lattice deformation and reveal attosecond phenomena in strongly correlated systems. Integrating state-of-the-art experimental schemes, supported by advanced theoretical analysis, will lead to the discoveries of new phenomena previously deemed inaccessible. The impact of the proposed research reaches beyond attosecond metrology – opening new routes in the establishment of compact solid-state extreme ultraviolet sources, petahertz electronics and optically induced metamaterials.

Mots-clés : attosecond,petahertz,holography
Projet ERC : RARE (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Austrian Academy of Sciences — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : OAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 992368.0 €

Strongly magnetic rare-earth atoms are fantastic species to study few- and many-body dipolar quantum physics with ultracold gases. Their appeal leans on their spectacular properties (many stable isotopes, large dipole moment, unconventional interactions, and a rich atomic spectrum). In 2012 my group created the first Bose-Einstein condensate of erbium and shortly thereafter the first degenerate Fermi gas. My pioneering studies, together with the result on dysprosium by the Lev´s group, have triggered an intense research activity in our community on these exotic species. The RARE project aims at converting complexity into opportunity by exploiting the newly emerged opportunity provided by magnetic rare-earth atoms to access fascinating, yet rather unexplored, quantum regimes. It roots into two innate properties of magnetic lanthanides, namely their large and permanent magnetic dipole moment, and their many valence electrons. With these properties in mind, my proposal targets to obtain groundbreaking insights into dipolar quantum physics and multi-electron ultracold Rydberg gasses: 1) Realization of the first dipolar quantum mixtures, by combining Er and Dy. With this powerful system, we aim to study exotic states of matter under the influence of the strong anisotropic and long-range dipole-dipole interaction, such as anisotropic Cooper pairing and superfluidity, and weakly-bound polar ErDy molecules. 2) Study of non-polarized dipoles at zero and ultra-weak polarizing (magnetic) fields, where the atomic dipole are free to orient. In this special setting, we plan to demonstrate new quantum phases, such as spin-orbit coupled, spinor, and nematic phases. 3) Creation of multi-electron ultracold Rydberg gases, in which the Rydberg and core electrons can be separately controlled and manipulated. This innovative project goes far beyond the state of the art and promises to capture truly new scientific horizons of quantum physics with ultracold atoms. for later
Projet ERC : EYESPOT (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : Biopolis (Spain) — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998165.0 €

Structural colouration is widespread in nature and generates some of the most stunning visual effects known (e.g. eyespots in a peacock tail). In bird feathers, structural colours are produced by the combination of pigments and precise arrangements of nanostructures that interact both chemically and physically. Currently, almost all published studies on structural colour have focused on the optical and physical aspects of this phenomenon, while the underlying molecular mechanisms remain almost totally unexplored. This proposal seeks to decipher the genetic and cellular basis of structural colours by: 1) exploiting the extraordinary diversity of peacock colour mutants that have emerged from captive breeding, and 2) investigating wild bird species that exhibit structural colouration. My proposal is divided across four multidisciplinary aims that integrate techniques and expertise in the fields of genetics and genomics, cell and molecular biology, and photonics. Aim 1 will elucidate the nanoarchitectural basis of aberrant feather colouration in multiple Mendelian peacock mutants by combining microscopy, spectrophotometry, and chemical analysis of pigment content. Aim 2 will theoretically and experimentally model how abnormalities in the architecture of the photonic lattice result in aberrant light-scattering in these mutants. Aim 3 will combine genetic mapping together with molecular and functional genomic tools for experimental validation and identification of genes controlling the peacock colour phenotypes. Aim 4 will refine our understanding of the evolution of this trait in nature by combining transcriptomic and epigenomic data generated from wild bird species with comparative genomics across the entire avian phylogeny using publicly available genomes. Overall, these studies will significantly expand our understanding of the mechanics and molecular changes underlying a spectacular trait that constitutes a major component of bird phenotypic diversity.

Mots-clés : biology of colouration,genetic mapping,sexual selection,iridescence,molecular biology,transcriptomics,photonics
Projet ERC : DISTRUCT (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : Technische Universität Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1826773.0 €

Structural graph theory has proved to be a powerful tool for coping with computational intractability. It provides a wealth of concepts and results that can be used to design efficient algorithms for hard computational problems on specific classes of graphs that occur naturally in applications. In many applications in computer science, the natural mathematical model are directed graphs. Unfortunately, research in structural graph theory has so far almost exclusively focussed on undirected graphs and no structure theory for directed graphs comparable to the tree-width and graph minors based approach for undirected graphs has been developed that would provide for a similar set of tools and concepts to deal with computational problems on directed graphs. The objective of this proposal is to develop such a structure theory aimed specifically at algorithmic applications on directed graphs. The novelty of our approach is that a) it is based on directed minors which allows us to avoid the algorithmic problems faced by existing digraph width measures and has not been studied before in this context and b) it facilitates our recent proof of the excluded directed grid theorem which is likely to allow entirely new algorithmic techniques for directed graphs. The focus of the project is on the development of the structural foundations and algorithmic techniques for designing efficient algorithms for a wide range of algorithmic digraph problems. In particular, we will use an approach based on logical definability for developing such algorithmic techniques. Furthermore, we will apply our methods to two specific application areas, model-checking in computer-aided verification and inference problems in Bayesian networks.

