Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : SCATAPNUT (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BOKU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1993606.25 €

Seeds enclosed in maternal tissue are an important evolutionary plant development as they protect the embryo in many different environments. The protecting coverings are very heterogeneous in structure and origin due to different seed dispersal strategies and environments designed for. The ones having hard outer coverings are commonly called nuts and their shells have recently become of interest for biomimetic research as they represent hard and tough lightweight structures with biological and environmental resistance. Biological materials are optimized at numerous length scales. To unravel the design principles on the micro- and nano scale and their assembly are a big challenge in biomimetic research. Thus the objectives of this project are threefold: 1) develop in-situ methods for in-depth characterization at the micro- and nano level, 2) reveal the heterogeneity and common design principles by investigating different species and 3) follow development (soft), maturation (hard) and germination (open). By measuring the inelastic scattering of laser light (RAMAN microscopy), tapping with a tip (Atomic force microscopy AFM, pulsed force mode) and combining both (Scanning near field optical microscopy-SNOM, Tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy-TERS) sophisticated applications for imaging natural packaging structures will be developed. This will enable us to gain new insights into micro- and nanochemistry as well as nanomechanics in the context of tissue and cell organization. Furthermore in-depth knowledge on the developmental processes of cell assembly, maturation and germination will be obtained. This will lead to a better understanding of the underlying design principles, which is important in order to extract structure-function relationships and identify features that contribute e.g. to the high strength and cracking resistance and longevity. Such information is important for biology (agriculture) and will give new input in intelligent biomimetic material design.

Mots-clés : raman microscopy,scanning probe microscopy,biomimetics,biomechanic
Projet ERC : SEISMAZE (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
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 : 2490000.0 €

Seismic tremors form a broad class of signals generated by internal sources that are different from regular earthquakes. Volcanic tremors have been known for a long time, and tectonic tremors associated with seismogenic fault zones have been described more recently. While the physical origin of seismic tremors remains to be fully understood, they are related to slow transient energy release processes that occur in active geological systems during the accumulation of mechanical energy that is then released during catastrophic events, such as strong earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Therefore, seismic tremors represent a unique source of information that can be used to understand the physics of these ‘preparation’ processes and to design new monitoring and forecasting approaches. Modern digital seismological networks record huge numbers of tremors in different active regions, and breakthroughs can be achieved with systematic exploration of these observations that includes data analysis and physical modeling. My goal is to undertake such an effort via the development of a new unified framework for the study of seismic tremors. I plan to combine advanced methods for data mining, signal processing, and numerical simulations of the generating processes, to apply these to different large datasets of volcanic and tectonic tremors. I will develop an innovative and holistic approach based on massive analysis of observations that requires high performance computing and will be combined with advanced physical modeling of the generating dynamical processes. This will produce the new framework that can be used on the one hand for an understanding of the physical tremor-generating mechanisms, and on other hand for the development of new adaptive methods for monitoring volcanoes and seismic faults. The implementation of these will involve machine learning approaches to gain information from continuous fluxes of data from dense seismological networks.
Projet ERC : Met_Cav (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Hebrew University of Jerusalem — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HUJI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1438750.0 €

Selective hydroxylation of abundant, but chemically inert C-H bonds remains one of the great challenges in modern chemistry. Given that the resulting alcohols can easily be converted into a variety of other functional groups, this process is key to the large-scale production of commodity chemicals from a natural feedstock. Consequently, developing sustainable and environmentally benign catalysts capable of performing this transformation by utilizing cheap oxidants is of utmost importance. Such catalysts must be reactive enough to overcome the chemical inertness of C-H bonds, yet avoid over-oxidation, and be able to distinguish the target reaction site from other C-H bonds present. Although in recent decades significant progress has been achieved in catalytic hydroxylation of methane and ethane, selective hydroxylation of heavier alkanes (as well as of alkyl chain residues particularly at the terminal position) is still only possible by natural metalloenzymes. While being environment-friendly and functioning under mild conditions, these natural catalysts are poorly applicable to large-scale industrial processes due to their low stability and high cost. Nevertheless, the underlying principles such as (1) reactive metal centers embedded in hydrophobic pockets, (2) structurally defined reaction environment, and (3) affinity-based differentiation between substrates and products, can be capitalized upon for constructing a new generation of synthetic catalysts. The project will demonstrate how these rationales can be implemented with novel metal-functionalized cavitands – inner cavity containing molecules with a rigid metal-binding site accessible only from their interior. This fresh design combines the oxidative power of high valent metal-oxo species with the chemoselectivity for hydrophobic substrates, necessary to avoid product over-oxidation, while the desired site-selectivity is achieved by a well-defined spatial orientation of the encapsulated substrate molecules.

