Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : IAXOplus (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Universidad de Zaragoza — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIZAR
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 3106875.0 €

The nature of the Dark Universe is an outstanding question in modern science, and is connected with our understanding of the reality at the most fundamental level. Despite the enormous success of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics, a number of shortcomings of the theory and the fact that it does not account for the Dark Matter and Energy, prompt theorists to propose possible hypothetical extensions. Some of these extensions predict the existence of very-light and very-weakly-coupled axions (or axion-like particles, ALPs). Recent theoretical and phenomenological work is sharpening the physics case of these particles. They are now considered as very motivated portals for physics beyond the SM, and in particular as very plausible Dark Matter candidates. In addition, some intriguing astrophysical observations might be interpreted as hints for their existence. The International Axion Observatory IAXO is one of the most ambitious proposals to find the axion. Its baseline configuration relies on the search for solar axions, but could also host relic axion detectors. IAXO will go well beyond current experiments' sensitivity and will probe a large fraction of the -still unexplored- parameter space of the axion and ALPs. The scope of the present proposal encompasses the realization of a first complete intermediate experimental stage, BabyIAXO, including prototypes of the IAXO magnet and detection systems. It will already provide relevant physics outcome in the time-frame of the current grant, while preparing the ground for, and extending the physics reach of, the full IAXO. In particular, BabyIAXO will already be able to test a number of axion and ALP models that are invoked by the aforementioned astrophysical hints and therefore already at this stage there is potential for discovery. The detection of a new fundamental pseudoscalar -potentially solving the DM problem- would lead to a breakthrough in Particle Physics, Cosmology and Astrophysics.

Mots-clés : axions,dark matter,axion helioscope,axion like particle,superconducting magnet,x ray optics,low background techniques
Projet ERC : QuantumBirds (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 4336025.0 €

The navigational and sensory abilities of night-migratory songbirds, travelling alone over thousands of kilometres, are absolutely staggering. The successful completion of these magnificent voyages depends crucially on the birds’ ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Exactly how this magnetic sense works is one of the most significant open questions in biology and biophysics. The experimental evidence suggests something extraordinary. The birds’ magnetic compass sensor seems to rely on coherent quantum phenomena that indirectly allow magnetic interactions a million times smaller than kBT (Boltzmann’s constant multiplied by temperature) to be detected in biological tissue. QuantumBirds brings together quantum physics, spin chemistry, behavioural biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology in a unique, ambitious, imaginative and genuinely synergetic research programme that will prove whether the primary magnetic detection event occurring in the birds’ retinas involves the quantum spin dynamics of photochemically formed radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins. We will address three specific questions: 1. Are avian cryptochromes capable of functioning as magnetic compass receptors? 2. Do retinal neurons encode light-dependent, cryptochrome-derived magnetic information? 3. Are cryptochromes the primary magnetoreceptor molecules for magnetic compass orientation? Success in this endeavour will: (a) revolutionise our understanding of magnetoreception, the least understood of all biological senses; (b) firmly establish the emerging field of “Quantum Biology” and thereby reduce by six orders of magnitude the threshold for sensory detection of weak stimuli in biological systems; (c) prepare the ground for the development of a novel and powerful range of bio-inspired magnetic sensing devices; and (d) provide insights that could be applied in quantum computing and guide research into the potential effects of weak anthropogenic electromagnetic fields on human health.

Mots-clés : magnetoreception,quantum biology,spin chemistry,cryptochrome,migratory birds,spin dynamics,radical pairs,electrophysiology,quantum coherence,magnetic compass,bird navigation
Projet ERC : HiSCORE (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : École normale supérieure PSL — Pays : France — Rôle : CO-PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ENS PSL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 3253750.0 €