Mots-clés : algorithmic graph structure theory,computational logic,complexity theory
Projet ERC : LoCoMacro (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499716.0 €

Studies of many-body quantum systems in the last century have been mainly focussed on equilibrium properties; the systems of interest were typically coupled to an environment, which brings about relaxation after short times. The situation changed with the advent of experiments on clouds of ultra-cold, trapped atoms. These are by design almost isolated, and allow for investigations into nonequilibrium dynamics before the onset of dissipative processes. The characterization of such dynamics is now a main frontier of theoretical physics. One of the most exciting phenomena observed was the emergence of a new kind of relaxation, not caused by dissipation. The system acts as its own bath and at late times it is as if the state were prepared at a different temperature, or, especially in low-dimensional systems, in some exotic state of matter. Recently, some progress has been made in extending this picture to inhomogeneous systems. In particular, an exceptional phenomenon was pointed out: a localized perturbation can have global effects on the stationary properties of the observables. LoCoMacro is born of this observation and has the ultimate aim of finding novel ways to control the macroscopic properties of a nonequilibrium state by acting on a small part of the system. We address the fundamental questions of relaxation and emergence of nonequilibrium steady states in the presence of inhomogeneities; we study the effects of localized perturbations on the key elements of the dynamics, as the conservation laws. In integrable models we use the most advanced analytic techniques to obtain exact results, e.g., for correlation functions and entanglement measures. More generally, we rely on state-of-the-art numerical simulations. For the defining characteristics of the models studied, LoCoMacro creates a bridge between two fascinating topics: thermalization in homogeneous systems and many-body localization in disordered ones.

Mots-clés : nonequilibrium dynamics,quantum many body systems,integrable models,impurities,conservation laws,thermalization
Projet ERC : Immune Regulation (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
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 : 1499755.0 €

Studying host-pathogen interactions by focusing on the interaction of a single pathogen with the host has defined our understanding of these events and the insights gained form the basis for the therapeutic and vaccination strategies we use today. However, people become infected with multiple pathogens throughout their lifetime, at times even simultaneously. Still, it is largely unknown how the immune response to one pathogen alters the body’s ability to respond to a second infectious agent or the susceptibility to autoimmunity or cancer. This project will address this question by focusing on infection-induced changes in regulatory T cells (Tregs) as they may lead to biased suppression and changes in the nature of subsequent immune responses. Our efforts will focus on two areas: In a first part, we will use single cell RNA-Seq to address how infections shape the Treg compartment by defining the specialized Treg subsets generated during polarized infectious settings and analyzing how they interact with effector T cells. Based on the depth of information we expect to obtain from this approach, we envisage finding thus far unappreciated interactions and functions of Tregs in the course of an immune response. The second part will investigate how an altered Treg compartment, either through genetic modifications or infection-induced, affects disease susceptibility. In this context, we will also address stability and persistence of pathogen-induced changes in the Treg compartment. Collectively the proposed experiments will allow us to start addressing how preceding infections affect disease susceptibility. Deciphering how infection history shapes the Treg compartment and how this affects susceptibility to future challenges will lay the groundwork for addressing this question more broadly in the future and as such will likely have a transformative impact on the field.

Mots-clés : regulatory t cells,host pathogen interaction,immune regulation
Projet ERC : EU-rhythmy (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Avantea — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 380000.0 €

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of death in western countries: coronary artery disease is the major cause of SCD in older subjects while inherited arrhythmogenic diseases are the leading cause of SCD in younger individuals. After 25 years dedicated to research of the molecular bases of heritable arrhythmias, the PI of this proposal now intends to pioneer gene therapy for prevention of SCD: a virtually unexplored field. The development of molecular therapies for rhythm disturbances is a high risk effort however, if successful, it will be highly rewarding. The PI has envisioned an ambitious and comprehensive project to target two severe inherited arrhythmogenic diseases: dominant catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) and Long QT syndrome type 8 (LQT8). The availability of a clinically relevant model is critical to ensure clinical translation of results: the team will exploit an existing CPVT model and will engineer a knock-in pig to model LQT8. The PI and her team will investigate innovative strategies of gene-delivery, gene-silencing and gene-editing to the heart comparing efficacy of different constructs and promoters. The team will also carefully engineer novel gene-therapy approaches to avoid the development of regional inhomogeneity in protein expression that may facilitate proarrhythmic events. Such a comprehensive approach will provide a most valuable core of knowledge on the comparative efficacy of a broad range of molecular strategies on the electrical milieu of the heart. It is expected that these results will not only benefit CPVT and LQT8 but rather they will foster development of gene therapy for other inherited and acquired arrhythmias.

Mots-clés : arrhythmias,sudden cardiac death,inherited diseases,genetics,electrophysiology