Mots-clés : c h activation,first row transition metals
Projet ERC : sCENT (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : UiT The Arctic University of Norway — Pays : Norvège — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UiT
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499749.0 €

Sensitivity of on-chip gas sensors is still at least 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than what is needed for applications in atmospheric monitoring and climate research. For optical sensors, this comes as a natural consequence of miniaturization: sensitivity scales with interaction length, which is directly related to instrument size. The aim of this project is to explore a new concept of combined chemical and spectroscopic detection for on-chip sensing of methane, the principal component of natural gas and a potent climate forcer. The sought-after sensitivity will be achieved by pre-concentrating gas molecules directly on a chip surface using cryptophanes, and subsequently detecting them using slow-light waveguides and mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy. Cryptophanes are macromolecular structures that can bind and thus pre-concentrate different small molecules, including methane. Spectroscopic detection of methane in a cryptophane host is an absolute novelty, and, if successful, it will not only contribute to unprecedented sensitivity enhancement, but will also address fundamental questions about the dynamics of small molecules upon encapsulation. The actual gas sensing will be realized using evanescent field interaction in photonic crystal waveguides, which exhibit both large evanescent field confinement and long effective interaction pathlengths due to the slow-light effect. The waveguide design alone is expected to improve the per-length sensitivity up to 10 times, while another 10 to 100-fold sensitivity enhancement is expected from the pre-concentration. The targeted detection limit of 10 ppb will revolutionize current methods of atmospheric monitoring, enabling large-scale networks of integrated sensors for better quantification of global methane emissions. Beyond that, this method can be extended to the detection of other gases, e.g. CO2 and different volatile organic compounds with equally relevant applications in the medical domain.

Mots-clés : mid infrared spectroscopy,photonic crystals,slow light enhancement,cryptophanes,methane,sensing
Projet ERC : ACoolTouch (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MDC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999877.0 €

Sensory perception involves the discrimination and binding of multiple modalities of sensory input. This is especially evident in the somatosensory system where different modalities of sensory input, including thermal and mechanosensory, are combined to generate a unified percept. The neural mechanisms of multisensory binding are unknown, in part because sensory perception is typically studied within a single modality in a single brain region. I propose a multi-level approach to investigate thermo-tactile processing in the mouse forepaw system from the primary sensory afferent neurons to thalamo-cortical circuits and behaviour. The mouse forepaw system is the ideal system to investigate multisensory binding as the sensory afferent neurons are well investigated, cell type-specific lines are available, in vivo optogenetic manipulation is possible both in sensory afferent neurons and central circuits and we have developed high-resolution somatosensory perception behaviours. We have previously shown that mouse primary somatosensory forepaw cortical neurons respond to both tactile and thermal stimuli and are required for non-noxious cooling perception. With multimodal neurons how, then, is it possible to both discriminate and bind thermal and tactile stimuli? I propose 3 objectives to address this question. We will first, perform functional mapping of the thermal and tactile pathways to cortex; second, investigate the neural mechanisms of thermo-tactile discrimination in behaving mice; and third, compare neural processing during two thermo-tactile binding tasks, the first using passively applied stimuli, and the second, active manipulation of thermal objects. At each stage we will perform cell type-specific neural recordings and causal optogenetic manipulations in awake and behaving mice. Our multi-level approach will provide a comprehensive investigation into how the brain performs multisensory perceptual binding: a fundamental yet unsolved problem in neuroscience.