The need for drug screening with increasingly higher throughput is dictated both by the increasing number of drug targets made available through genomics and the increasing number of chemical molecules generated through combinatorial chemistry. Merely Boolean high-throughput screening techniques today can scan large compound libraries, but the ever increasing throughput has not translated into a significant increase in late-phase drug candidates. HiSCORE presents a synergistic approach to high-throughput, high-information drug screening that builds on the complementary skills of four laboratories supported by two external experts of drug screening: (i) Research and build innovative magnetic resonance instrumentation (Kentgens, IMM/RU) that can provide small, hyperpolarized solid samples on a seconds timescale, transfer and dissolve or liquefy these samples with minimum dilution, and acquire multiple high-resolution NMR spectra of the liquefied samples in parallel (Meier, IBG/KIT), using complementary contrast-enhancement methods, in up to 1000 massively parallelized microfluidic detectors (Korvink, IMT/KIT). (ii) Use this instrumentation for binding assays and measure the dissociation constants in the nano to micromolar range, and determine kinetic rates of the association and dissociation for a large number of complexes of putative drug compounds and protein targets (Bodenhausen, ENS) (iii) Use this instrumentation for functional assays, in particular for systems that comprise multiple enzyme steps with intermediate products, and to determine the efficacy of potential inhibitors, while fully exploiting the rich information that can be obtained by fluorine-19 NMR. (iv) Use this instrumentation for metabonomic assays to observe the metabolism of the compounds in cultures of living cells in view of identifying potentially toxic side-products. The contrast between compounds that bind to targets and those that fail to bind will be boosted by exploiting long-lived states

Mots-clés : dissociation constants,kinetic rates,enzyme inhibition,high throughput screening,microfluidics,supercritical co2,parallel detection,dynamic nuclear polarization,para hydrogen
Projet ERC : SCATTERERID (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Institut polytechnique de Grenoble — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Grenoble INP
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1997656.25 €

The need for information identification and capture is a matter of prime importance in modern societies. Every sectors of society rely on the identification of data exchanged, the updating of the data recorded on a tag and the measurement of physical parameters. The ability to make objects interact with one another or with humans is an important factor in many applications, all the more so if this interaction can occur without human presence. The way to reduce power consumption, improve the communication quality-of-service and enhance connectivity has become key issues for lots of industries. Researchers need to consider the multiple factors simultaneously to design state-of-the-art RF devices for the next generation of identification services. One important direction is to develop low-power, low cost tags for wireless identification and sensing. Lots of improvements have been done today on communication systems based on electronic devices where an integrated circuit is at the heart of the whole system. The democratisation of these chipped based systems like the RFID one will give rise to environmental issues in the future. However, these improvements pave the way for the development of new concepts based on approaches where the presence of the chip is not mandatory. These approaches are based on radar or reflectometry principles; these are non-invasive techniques but they require specific theoretical and practical developments. The difficulty is to be able to retrieve a small signal coming from a totally passive label placed in an unknown and movable environment. The objective of this project is to introduce the paradigm of RF communication system based on chipless labels, i.e. tags without any chip, bringing an ID, able to communicate with radio waves and having extremely low costs. This project aims at showing that it is possible to associate the paper based chipless label ID with other features like the ability to write and rewrite the ID, or a sensor function.

Mots-clés : radar,backscatter wave,wireless communication,chipless label,rfid,cbram,rf switch,wireless sensor
Projet ERC : Mitomorphosis (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
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 : 1375000.0 €

The need for mitochondria in the body is ubiquitous yet the shapes these organelles take vary widely across tissues and change rapidly in response to nutrient availability. How and why this occurs is not well understood. Therefore, we propose an interdisciplinary research program that will investigate the molecular basis and metabolic regulation of mitochondrial morphology. Mitochondrial morphology is defined by opposing events of fission and fusion, which must be tightly controlled. We discovered that accelerated mitochondrial fission impairs cardiac metabolism and causes heart failure in mice, revealing an intriguing link between mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism. Seeking to understand how metabolic signals drive mitochondrial fission, we will characterize the inner membrane protein MTP18, whose fission activity is controlled by the PI3K nutrient-signalling pathway. First, we will define the interactome of MTP18 to discover the molecular components of the inner membrane fission machinery. Second, we will investigate the how mitochondrial fission is regulated by PI3K nutrient-signalling pathway the heart, liver, and kidney. We will determine whether cardiac dysfunction, liver cancer, and kidney failure caused by over-active PI3K signalling in the mouse can be rescued by blunting the downstream activity of MTP18 and re-balancing mitochondrial dynamics. Third, we will determine the disease relevance of mitochondrial fission in humans. For the first time, mitochondrial morphology from patient-derived cells will be evaluated in automated, high content screens to identify human mutations that drive imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics in a truly unbiased manner. Genome-wide RNAi screens in these cells will reveal novel modulators of mitochondrial dynamics. Taken together, this work aims to understand the metabolic pathways that control mitochondrial morphology and to develop a new technology to identify yet unknown modulators of mitochondrial dynamics.

