Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : APACHE (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UPC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499887.0 €

Cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (APP) have been reported to selectively kill cancer cells without damaging the surrounding tissues. Studies have been conducted on a variety of cancer types but to the best of our knowledge not on any kind of bone cancer. Treatment options for bone cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, etc. and may involve the use of bone grafting biomaterials to replace the surgically removed bone. APACHE brings a totally different and ground-breaking approach in the design of a novel therapy for bone cancer by taking advantage of the active species generated by APP in combination with biomaterials to deliver the active species locally in the diseased site. The feasibility of this approach is rooted in the evidence that the cellular effects of APP appear to strongly involve the suite of reactive species created by plasmas, which can be derived from a) direct treatment of the malignant cells by APP or b) indirect treatment of the liquid media by APP which is then put in contact with the cancer cells. In APACHE we aim to investigate the fundamentals involved in the lethal effects of cold plasmas on bone cancer cells, and to develop improved bone cancer therapies. To achieve this we will take advantage of the highly reactive species generated by APP in the liquid media, which we will use in an incremental strategy: i) to investigate the effects of APP treated liquid on bone cancer cells, ii) to evaluate the potential of combining APP treated liquid in a hydrogel vehicle with/wo CaP biomaterials and iii) to ascertain the potential three directional interactions between APP reactive species in liquid medium with biomaterials and with chemotherapeutic drugs. The methodological approach will involve an interdisciplinary team, dealing with plasma diagnostics in gas and liquid media; with cell biology and the effects of APP treated with bone tumor cells and its combination with biomaterials and/or with anticancer drugs.

Mots-clés : biomaterials,biomaterials synthesis,plasma physics
Projet ERC : COLMIN (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
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 : 3283466.1 €

Collagen mineralization in bone is one of the most crucial processes in our body as it supplies the skeleton on which we depend for support and protection. Bone’s impressive mechanical properties arise from the hierarchical organization of the organic collagen matrix that is mineralized with ultrathin, aligned inorganic crystals of carbonated hydroxyapatite. Despite its importance to the human body, relatively little is understood about collagen mineralization and how the proteins govern mineral growth with such precision. This is because the matrix development is a complex process with different stages that occur over multiple length scales and depends on many different components. I propose to obtain the first comprehensive picture of the collagen mineralization mechanism by unraveling its dynamics and structural details. It is not only of great fundamental importance, it also opens the way to the development of better biomaterials, as well as to strategies for the treatment of mineralization-related diseases. I will achieve this ambitious goal by designing a dedicated tissue engineering platform that models real bone as closely as possible, and will allow application of multiple advanced analysis techniques. These I will employ in a “Google Earth” approach, studying the process from the micrometer to the nanometer scale, combining live cell imaging and “beyond state-of-the-art” electron microscopy with chemical and biochemical analysis to reveal the details of collagen mineralization with the highest spatial, temporal and molecular resolution thus far. Exploiting my extensive expertise in the field of biomineralization and advanced electron microscopy, COLMIN will provide a major step in understanding collagen formation and mineralization, and provide insights that will help to fight bone-related diseases. The advanced multidisciplinary methodology developed here will set a new standard for the advanced analysis of bone formation and other biological processes.

Mots-clés : biomineralization,cryo electron microscopy,collagen mineralization,apatite,correlative,bone,non collagenous proteins,siblings
Projet ERC : COLMIN (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Eindhoven University of Technology — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : TU/e
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 214539.9 €