Mots-clés : somatosensory,cortex,mouse,behaviour
Projet ERC : SPEDI-TEST (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Fundación para la Formación e Investigación Sanitarias de la Región de Murcia — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FFIS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 148125.0 €

Sepsis remains the leading cause of death in critical care units of Hospitals, affecting more that 18 million people worldwide and causes a systemic inflammatory response driven by the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Several studies have been conducted to find out whether data mining and machine learning could be used to identify patients at risk of sepsis. Although the currently available biomarkers can help shorten this decision process, there is still a need for additional early disease biomarkers that could anticipate the decision-making identifying immunocompromised septic patients. In this sense, ongoing efforts in the development of a point-of-care testing kit, enabling quick and reliable detection of immunocompromised patients by using blood biomarkers, will aid greatly the early prognosis of sepsis. In this scenario, the prognosis and therapy selection still remains a clinical decision by assessing the patient’s history, symptoms of infection, and development of acute organ dysfunction. Our group have determined under the ERC consolidator grant ref. 614578 (DangerATP) that during the initial 24 h of the inflammatory response in sepsis, monocytes from human septic patients present an early impairment of the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome that is associated with higher late mortality. This group of septic patients was not identified with any of the clinical or biochemical determinations performed. We have developed an in vitro prognostic (IVD) product for the fast detection in less than 4 hours of early impairment of the NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as a biomarker for the prognosis in sepsis. This IVD will be used in intensive care units and immunology units of hospitals. The objective of the action is to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility and evaluate the new business opportunity of introducing this novel IVD product.

Mots-clés : sepsis,prognostic,nlrp3 inflammasome,technical and commercial viability,start up
Projet ERC : ASICA (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Utrecht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 296409.38 €

Severe droughts in Amazonia in 2005 and 2010 caused widespread loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere. This loss, almost twice the annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the EU, suggests a large sensitivity of the Amazonian carbon balance to a predicted more intense drought regime in the next decades. This is a dangerous inference though, as there is no scientific consensus on the most basic metrics of Amazonian carbon exchange: the gross primary production (GPP) and its response to moisture deficits in the soil and atmosphere. Measuring them on scales that span the whole Amazon forest was thus far impossible, but in this project I aim to deliver the first observation-based estimate of pan-Amazonian GPP and its drought induced variations. My program builds on two recent breakthroughs in our use of stable isotopes (13C, 17O, 18O) in atmospheric CO2: (1) Our discovery that observed δ¹³C in CO2 in the atmosphere is a quantitative measure for vegetation water-use efficiency over millions of square kilometers, integrating the drought response of individual plants. (2) The possibility to precisely measure the relative ratios of 18O/16O and 17O/16O in CO2, called Δ17O. Anomalous Δ17O values are present in air coming down from the stratosphere, but this anomaly is removed upon contact of CO2 with leaf water inside plant stomata. Hence, observed Δ17O values depend directly on the magnitude of GPP. Both δ¹³C and Δ17O measurements are scarce over the Amazon-basin, and I propose more than 7000 new measurements leveraging an established aircraft monitoring program in Brazil. Quantitative interpretation of these observations will break new ground in our use of stable isotopes to understand climate variations, and is facilitated by our renowned numerical modeling system “CarbonTracker”. My program will answer two burning question in carbon cycle science today: (a) What is the magnitude of GPP in Amazonia? And (b) How does it vary over different intensities of drought?

Mots-clés : carbon cycle,carbon uptake,stable isotopes
Projet ERC : ASICA (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation — Pays : Brésil — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : MCTI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 812170.63 €

Severe droughts in Amazonia in 2005 and 2010 caused widespread loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere. This loss, almost twice the annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the EU, suggests a large sensitivity of the Amazonian carbon balance to a predicted more intense drought regime in the next decades. This is a dangerous inference though, as there is no scientific consensus on the most basic metrics of Amazonian carbon exchange: the gross primary production (GPP) and its response to moisture deficits in the soil and atmosphere. Measuring them on scales that span the whole Amazon forest was thus far impossible, but in this project I aim to deliver the first observation-based estimate of pan-Amazonian GPP and its drought induced variations. My program builds on two recent breakthroughs in our use of stable isotopes (13C, 17O, 18O) in atmospheric CO2: (1) Our discovery that observed δ¹³C in CO2 in the atmosphere is a quantitative measure for vegetation water-use efficiency over millions of square kilometers, integrating the drought response of individual plants. (2) The possibility to precisely measure the relative ratios of 18O/16O and 17O/16O in CO2, called Δ17O. Anomalous Δ17O values are present in air coming down from the stratosphere, but this anomaly is removed upon contact of CO2 with leaf water inside plant stomata. Hence, observed Δ17O values depend directly on the magnitude of GPP. Both δ¹³C and Δ17O measurements are scarce over the Amazon-basin, and I propose more than 7000 new measurements leveraging an established aircraft monitoring program in Brazil. Quantitative interpretation of these observations will break new ground in our use of stable isotopes to understand climate variations, and is facilitated by our renowned numerical modeling system “CarbonTracker”. My program will answer two burning question in carbon cycle science today: (a) What is the magnitude of GPP in Amazonia? And (b) How does it vary over different intensities of drought?

