Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : VESICULOME (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Entité participante : Université Christian Albrecht de Kiel — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) are small membrane vesicles secreted by a diverse range of bacteria that act as bioactive nanocarriers of a high diversity of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. BEVs have mostly been studied in pathogenic bacterial models, owing to their causal role in pathogenicity. Compared to other microbial features, such as taxa, genes or metabolites, BEVs secreted by the large diversity of commensal bacterial species of the human gut microbiota have received little attention so far, leaving their influence upon gut microbial ecology and human health almost entirely unknown. We hypothesize that gut BEVs and their molecular cargos (i.e. the gut bacterial vesiculome) play critical roles in bacteria-bacteria and host-microbiome interactions, and in shaping phenotypes of host-microbiome systems. Our project will enable a comprehensive profiling of BEV molecular diversity across a large number of gut bacterial taxa, and a functional analysis of their impact on inter-species and inter-kingdom interactions. We intend to tackle these objectives through three aims: 1) characterize the origin, diversity and evolution of the human gut bacterial vesiculome; 2) investigate the role of BEVs in promoting horizontal gene transfers among bacterial species in the gut microbiome; and 3) investigate the role of BEVs on bacteria-bacteria and host-bacteria interactions. We will tackle each of these aims from three diversity perspectives: investigating multiple bacterial species, including geographically-distinct healthy human populations, and comparing healthy vs. disease. The project will expand our basic understanding of the evolution and function of bacterial vesiculation. It will also generate the first atlas of BEV profiles across gut bacterial taxa and host cohorts, providing key resources to mine for vesicular characteristics and functions that have translational potential for biomedicine.
Projet ERC : ARCHI-SKIN (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Materials Engineering
Entité participante : Université du Littoral — Pays : Slovénie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UP
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999000.0 €

Biofilms, an assemblage of surface-associated microbial cells that is enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance matrix, are recognised as one of the most stable biological systems on earth. The beneficial use of biofilms for protection is nearly unexplored since up-to-date research is focused on the prevention of its formation. In the ARCHI-SKIN project, we will explore the design principles underlying fungal biofilm to bridge the knowledge gap on the chemistry-structure-properties of the biological systems’ interface. Mechanisms of biofilm formation, its structure, function, quorum sensing, and performance will be understood at multiple scales following the best practices of materiomics. It will be achieved by advancing state-of-the-art in-situ laboratory routines and use the latest mathware solutions in combination with the design-build-test-learn approach for the experimental work. In the following step, we will develop a bioactive protective coating system working in conjunction with nature. We will benefit from the synergic strength of living fungal cells, bio-based ingredients, and bioinspired concepts for materials protection. Advanced in-silico methods will be used for the integration of active ingredients and modelling of optimal and long-lasting nutrient sources compatible with the enzymatic profile of selected fungal strains. We will design and create technically applicable, controlled, and optimized biofilm built by the yeast-like ubiquitous and widespread oligotroph fungus, Aureobasidium pullulans, that will effectively protect the surfaces of biomaterials, concrete, plastics, and metals, among others, assuring optimal service life performance and remarkable functionalities including self-healing and bioremediation. Our pioneering approach for materials protection will push the boundaries of traditional materials concepts toward the development of engineered living materials capable to interact, adapt, and respond to environmental changes.

Mots-clés : living coatings system,bioinspired materials design,engineered living materials,smart living surfaces
Projet ERC : FungalSecrets (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Entité participante : Université Christian Albrecht de Kiel — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