Collagen mineralization in bone is one of the most crucial processes in our body as it supplies the skeleton on which we depend for support and protection. Bone’s impressive mechanical properties arise from the hierarchical organization of the organic collagen matrix that is mineralized with ultrathin, aligned inorganic crystals of carbonated hydroxyapatite. Despite its importance to the human body, relatively little is understood about collagen mineralization and how the proteins govern mineral growth with such precision. This is because the matrix development is a complex process with different stages that occur over multiple length scales and depends on many different components. I propose to obtain the first comprehensive picture of the collagen mineralization mechanism by unraveling its dynamics and structural details. It is not only of great fundamental importance, it also opens the way to the development of better biomaterials, as well as to strategies for the treatment of mineralization-related diseases. I will achieve this ambitious goal by designing a dedicated tissue engineering platform that models real bone as closely as possible, and will allow application of multiple advanced analysis techniques. These I will employ in a “Google Earth” approach, studying the process from the micrometer to the nanometer scale, combining live cell imaging and “beyond state-of-the-art” electron microscopy with chemical and biochemical analysis to reveal the details of collagen mineralization with the highest spatial, temporal and molecular resolution thus far. Exploiting my extensive expertise in the field of biomineralization and advanced electron microscopy, COLMIN will provide a major step in understanding collagen formation and mineralization, and provide insights that will help to fight bone-related diseases. The advanced multidisciplinary methodology developed here will set a new standard for the advanced analysis of bone formation and other biological processes.

Mots-clés : biomineralization,cryo electron microscopy,collagen mineralization,apatite,correlative,bone,non collagenous proteins,siblings
Projet ERC : HiggS2 (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
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 : 1817028.0 €

Collective modes are witnesses of their underlying quantum order, such as superconductivity. Experimental observations of the collective amplitude mode of the superconducting state, named the Higgs mode due to its analogy with the high energy particle, are still scarce and controversial, despite being a fundamental outcome of the theory of superconductivity. Besides, many crucial questions remain open, like the mechanism of its observability, its mere existence in two-dimensional or unconventional superconductors, to name a few. Similarly to the Higgs boson, its detection remains a challenge for physicists. I identified a potential mechanism of observability making the Higgs mode detectable by Raman spectroscopy, based on the interplay between an adjacent quantum order and superconductivity. I propose here to unravel and investigate the full capability of this mechanism, and to develop a new framework for the quest of the Higgs mode. A first objective is to unveil the key ingredients of this observability by diversifying the type of adjacent order. A second objective is to explore the Higgs mode observability and nature in unconventional situations; in exotic superconductors and in the proximity of quantum criticality. As third objective, I change the dimensionality of the systems and investigate the Higgs mode stability in two-dimensional superconductors. I propose to monitor the detectability and nature of the Higgs mode in this careful selection of situations using advanced Raman spectroscopic techniques under extreme conditions at very low temperature, under lattice-density tuning or high magnetic field. This project will establish definitive examples of the observation and mechanism of observability of the Higgs mode in superconductors, while developing its phenomenology to address major problems at the frontier of quantum materials research, with impact beyond mere superconductivity and even condensed matter.
Projet ERC : EXPLORINGMATTER (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : University of Cagliari — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 967006.04 €

Collisions of ultra relativistic nuclei are a tool to reach huge energy densities and to form a new state of matter called Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), where quarks and gluons can move freely. A number of experiments have studied the possible formation of QGP, but the behaviour of heavy particles such as charm (c) and beauty (b) quarks when they traverse this medium is largely unknown and is the most powerful tool to prove the creation of the QGP and to characterise it. I will perform novel measurements using the LHCb detector at CERN, which covers an unique kinematic region, essential for a full understanding of QGP and nuclear matter in general. LHCb has been optimised to perform c and b quark physics measurements in proton-proton collisions. In EXPLORINGMATTER I propose to extend the LHCb programme to collect for the first time data in heavy ion collisions. Three experimental scenarios are foreseen: (1) Collisions of protons, benchmark to understand the behaviour of the c and b particles in other more complicated environments, as well as providing the final answers to the mechanism of heavy quarkonium production;(2) Collisions of protons with heavy nuclei, where cold nuclear matter effects in high-energy collisions can be studied in detail to understand lead nuclei collisions, where QGP is expected to be formed. (3) Collisions of heavy nuclei, pursued (a) by analysing heavy nuclei interactions through a dedicated setup in which gas will be injected in the LHCb interaction region, reaching energy densities typical of dedicated fixed target experiments; (b) by collecting heavy ion collision data at the LHC. This second setup, which has not been envisaged by LHCb up to now will revolutionise the measurements in this area thanks to the LHCb coverage and precision not achievable by any other experiment. My measurements will furthermore indicate the route to new experiments that could be designed on the basis of these findings.