Mots-clés : carbon cycle,carbon uptake,stable isotopes
Projet ERC : GuppY (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Exeter — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 372784.09 €

Sex chromosomes have evolved independently countless times throughout the eukaryotes. As such, sex chromosomes represent one of the most pervasive examples of convergent evolution, as analogous yet unrelated sex chromosomes share many unique features that distinguish them from the rest of the genome. Although models for sex chromosome evolution have been proposed, they have been difficult to empirically test, largely because most model systems are at a terminal phase of sex chromosome divergence, and the majority of studies have therefore focused on the consequences of sex chromosome evolution. In order to understand the forces catalyzing sex chromosome evolution, we require a study system at earlier stages of sex chromosome divergence, ideally one where there is still extensive polymorphism among populations and closely related species in the degree and region of recombination suppression, and with easily identified sexually antagonistic traits. These traits are all exhibited by the Poeciliid fishes, the focus of GuppY, which is designed to test long-standing theories about sex chromosome evolution. The overarching goals of the project are to: 1) identify the mechanisms, catalysts and consequences of recombination suppression between the sex chromosomes, and 2) to quantify the role of sex-specific selection and sexual conflict in sex chromosome evolution and subsequent divergence. These goals will be accomplished through the synthesis of phenotypic, experimental and next-generation molecular genetic approaches in order to provide a cohesive and multi-faceted understanding of sex chromosome evolution. Moreover, these goals will be performed across three evolutionary levels, integrating patterns of variation within populations, among populations, and across related species, permitting insights encompassing short, medium and long time-spans and yielding unprecedented insight into multiple stages of evolutionary history.

Mots-clés : sex chromosomes,sexual selection,recombination
Projet ERC : TETHYS (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
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 : 163902.5 €

Sexual reproduction is a pervasive phenomenon that produces new genetic combinations in nearly all eukaryotic lineages. Whilst the core processes that define meiotic sex (meiosis and syngamy) are universal, sex determination systems are not evolutionary conserved but are bewilderingly diverse and have had rapid turnover rates during evolution. Transitions among sex determination systems have profound evolutionary and ecological consequences, but our understanding of the mechanisms, ultimate causes, and the consequences of transitions is still surprisingly incomplete. The goal of the Tethys project is to exploit the exceptional richness of sexual features of the brown algae to gain novel insights into the functional bases and ultimate forces associated with transitions between sexual systems, and their impact on the evolution of this important group of eukaryotes. First, we will exploit the amenability of model brown algae to genetic and genomic approaches to uncover the mechanisms and evolutionary forces driving switches between sexual systems across this group. Secondly, we will investigate the regulation and evolution of the genes involved in sexual reproduction in the context of sexual system transitions, by delineating a comprehensive transcriptional and chromatin state roadmap across key brown algal species. Finally, we will examine patterns of correlated evolution between sexual, functional and genomic traits and incorporate ecological information in order to link ecological factors to reproductive transitions and evaluate their consequences on genome structure and species diversification. Collectively, these multilevel analyses will help answer long-standing evolutionary questions about the diversity and turnover of sex determining systems in eukaryotes, but will also provide unprecedented insights into the biology of an important but virtually unexplored eukaryotic supergroup.

Mots-clés : sexual systems evolution,sex chromosomes,sexual reproduction,mutants,genetics,multicellularity,chromatin regulation,evolutionary genomics