FungalFungal plant pathogens have a devastating impact on crop production. Decades of research have addressed the molecular interaction of pathogens with plant immune responses and have established effector proteins as key molecules secreted by pathogens to interact with plant receptors. Studies of fungal pathogens have revealed a large diversity of predicted effector proteins expressed during plant colonization, yet the functional relevance of most remains unknown. I hypothesize that fungal pathogens secrete a diverse repertoire of effectors to manipulate host-associated microbiota and facilitate host invasion. As distinct plant species assemble distinct microbial communities, I hypothesize that effector evolution and host specialization of pathogens, in part, is driven by the host-associated microbiota. FungalSecrets, will combine bioinformatics, evolutionary analyses, molecular microbiology approaches and plant infection assays. Our research will focus on 2000 effectors and effector-like proteins produced by four pathogens infecting wild relatives of crop plants. We will predict the protein structures of effectors to identify new homology relationships and to make inference of protein interactions and co-evolution. Next, we will identify antimicrobial properties and determine the effect of each effector protein on the growth of 400 bacteria isolated from the host plants of the pathogens. To overcome challenges of heterologous protein expression we will use different expression systems. To obtain mechanistic insights into microbial interactions, we will conduct detailed analyses of a selected set of candidate effectors with pleiotropic functions in virulence and microbiota manipulation. FungalSecrets is based on innovative hypotheses and will cover a fundamental knowledge gap related to the ecology of fungal pathogens. The research will have implications for applied crop research and will stimulate new research of fungi associated with human and animal microbiota.

Mots-clés : fungi,plant pathogens,plant microbiota,effectors
Projet ERC : AUTO-SELECT (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Next generation diagnostic srl — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 50000.0 €

(Macro)autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process induced to preserve cellular homeostasis under conditions of stress, such as nutrient starvation. Upon autophagy activation cellular components are engulfed by autophagic vesicles, which then fuse with lysosomes for substrate degradation. Despite the unquestionable physiological and medical relevance of nutrient- and pharmacological-induction of autophagy in human health, the precise identity of autophagy substrates and the rules governing their selection in vivo are largely unknown. AUTO-SELECT’s goal is to provide a framework to identify physiologically relevant autophagy substrates in different organs and to determine the signaling events that govern their selection. This proposal relies on (1) newly generated mouse models to genetically manipulate autophagy and key autophagy regulators, (2) tools to quantitatively measure autophagy substrate delivery to lysosomes and subsequent degradation in vivo, and (3) -omic technologies and bioinformatic tools to dissect the molecular events that govern substrate selection in response to diverse stimulations in a tissue-specific manner. In addition, AUTO-SELECT will develop new strategies to modulate selective autophagy and test their therapeutic relevance in connective tissue disorders characterized by the intracellular accumulation of misfolded procollagen molecules. AUTO-SELECT has the potential to discover new rules governing cargo selectivity during autophagy and, hence, to provide new links between energy metabolism and cellular quality control that might be exploited for autophagy modulation to treat human diseases.

Mots-clés : autophagy,selective autophagy,lysosome,nutrient sensing,mtor
Projet ERC : REMIX-TUNE (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
Entité participante : National Oceanography Centre — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : NOC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 167440.0 €

Turbulent mixing controls the pace of ocean ventilation, the rate at which the ocean interior is filled up with water, heat and chemicals from the ocean’s surface. This process governs the ocean's ability to store atmospheric heat and greenhouse gases, exerting a profound impact on Earth's climate and moderating the rate of human-induced climate change. However, the role of mixing in ocean ventilation remains poorly understood, due to the scarcity of direct observations and the inability of numerical models to capture small-scale turbulent dynamics. Our limited understanding can be rationalised around three major questions: 1) How does the interplay between advective and diffusive processes control ocean ventilation? 2) What is the role of mixing in the water-mass transformations sustaining the ocean’s overturning circulation? 3) What is the relative importance of the two primary regimes of ocean turbulence (the mesoscale and microscale) for the ventilation of climate-critical tracers?  REMIX-TUNE addresses these questions through an innovative approach founded on two pillars: 1) Deploying the first large fleet of autonomous profiling floats equipped with microstructure turbulence sensors in key ocean ventilation regions; and 2) pioneering a novel theoretical approach to quantify mesoscale and microscale mixing using float microstructure observations and existing hydrographic data from the Argo programme. With this strategy, REMIX-TUNE will generate the first comprehensive, observation-based global database quantifying the role of mixing in ocean ventilation. This understanding will then be used to develop a new framework to assess and ground-truth the representation of mixing in the next generation of ocean-climate models. Thus, REMIX-TUNE will elicit a step change in our rationalisation of ocean mixing, and its integration into numerical models, and will leave a lasting impact on mixing research by revolutionising the methodologies employed in the field.

