Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : PHOTMAT (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : University of Exeter — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2447699.0 €

Molecular materials are ubiquitous, encompassing smart phone displays, plastic electronics and the molecular machinery of photosynthesis. Many of these remarkable uses depend on interactions between the molecules. Until now these interactions have been electric in character, and have been dictated by how electric charge is distributed over the molecules. PHOTMAT will transform the world of molecular materials by adding a new ingredient – photons. I will fuse photons and molecules together to create new hybrid states – part molecule and part photon – that are dramatically different from those of the constituent molecules and photons. The idea of coupling molecules with photons is a radical new approach with implications that reach across physics, quantum information, chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology and biology. I propose a pioneering research programme that will catalyse the transition from embryonic early results to the creation of a new conceptual framework to unveil a new frontier in nanoscience and nanotechnology. We will perform new experiments that will provide clear proof-of-principle demonstrations of the incredible opportunities opened up by coupling molecules with photons. As examples, we will show how the range over which energy (excitons) can be transport may be extended by a factor of 1000, and we will show how the process of photosynthesis can be modified and controlled. This research has enormous potential, from transforming artificial photosynthesis for clean fuel production to inspiring a new generation of molecular metamaterials. My goal is to explore the rich array of possibilities that arise when photons are made an integral part of molecular materials. At present much of the underlying physics is unclear and controversial. I will resolve the important open questions and show how photonic coupling of molecules leads to new molecular materials, new ways to control chemical and biological processes, and a new type of nanophotonics.

Mots-clés : polariton,exciton,molecular nanostructure
Projet ERC : RegGeneMems (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : Research Institute of Molecular Pathology — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : IMP
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2325659.0 €

Molecular studies of development in diverse animal models have revealed the remarkably conserved set of morphogens governing growth and patterning of body axes and organ fields. Equally astounding is the diversity of form and function arising from the implementation of these morphogens. The systematic analysis of well-defined traits in closely related species has revealed how changes in gene regulatory sequences and their trans-acting factors have yielded diversity. An important future challenge is to understand, at the genome level, the evolution of animal form in situations where such a rich set of closely related species may not be available. Vertebrate limb regeneration is a particularly fascinating yet challenging context to pursue the evolution of traits related to controlling the body plan. Amputation of the Axolotl limb results in the formation of a limb blastema that morphologically and molecularly resembles the embryonic limb bud. In this system, the limb morphogen network must be reactivated only upon tissue removal and not wounding, but also corresponding to a positional memory existing in the adult tissue. These signalling cassettes must also be deployed in a way that can scale to the size of a blastema that is vast when compared to an embryonic limb bud. An important question is whether and how the limb development network has diverged to accomodate these unique traits. During Axolotl limb development and regeneration, some key limb morphogens display divergent expression patterns compared to other vertebrates. I hypothesize that this divergent expression has functional importance for allowing limb regeneration. My goal is to 1) understand how this divergent expression arose 2) functionally test its role in regeneration specificity and scaling, and 3) use the system to dissect the molecular nature of positional memory that is critical for regeneration. I refer to this work as “evo-reg”.

Mots-clés : limb bud development,fgf8,limb regeneration,limb evolution
Projet ERC : MOPPEX (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

Molecules pervade the cooler, denser parts of our Universe, in particular the reservoirs of the matter that forms stars and planets, and the gas in the centres of galaxies. In the Milky Way we routinely use molecules to discover and explore these regions and the more complex the chemistry, the more details of the gas the molecules reveal. There are one hundred billion galaxies in the observable Universe. About 200 or so are our neighbours. However, due to their distance, we are still not able to zoom in and observe individual clouds of dense gas. Nevertheless with the advent of ever more sensitive telescopes such as ALMA, we are discovering that chemistry in external galaxies is as complex as in our own Milky Way. Molecules, it seems, are universal and widespread. In MOPPEX I use molecules to shed light on the physical and chemical structure of our local galaxies, namely (i) what the energetic processes that determine their appearance are and (ii) where the matter that will form stars or fuels black holes is, with the ultimate goal to understand how galaxies form, evolve and interact with each other. To achieve this objective I propose a multi-faceted program that combines state of the art chemical and statistical models in conjunction with interferometric observations. More specifically, the success of MOPPEX relies on (i) in-house and open source suites of chemical models and an in-house line radiative transfer model, (ii) a new suite of tools comprising of modular statistical and machine learning algorithms, and (iii) large datasets of observational data on two nearby galaxies differing in types. My ultimate objective is to fundamentally change the way molecular observations are interpreted for external galaxies and thus to cause a paradigm shift in the use of molecules as tools to determine the chemistry and physics of galaxies.

Mots-clés : astrochemistry,molecules
Projet ERC : MGUS screening RCT (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : University of Iceland — Pays : Islande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1474304.0 €

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a very common precursor condition to multiple myeloma (MM), and related diseases, and can be found in approximately 4-5% of individuals over the age of 50 years. MM is always preceded by MGUS. Current risk stratification schemes, designed to predict those that will progress, are based on retrospective data and rely almost solely on serum protein markers. While they can differentiate high and low-risk patients, they cannot predict outcome for individual patients, are not integrated with one another, and have limited biological correlation. Based on retrospective data, it is recommended that individuals with MGUS are followed indefinitely; however no prospective study has ever been performed to evaluate this or identify optimal monitoring in MGUS individuals. We recently showed that MM patients with a prior knowledge of MGUS had superior survival compared to MM patients without, which raises the question whether routine screening for MGUS in the population might improve survival. To evaluate the impact of screening for MGUS on overall survival, to provide evidence for the optimal MGUS follow-up, and to integrate biological, imaging, and germline genetic markers in evaluating individual risk of progression, we propose to invite all individuals >50 years in Iceland (N=104,000) to participate in a screening study for MGUS. This will be done by utilizing already present infrastructure for screening in Iceland and the fact that most individuals >50 years have their blood drawn for various reasons during 3 years. We plan to perform electrophoresis and free light chain analyses in these individuals to diagnose MGUS. Individuals with MGUS will be invited to be included in a randomized clinical trial with 3 different arms to identify the optimal work-up and follow-up strategy and to build a new risk model for progression. Our large, unique, population-based study has major clinical and scientific implications.

Mots-clés : monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance  mgus,multiple myeloma,screening,randomized clinical trial
Projet ERC : EUVPLASMA (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Dutch Research Council — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NWO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Moore’s law is not dead. Keeping it alive is of significant importance to society and to the economy. The prediction that the number of transistors in computer and memory chips doubles every two years, has pushed innovative, disruptive technologies, enabling the smartphone and driving tomorrow’s green automotive industries. It changes society. The density of elements realized on a chip is defined by one essential step in their production: lithography. Moore’s law thus provides a challenge to science and industry to develop beyond state of the art lithographic technologies. This challenge is being met by introducing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography in high-volume manufacturing. This is happening right now. Generating the required EUV light – from tin-microdroplet-based laser-driven plasma sources – of sufficient power, reliability, and stability, presents a formidable, multi-faceted task, combining industrial innovations with attractive scientific questions. My proposal addresses this EUV source challenge through the following objectives: (1) create insight into tin-droplet deformation and fragmentation for optimal target preparation through laser-pulse impact, the first step of the two-step sequence used to produce EUV light; (2) provide understanding of the myriad of atomic plasma processes responsible for the emission of EUV light in the second step of the process; (3) understand and push the fundamental limit of this plasma-conversion of laser light into EUV light; and (4) explain and control how the laser-produced plasma expands. Each of these objectives has a significant potential impact in its own field of science and technology. This proposal as a whole has a further goal, namely to use the knowledge gained to transition from the CO2-laser technology currently in use for driving EUV sources to the superior, modern, solid-state lasers, to achieve the industrial dream of a plasma EUV light source that is one order of magnitude brighter.

Mots-clés : nanolithography
Projet ERC : REFU-GEN (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Stockholm University — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1406237.0 €

More than 2.5 million refugees have been granted residence in Europe over the last ten years and their long-run adaptation is a fundamental societal challenge. Adaptation can only be evaluated over the long-run by making intergenerational comparisons between immigrants and their descendants, yet research has almost entirely overlooked this topic for refugees, not least because most countries lack both data and significant numbers of descendants of refugees. Prior studies focus on isolated domains of life and are limited by small-samples, methodological weaknesses, and a failure to compare the descendants of refugees and non-refugees. This proposal represents the first comprehensive intergenerational study of the descendants of refugees. My aim is to establish a new framework for the adaptation of refugee’s descendants across four domains of life: socio-economic status, health, family formation and residential context. I will use cutting-edge research methods to analyse longitudinal data for the whole population of Sweden from 1968-2019. Thanks to the unique combination of this comprehensive data, and Sweden’s long history as a refugee-receiving country, I will be able to make ground-breaking contributions: [1] To reveal the diverse nature of intergenerational adaptation for the second-generation children of refugees, and establish to what extent this is determined by their parents’ adaptation [2] To uncover the mechanisms of intergenerational adaptation for the second-generation children of refugees [3] To establish the nature and extent of intergenerational adaptation beyond the second generation, for third-generation grandchildren of refugees Answers to these questions have the potential to generate enormous gains in understanding, and establish a much-needed holistic evidence base concerning the long-run adaptation of the descendants of refugees. I will use Sweden as a laboratory to develop theories that can be generalised to other European countries.

Mots-clés : intergenerational adaptation,migration,refugees,demography,quantitative methods,register data
Projet ERC : TETHER (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : University of Bern — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499875.0 €

More than 50% of the cancer patients undergo irradiation as part of their cancer treatment. Although radiotherapy (RT) significantly contributes to cancer cure, local therapy resistance and the subsequent emergence of distant metastasis remain major obstacles for its success. The molecular mechanisms underlying tumor cell-intrinsic RT resistance are ill-defined. It is therefore crucial to better define these mechanisms and identify new vulnerabilities of RT-resistant tumors in order to decrease the current annual cancer mortality of >1.3 million persons in EU member states alone. In the TETHER project, I will address the problem of RT resistance by synergizing the power of genetic essentiality analyses with unique mouse models and organoids that we have established. We recently found that members of the shieldin and CST complexes are essential for tumor cells to survive irradiation, while causing PARP inhibitor resistance when lost in BRCA1-deficient tumors. Based on this unexpected finding, I have started a new line of research to dissect the RT "essentialome". As I show with the discovery and functional characterization of ERCC6l2 as a novel DNA repair factor in this network, the technology we have in place is perfectly suited to tackle this question. In addition, we will apply distinct CRISPR/Cas9-based tests to map the functional interactome of genes that are essential for RT resistance. To follow the plasticity and RT escape of tumor cells in vivo, we have also developed innovative model systems. Similar to the situation in cancer patients, we observe that residual cancer cells in our mouse models escape the deadly effects of RT by local resistance or metastasis formation. Thus, these models provide a unique opportunity to explore and target RT escape mechanisms. I am convinced that the combination of these state-of-the-art approaches will yield highly useful information for designing individualized approaches to improve RT response in cancer patients.

Mots-clés : radiotherapy resistance,breast cancer,dna repair,crispr,essentialome,synthetic lethality,functional genomics,3d organoid cultures,genetically engineered mouse models,residual disease,metastasis,homologous recombination,non homologous end joining
Projet ERC : HydraMechanics (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Technion – Israel Institute of Technology — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

Morphogenesis is one of the most remarkable examples of biological pattern formation. Despite substantial progress in the field, we still do not understand the organizational principles responsible for the robust convergence of the morphogenesis process, across scales, to form viable organisms under variable conditions. We focus here on the less-studied mechanical aspects of this problem, and aim to uncover how mechanical forces and feedback contribute to the formation and stabilization of the body plan. Regenerating Hydra offer a powerful platform to explore this direction, thanks to their simple body plan, extraordinary regeneration capabilities, and the accessibility and flexibility of their tissues. We propose to follow the regeneration of excised tissue segments, which inherit an aligned supra-cellular cytoskeletal organization from the parent Hydra, as well as cell aggregates, which lack any prior organization. We will employ advanced microscopy techniques and develop elaborate image analysis tools to track cytoskeletal organization and collective cell migration and correlate them with global tissue morphology, from the onset of regeneration all the way to the formation of complete animals. Furthermore, to directly probe the influence of mechanics on Hydra morphogenesis, we propose to apply various mechanical perturbations, and intervene with the axis formation process using external forces and mechanical constraints. Overall, the proposed work seeks to develop an effective phenomenological description of morphogenesis during Hydra regeneration, at the level of cells and tissues, and reveal the mechanical basis of this process. More generally, our research will shed light on the role of mechanics in animal morphogenesis, and inspire new approaches for using external forces to direct tissue engineering and advance regenerative medicine.

Mots-clés : morphogenesis,active matter,active nematics,actomyosin cytoskeleton,collective cell migration,mechanical feedback,mechanical self organization
Projet ERC : TissueLymphoContexts (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : University of Würzburg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498750.0 €

Most anatomical compartments, including mucosal barrier surfaces, solid organs and vascular spaces host different types of tissue-resident lymphocytes providing local networks for immune surveillance and front-line defense to microbial invasion. In addition to immediate effector functions, tissue-resident lymphocytes orchestrate and regulate inflammatory responses, and contribute to tissue homeostasis, repair and barrier function. Understanding the generation and function of tissue-resident lymphocytes is therefore expected to reveal targets for improving vaccination and immunotherapy. Barrier tissues of free-living mice and men, but not those of laboratory mice kept under specific pathogen free conditions, are continuously exposed to an array of antigenically complex pathogens, microbial symbionts and environmental factors, which dramatically alter the abundance, composition and basal activation state of local pools of tissue-resident cells. Therefore, we propose to study the development, functions and cellular interactions of tissue-resident lymphocytes in experimental models that mirror “real-life” contexts. First, we will investigate how polyclonal pools of tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells (TRMs) are established during infection with antigenically complex pathogens. Second, we will restore physiologic exposure to specific pathogens and induce alterations of local microbiota in SPF mice, in order to investigate the induction, function and local interactions of tissue-resident lymphocytes in physiologic tissue environments. In addition, we will explore targeted microbial exposure as a „vaccination“ strategy to induce „non-canonical“ tissue-resident cells in the lung in order to improve protection against infections with multi-resistant bacteria representing major clinical problems in hospitalized patients. In summary, we will investigate fundamental mechanisms of tissue immunity and vaccination in contexts relevant for human physiology and disease.

Mots-clés : enviromental shaping of immune responses
Projet ERC : DIME (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : University of Oslo — Pays : Norvège — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UiO
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2900000.0 €

Most changes in mineralogy, density, and rheology of the Earth’s lithosphere take place by metamorphism, whereby rocks evolve through interactions between minerals and fluids. These changes are coupled with a large range of geodynamic processes and they have first order effects on the global geochemical cycles of a large number of elements. In the presence of fluids, metamorphic reactions are fast compared to tectonically induced changes in pressure and temperature. Hence, during fluid-producing metamorphism, rocks evolve through near-equilibrium states. However, much of the Earth’s lower and middle crust, and a significant fraction of the upper mantle do not contain free fluids. These parts of the lithosphere exist in a metastable state and are mechanically strong. When subject to changing temperature and pressure conditions at plate boundaries or elsewhere, these rocks do not react until exposed to externally derived fluids. Metamorphism of such rocks consumes fluids, and takes place far from equilibrium through a complex coupling between fluid migration, chemical reactions, and deformation processes. This disequilibrium metamorphism is characterized by fast reaction rates, release of large amounts of energy in the form of heat and work, and a strong coupling to far-field tectonic stress. Our overarching goal is to provide the first quantitative physics-based model of disequilibrium metamorphism that properly connects fluid-rock interactions at the micro and nano-meter scale to lithosphere scale stresses. This model will include quantification of the forces required to squeeze fluids out of grain-grain contacts for geologically relevant materials (Objective 1), a new experimentally based model describing how the progress of volatilization reactions depends on tectonic stress (Objective 2), and testing of this model by analyzing the kinetics of a natural serpentinization process through the Oman Ophiolite Drilling Project (Objective 3).

Mots-clés : disequilibirum metamorphism,fluid consuming reactions,interface processes,stress