Mots-clés : mitochondrial dynamics,metabolism
Projet ERC : DYANS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The need to know the precise location of individuals has become ubiquitous. Systems currently used for tracking humans and animals depend on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS eg GPS, Galileo) developed for aircraft, cars and boats, and do not provide reliable position information in conditions where GNSS is inaccurate or unavailable. For our research into locomotion of free-ranging animals, we developed a dynamically-augmented sensor system of higher integrity than GNSS alone. Currently, where GNSS is inaccurate or unavailable, most users have no alternative electronic means of navigation. Our system delivers this functionality, with the added benefits of low cost, low power requirements and small size. We propose to transform our research system into a prototype product ready for a commercial partner to take to market. It will fill the gap in the market between highly accurate but heavy and expensive navigation systems, and consumer level systems that give poor accuracy, especially in challenging GNSS conditions. Our system combines information about speed and heading during legged locomotion from accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers and uses it to independently calculate track (position/time) to improve accuracy and continuity. Where GNSS is available, our system assesses the quality of GNSS fixes and uses only reliable information to augment the localisation solution. The performance of the research system and novelty of the approach have been demonstrated through five publications in Nature. The system can be interfaced with other technologies (eg physiological or environmental monitoring systems) and can communicate real-time position data locally or via wireless communications technology to a central control position or server. Our dynamically augmented navigation system DYANS will have application for personal safety, military and sport, in industrial sites for personnel tracking, wildlife research and pet tracking.

Mots-clés : navigation,localisation,sensors,gnss,sensor fusion,accelerometry,mems
Projet ERC : PROGSY (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Karolinska Institutet — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1950033.0 €

The next breakthrough in the treatment of synucleinopathies, incl Parkinson´s disease (PD), will be aimed at interference of disease progression based on insights into the underlying pathogenic process. The pathological hallmark of PD are Lewy bodies (LBs), in which α-synuclein is the major constituent together with other PD-linked gene products (DJ-1, LRRK2, parkin, and GBA) and aggregated GPR37. GPR37 is exceptional among GPCRs having a high propensity for intracellular receptor accumulation and aggregation leading to neurotoxicity. However, unexpectedly, our results suggest that GPR37 is neuroprotective in dopaminergic when located at the plasma membrane. Consistently, prosaposin (PSAP), and its neurotrophic fragment prosaptide, were recently identified as agonists at GPR37. PSAP is a neuroprotective protein that regulates intracellular lysosomal enzyme function, with saposin C being a co-factor of GBA. In addition, we hypothesize that PSAP is secreted following cellular stress and, via membraneous GPR37, cue dopamine neurons to initiate survival pathways. Pivotal to this programme is modeling and analysis of the atomic structures of GPR37 in complex with prosaptide, which will grossly facilitate mechanistic understanding and drug development with potential use in diagnosis and treatment. Novel applications and technological advancements of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy will be implemented for single molecule trafficking of GPR37 and its ligands and will examine whether GPCR multimerization beyond dimer formation may be neurotoxic. Normal and cGPR37KO mice will be virally transduced by α-synuclein to delineate in the relative contributions of improved lysosomal function versus GPR37 agonism for neuroprotection by prosaptides. Evolving from the autopsy studies that anti–GPR37 label LBs and that prosaposin is released upon cellular injury, we will develop GPR37 ligands as PET tracers for LBs in synucleinopathies.

Mots-clés : gpcr
Projet ERC : BREAST4D (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RUNMC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2308393.0 €