Mots-clés : heavy nuclei,quark gluon plasma,quarkonia
Projet ERC : BioBarPro (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is caused by alterations in genes that regulate tissue growth and the risk of developing CRC is influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Although CRC is often preventable by removing precursor lesions, screening efforts have been hampered by low participation rates and by performance limitations of the screening tools themselves. Detection of blood in faeces is currently the most common screening tool, while stool DNA testing of molecular markers has emerged as a biologically rational and user-friendly strategy for the non-invasive detection of CRC and critical precursor lesions. This advance has significantly increased performance in detecting CRC, but still more than half of the precancerous lesions cannot be detected. The stool DNA test performance for detecting precancerous lesions is expected to be improved substantively by including a completely new type of biomarker, those formed earlier than genetic mutations in the process of carcinogenesis. Such biomarkers are DNA adducts; DNA molecules bound to chemicals. If not repaired, these DNA adducts generate mutations. Herein, we propose to expand an ERC-funded research result into a kit for measuring CRC-initiating DNA adducts in a stool sample. This kit will enable personalized feedback that quantitatively integrates environmental and genetic factors in colon-cancer associated DNA damage. We have filed a patent application for the chemical basis of the technology and have partnered with an ETH spin-off for the scientific development of our existing proof of principle assay to a prototype kit. In parallel to the scientific work, during the Proof of Concept phase, we will address a phase of the overall commercialization plan that involves licensing the technology to a business partner in the life sciences sector.

Mots-clés : dna adducts,diagnostic kit,hybridization probe,colorectal cancer,disease prevention,stool dna testing
Projet ERC : COLOURTEST (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of Sussex — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 140423.0 €

Colour vision deficiency (CVD) is a genetic disorder of colour vision that affects 7.4% of European males and 0.4% of European females. Although there are reliable tests for diagnosing CVD in adults and older children, there are only a few tests for young children, and fundamental issues with these tests render them unreliable. For example, colours used in the tests are too similar for young children to discriminate given their immature colour vision, tasks are too difficult for them to complete, tests either over- or under-diagnose CVD, or are not widely accessible. Therefore, the current situation is that CVD can be reliably diagnosed only from about 5 years onwards. Earlier diagnosis would enable steps to be taken to ensure CVD children are not disadvantaged in early years education that relies on colour coded schemes and materials. Our goal is to develop, evaluate and bring to market an age-appropriate early years test for CVD. Our research on the ERC funded ‘CATEGORIES’ project is investigating the development of colour perception in over 1400 infants and toddlers. This extensive testing has given us specialist insight into the exact colours that are appropriate for an early years test for CVD. We have also developed age-appropriate tasks that measure young children’s responses to colour in a reliable and efficient manner. In the current project we propose to develop an early years CVD test in the form of an app. The test will use the colours that we have defined and the tasks that we have developed, and we aim for it to provide an accurate CVD diagnosis. The project will take the test to proof of concept and will establish the scientific validity, technical feasibility and commercialisation process. We aim that the test will be the ‘gold standard’ for educators, clinicians, scientists and parents. This will ensure that CVD can be detected earlier than is currently the case, bringing important and tangible benefits for education, clinical practice and research.

Mots-clés : colour,vision,child development
Projet ERC : CASe (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : University of Copenhagen — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UCPH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 917494.4 €