Mots-clés : ocean circulation and climate,ocean mixing,ocean technology
Projet ERC : TuneInt2Quantum (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2597500.0 €

Interactions amongst a macroscopic number of constituents leads to emergent, collective phenomena such as magnetism and superconductivity. Quantum confinement enhances interactions between electrons leading to a wide variety of many-body quantum phases. Atomically thin layered materials such as monolayer semiconductors are prime candidates to study the effect of interactions due to extreme quantum confinement. Moreover, they offer unique features such as heterostructure assembly aided by van der Waals interactions allowing for engineered electronic properties. Recently, electronic transport measurements have uncovered correlated electronic phases such as Mott-insulator and superconductors in heterostructures of seemingly ordinary semiconductors such as MoSe2 and WSe2. This begs the question whether correlated phases of optical excitations such as excitons can be realized in such heterostructures. In addition to being generated on demand, such out-of-equilibrium phases should have a richer phase diagram. Moreover, correlations amongst optical excitations could translate to emission of non-classical light. Despite these attractive features, a solid-state system which exploits all the aforementioned properties is currently lacking. This proposal aims to realize a versatile 2D materials platform with tunable attractive and repulsive interactions amongst optical excitations and use it create spontaneously ordered phases such as excitonic ferromagnet and dipolar crystals. We will also explore these phases for exotic light generation. Finally, we will exploit the interplay between strong interactions and the underlying geometry and topology of electronic states to hunt for elusive topological correlated phases such as fractional quantum Hall states of excitons. The achievement of these objectives will uncover design-principles for exotic quantum phases and enable the discovery of novel quantum matter and light – a fundamental goal of condensed matter physics.

Mots-clés : 2d materials,van der waals materials,light matter interactions,excitons,optical spectroscopy,semiconductor optics,interacting photons,many body interactions of optical excitations
Projet ERC : Auto-CyPheR (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and Communication Engineering
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1993756.0 €

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are complex systems with tight interactions between cyber elements and physical components. The cyber elements are control algorithms implemented by computer-based software. Developing the embedded control software for CPS is currently ad hoc and error-prone, which has created costly undesired behaviours, particularly in safety-critical applications. Examples of such undesired behaviours include frequency deviation in power networks causing outages or blackouts (e.g., in Jan 2021 in EU, affecting 200k households), crash of airplanes due to software bugs (Boeing 737 Max, costs 15.9 billion euros) or autonomous cars having software bugs (Toyota recalled 65,000 cars in 2015). Nowadays, most of the costs of CPS design is spent on ensuring that the system meets all the requirements especially when it is working in uncertain conditions. In order to design reliable CPS and to reduce the costs of such a design, I propose a novel robust synthesis approach that computes automatically the control software from high-level requirements. This novel approach creates a paradigm shift in CPS design as it computes control software in a push-button manner and eliminates time-consuming, costly post-validation steps. The approach tackles the CPS complexity by developing new abstraction techniques that are compositional and robust to model uncertainties, which will be integrated in a unified framework for automating the design of the control software. This synthesis paradigm is founded on novel compositional similarity relations with coupled uncertainties and coupled computations on abstract models. My project is high-risk because it requires merging and re-thinking different design methodologies from multiple disciplines including control theory, computer science, and probability theory. It is high-gain since it will transform the design principles of CPS to enable designing large-scale yet reliable and safe CPS working autonomously in uncertain conditions.

Mots-clés : hybrid systems,stochastic systems,controller synthesis,abstraction based design,probabilistic model checking,temporal logic
Projet ERC : Beyond the visible (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1996250.0 €