The next major step forward in the fight against breast cancer will be the introduction of personalized treatment. Such a precision medicine approach would maximize the rate of complete response, minimize ineffective therapy and morbidity, and eliminate the need for localized breast cancer surgery. To achieve this, I will create a novel functional imaging modality, 4D dynamic contrast enhanced dedicated breast computed tomography (4D DCE-BCT), capable of characterizing every different genomic, molecular, and physiologic region present in a breast tumor. 4D DCE-BCT will involve putting together the hardware necessary for the continuous acquisition of x-ray breast projections with advanced techniques, for a period of minutes. Combined with new image reconstruction, correction, and processing algorithms, these acquisitions will result in quantitatively accurate 4D images of breast perfusion, with voxels thousands of times smaller, and a temporal resolution 27x and a limiting spatial resolution 6x higher than those in current imaging modalities. Radiomics-based analysis of these images will allow me to fully identify and characterize the tumor heterogeneity, known to result in regions with different therapy resistance. Complete characterization of the tumor will allow for optimal neoadjuvant treatment planning, maximizing the probability of achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) and minimizing the risk of recurrence. Due to its relative affordability and safety, the use of 4D DCE-BCT for treatment response monitoring throughout treatment will be possible, making treatment adjustments possible, if needed. Finally, I envision that 4D DCE-BCT will be able to predict and determine that pCR is achieved, making surgery to excise any remnant viable tumor cells unnecessary. The next era in breast cancer treatment is patient-specific care. The advanced imaging developed and introduced in this project will usher in this new era.

Mots-clés : breast cancer,computed tomography,x rays
Projet ERC : BREAST4D (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Radboud University Nijmegen — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

The next major step forward in the fight against breast cancer will be the introduction of personalized treatment. Such a precision medicine approach would maximize the rate of complete response, minimize ineffective therapy and morbidity, and eliminate the need for localized breast cancer surgery. To achieve this, I will create a novel functional imaging modality, 4D dynamic contrast enhanced dedicated breast computed tomography (4D DCE-BCT), capable of characterizing every different genomic, molecular, and physiologic region present in a breast tumor. 4D DCE-BCT will involve putting together the hardware necessary for the continuous acquisition of x-ray breast projections with advanced techniques, for a period of minutes. Combined with new image reconstruction, correction, and processing algorithms, these acquisitions will result in quantitatively accurate 4D images of breast perfusion, with voxels thousands of times smaller, and a temporal resolution 27x and a limiting spatial resolution 6x higher than those in current imaging modalities. Radiomics-based analysis of these images will allow me to fully identify and characterize the tumor heterogeneity, known to result in regions with different therapy resistance. Complete characterization of the tumor will allow for optimal neoadjuvant treatment planning, maximizing the probability of achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) and minimizing the risk of recurrence. Due to its relative affordability and safety, the use of 4D DCE-BCT for treatment response monitoring throughout treatment will be possible, making treatment adjustments possible, if needed. Finally, I envision that 4D DCE-BCT will be able to predict and determine that pCR is achieved, making surgery to excise any remnant viable tumor cells unnecessary. The next era in breast cancer treatment is patient-specific care. The advanced imaging developed and introduced in this project will usher in this new era.

Mots-clés : breast cancer,computed tomography,x rays
Projet ERC : BiofoulRepel (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Weizmann Institute of Science — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The object of this proof of concept project is to modify the surfaces of biomedical devices intended for contact with human tissue, such as catheters, stents or contact lenses, to render them repellent to biofoulants, based on discoveries made in our current ERC project HydrationLube. This will render such surfaces, and the devices, far more resistant to health-threatening infections. Our ERC project demonstrated that boundary layers based on phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids (in the form of liposomes, bilayers or polymer-lipid complexes) can expose extremely hydrated interfaces, which are not only strongly lubricating but, as we recently showed, are also capable – particularly at hydrogel surfaces - of massively suppressing the adsorption of common biofoulants including proteins and bacteria. We now propose to use this finding to overcome, through suitable surface treatment, the undesirable effects of such fouling and biofilm formation on tissue-contacting devices, which impose a huge health and cost burden. Thus, neutralizing bacteria in biofilm may require a 1000-times higher dose of antibiotic compared to planktonic bacteria. Moreover, such infections are frequent: some 4% of all implanted vascular grafts and medical heart valves become infected, as do 2% of implanted joint prostheses and 5% of the 2x106 fracture fixation devices that are used in the U.S. alone each year. The cost of curing such infections may exceed $50,000 per case, apart from the burden of human suffering and morbidity, and they account for over 50% of all Hospital Associated Infections (HAI). The current project, working through 5 work-packages, will validate the feasibility of such anti-fouling treatments on actual devices, will carry out competitive analysis and market research, explore the commercialization process and the IPR position, and seek contacts with appropriate industrial partners to further develop the commercialization of our technology.

Mots-clés : biofouling,anti fouling treatment,fouling repellent surfaces,catheters,biomedical devices,contact lenses,hydrogels,fouling repellent hydrogels,fouling repellent membranes