Combinatorics, and its interplay with geometry, has fascinated our ancestors as shown by early stone carvings in the Neolithic period. Modern combinatorics is motivated by the ubiquity of its structures in both pure and applied mathematics. The work of Hochster and Stanley, who realized the relation of enumerative questions to commutative algebra and toric geometry made a vital contribution to the development of this subject. Their work was a central contribution to the classification of face numbers of simple polytopes, and the initial success lead to a wealth of research in which combinatorial problems were translated to algebra and geometry and then solved using deep results such as Saito's hard Lefschetz theorem. As a caveat, this also made branches of combinatorics reliant on algebra and geometry to provide new ideas. In this proposal, I want to reverse this approach and extend our understanding of geometry and algebra guided by combinatorial methods. In this spirit I propose new combinatorial approaches to the interplay of curvature and topology, to isoperimetry, geometric analysis, and intersection theory, to name a few. In addition, while these subjects are interesting by themselves, they are also designed to advance classical topics, for example, the diameter of polyhedra (as in the Hirsch conjecture), arrangement theory (and the study of arrangement complements), Hodge theory (as in Grothendieck's standard conjectures), and realization problems of discrete objects (as in Connes embedding problem for type II factors). This proposal is supported by the review of some already developed tools, such as relative Stanley--Reisner theory (which is equipped to deal with combinatorial isoperimetries), combinatorial Hodge theory (which extends the ``K\"ahler package'' to purely combinatorial settings), and discrete PDEs (which were used to construct counterexamples to old problems in discrete geometry).
Projet ERC : MaDAf (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
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 : 1469688.0 €

Combining multi-site archival work, the MaDAf project will outline a history of madness in West Africa, during the decolonisation period and after independence. The project will focus on three main areas connected to the history of Africa, decolonisation, and the history of madness: by looking at a the decolonisation and post-independence periods, the project aims firstly to underline the ruptures but also the continuities in the everyday government of madness; it will offer a theoretical framework for using hitherto unexplored archives in order to construct a comparative history of madness from below; it intends to give a comparative social history of madness that goes beyond the history of psychiatry, and to outline broader analytical pathways to integrating the results into global trends; Although sociology and anthropology have explored mental disorder in Africa, this theme of research remains under-analysed by historians. This project follows three transversal lines of research: firstly, it will look at the processes of definition and categorisation of madness by a diversity of actors in order to analyse the processes of population control during the (post)colonial era; secondly, it will shed light on a multi-site analysis of madness in West Africa by looking beyond strictly psychiatric spaces in order to scrutinise all the institutions that handle madness in a punitive manner; thirdly, the project will investigate psychiatric institutions in West Africa, understood as a non-penal form of confinement. MADAF will be the first detailed and comparative historical investigation of madness and psychiatry on the African continent. The project aims to offer ground-breaking results with regard to the ordinary practices and experiences of madness on the ground in West Africa. Combining the methodology offers by micro-history and social history and an interdisciplinary approach, the project will more generally open up new pathways in both African and global history.

Mots-clés : west africa,policing,madness
Projet ERC : MILESTONE (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : RWTH Aachen University — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RWTH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499884.0 €

Combustion is an extremely important field for our society. The development of new, step-change technologies is essential and greatly benefits from computational design. However, turbulent combustion physics are complex, highly non-linear, of multi-scale and multi-physics nature, and involve interactions at many time-scales. This makes modeling quite challenging such that accurate predictive models, especially for the formation of pollutants, are not available. Today, the two major challenges for developing predictive simulations of turbulent combustion are first to account for its multi-scale nature by considering the non-universal behavior of small-scale turbulence, which is known to be critically important for turbulence-chemistry interactions, and second, to provide data in sufficient detail for rigorous analysis of model deficiencies and unambiguous model development. These two issues are addressed in the proposed work. The main overall objectives are: 1) Establish a new multi-scale framework to analyze and model turbulent combustion phenomena based on a new way to describe turbulence using so-called dissipation elements, which are space-filling regions in a scalar field allowing to capture its small-scale morphology and non-universality. 2) Create new unprecedented datasets using direct numerical simulations (DNS) and provide new analysis methods to develop and validate combustion models; this will include automatically reducing and optimizing chemical kinetic mechanisms for use in DNS and developing an on-the-fly chemistry reduction technique. 3) Apply new modeling approaches to complex and highly non-linear modeling questions, such as pollutant formation in turbulent spray combustion. The successful outcome of the project will provide new and unprecedented datasets, a quantitative description of the impact of non-universality in small-scale turbulence on different aspects of turbulent combustion, and the basis for an entirely new multi-scale closure.