The next generation of biological imaging will be a movement towards super-resolution, label-free approaches to visualize subcellular structures in a nonperturbative, non-invasive manner. In this proposal, a super-resolution, label-free, Raman microscope based on a novel, ambient-air, field-detector is envisioned to fulfil the requirements of these exciting prospects, essential for biomedical advancements. By employing bright, ultra-broadband, femtosecond electromagnetic forces at petahertz frequencies, Raman molecular vibrations are driven coherently and efficiently. Temporal confinement of the excitation pulses to a few femtoseconds allows for temporal filtering of the molecular response and therefore, a high signal-to-noise ratio, and high detection sensitivity is achieved. The same laser provides optical pulses with ultrashort duration to directly access and detects the field oscillations of the emitted Raman molecular response. This novel detection metrology allows for simultaneous and broadband detection of the entire molecular fingerprint and beyond with high dynamic range and sensitivity down to quantum shot noise. Most importantly, due to the near-field imaging in this scheme super-resolution, chemically sensitive images can be constructed without the need for labeling molecules or using structured light. The advanced near-infrared femtosecond source in combination with the novel field detection technology will enable acquiring the complete fingerprint of complex biological molecules non-invasively with a spatial resolution and sensitivity exceeding that of any previously demonstrated method, for the first time. The next generation of laser-driven biological microscopy requires a dramatic leap in sensitivity, dynamic range, spatial resolution, and non-invasiveness; this proposal represents a coherent, achievable approach to fulfilling this need opening up new horizons for fundamental studies in science to see beyond the visible.

Mots-clés : stimulated raman microscopy,super resolution label free imaging,sensitive field resolved spectroscopy,petahertz field detection
Projet ERC : REG_ORGatSCALE (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999980.0 €

Despite recent advances, the principles that regulate liver regeneration and how their deregulation leads to disease remain largely unknown. The main goal of this application is to uncover molecular and cellular principles that govern liver regeneration and disease and exploit this knowledge to develop more complex multicellular organoid systems capable of reconstructing liver tissue in a dish. We will adopt a multi-scale (from molecule to tissue), and multidisciplinary approach, addressing the interplay between cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic mechanisms in damage paradigms that result in repair vs disease.  In Aim 1 we will identify the genomic loci (e.g. Transcription factors, signalling pathways or epigenetic regulators) involved in regeneration and disease, to gain a systems-level understanding of the gene regulatory mechanisms driving liver regeneration and disease. In Aim 2 we will investigate the biochemical signals mediated through cell-cell interactions between ductal cells and mesenchymal, to gain mechanistic understanding on how epithelial – mesenchymal cellular interactions regulate regeneration and their role in disease, particularly fibrosis.  In Aim 3 we will build complex multicellular organoids to reconstruct the liver lobule cellular interactions and architecture.  An in-depth understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving tissue regeneration and their deregulation in disease holds the potential to uncover new principles of liver biology. The generation of complex multicellular organoids that recapitulate liver cellular interactions and architecture will provide valuable tools for future mechanistic studies aiming at investigating molecular and cellular principles of tissue maintenance, repair and disease. Transferring these to human tissues will facilitate future studies addressing the long-standing question as to which principles of repair are conserved in humans and which are human specific.

Mots-clés : organoids,liver,regeneration,disease,mechanisms,
Projet ERC : REDIRECT (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Université de Cagliari — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999138.0 €

Mental disorders are associated with abnormal sensory information processing (SIP) at preadolescence, especially in males. Aberrant SIP is a neutral cross-disorder trait that can be translated between humans and animals and assessed as the inability to prevent/gate an overload of irrelevant information. The mechanisms underlying physiological and pathological SIP variability are unexplored. Particularly, the causative role of hyperdopaminergia, key to SIP deficits, has never been tested by isolating, spatially and temporally, this single neural component. How does this trait evolve into a mental disorder? Why does it occur more often in males? REDIRECT will capitalize on our rodent model of prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE), which is the first of its kind to offer, at preadolescence, a sex bias in susceptibility to SIP deficits upon acute exposure to stress or cannabis. This animal model is amenable to molecular interrogation to probe causality for those resilience-promoting factors preventing females from developing a hyperdopaminergia and SIP deficits. By combining viral strategies to trace and probe cell-type specific input-output reorganization of dopamine circuits (Aim 1), with single-cell transcriptome analyses (Aim 2), REDIRECT will decipher how female sex imposes distinct molecular changes to neurons and circuits, which are key to prevent the etiopathogenesis of SIP disorders. By testing selected candidate genes to probe causality for how sex modulates genes, developmental trajectories, and behaviour, we will decode (Aim 3) how discrete dopaminergic circuits can be reprogrammed sex-dependently. REDIRECT will causally disentangle how sex differently affects genes, circuits, and behaviour to inform novel sex-specific and age-tailored therapies for SIP deficits, a cross-disorder trait typical of common and severe mental illnesses, including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia