Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : reptiCode (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Tel Aviv University — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499563.0 €

One of the oldest enigmas in neuroscience is the function of brain states. During these states, dramatic transitions occur in the firing patterns of neurons in the cerebral cortex. These transitions are correlated with behaviour during wakefulness but, strikingly, are even more prominent during sleep, when interaction with the environment is limited. The similarities between sleep and awake patterns remains unexplained, thus complicating our understanding of the global function of brain states. Additionally, state transitions are prominent in both the cortex and hippocampus, but the interplay between these areas during different states remains ambiguous. Why is the function of brain states so elusive? A likely explanation is that state transitions are inextricably intertwined with many other processes, rendering their dissection difficult. This project is motivated by the notion that to understand brain states we need to: a) examine them in a simpler model system, b) understand how they evolved, c) identify which state properties are fundamental and which are species specific. I suggest that studying brain states in the cerebral cortex of reptiles offers a unique opportunity for achieving all three goals. We will utilize the simpler and highly structured state organization in Pogona Vitticeps, to expose the full repertoire of brain states in a naturally behaving animal. We will take advantage of the limited diversity of motor movements in Pogona, to expose the link between population patterns and defined behaviors. We will furthermore exploit the unique evolutionary positions of reptiles as closest to stem amniotes, in which the layered cortex and hippocampus first emerged, to reveal the forces that pushed the emergence of brain states in evolution. Finally, through a comparative analysis of brain state properties between different lizards and mammals we will extract the fundamental properties and functions of brain states and the network that supports them.

Mots-clés : brain states,evolution,reptiles,pallium,sleep,sharp waves,reptile behavior,evolution of neural computation
Projet ERC : BACTIN (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Inrae
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1902195.0 €

One of the ultimate goals in cell biology is to understand how cells determine their shape. In bacteria, the cell wall and the actin-like (MreB) cytoskeleton are major determinants of cell shape. As a hallmark of microbial life, the external cell wall is the most conspicuous macromolecule expanding in concert with cell growth and one of the most prominent targets for antibiotics. Despite decades of study, the mechanism of cell wall morphogenesis remains poorly understood. In rod-shaped bacteria, actin-like MreB proteins assemble into disconnected membrane-associated structures (patches) that move processively around the cell periphery and are thought to control shape by spatiotemporally organizing macromolecular machineries that effect sidewall elongation. However, the ultrastructure of MreB assemblies and the mechanistic details underlying their morphogenetic function remain to be elucidated. The aim of this project is to combine ground-breaking light microscopy and spectroscopy techniques with cutting-edge genetic, biochemical and systems biology approaches available in the model rod-shaped bacterium Bacillus subtilis to elucidate how MreB and cell wall biosynthetic enzymes collectively act to build a cell. Within this context, new features of MreB assemblies will be determined in vivo and in vitro, and a “toolbox” of approaches to determine the modes of action of antibiotics targeting cell wall processes will be developed. Parameters measured by the different approaches will be used to refine a mathematical model aiming to quantitatively describe the features of bacterial cell wall growth. The long-term goals of BActin are to understand general principles of bacterial cell morphogenesis and to provide mechanistic templates and new reporters for the screening of novel antibiotics.

Mots-clés : bacterial morphogenesis,bacterial cytoskeleton,mreb,bacterial cell wall,macromolecular machineries,high resolution fluorescence microscopy,antimicrobials,systems biology
Projet ERC : CoBCoM (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Inria
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2469122.5 €

One third of the burden of all the diseases in Europe is due to problems caused by diseases affecting brain. Although exceptional progress has been obtained for exploring it during the past decades, the brain is still terra-incognita and calls for specic research efforts to better understand its architecture and functioning. CoBCoM is our response to this great challenge of modern science with the overall goal to develop a joint Dynamical Structural-Functional Brain Connectivity Network (DSF-BCN) solidly grounded on advanced and integrated methods for diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) and Electro & Magneto-Encephalography (EEG & MEG). To take up this grand challenge and achieve new frontiers for brain connectivity mapping, we will develop a new generation of computational models and methods for identifying and characterizing the structural and functional connectivities that will be at the heart of the DSF-BCN. Our strategy is to break with the tradition to incrementally and separately contributing to structure or function and develop a global approach involving strong interactions between structural and functional connectivities. To solve the limited view of the brain provided just by one imaging modality, our models will be developed under a rigorous computational framework integrating complementary non invasive imaging modalities: dMRI, EEG and MEG. CoBCoM will push far forward the state-of-the-art in these modalities, developing innovative models and ground-breaking processing tools to provide in-fine a joint DSF-BCN solidly grounded on a detailed mapping of the brain connectivity, both in space and time. Capitalizing on the strengths of dMRI, MEG & EEG methodologies and building on the bio- physical and mathematical foundations of our new generation of computational models, CoBCoM will be applied to high-impact diseases, and its ground-breaking computational nature and added clinical value will open new perspectives in neuroimaging.

Mots-clés : computational brain imaging,high order tensor,invariants,microstructure,source reconstruction,tractography,network analysis,structural and functional connectivity,diffusion mri
Projet ERC : FluidMICS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : University of Oxford — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 44023.0 €

Ongoing global warming is rapidly moving us away from the climate states we are used to and understand from observational time series. This poses the urgent need to extend our “climate memory” by deciphering climate information stored in geologic archives. However, obtaining quantitative estimates for past climate changes is challenging, particularly in terrestrial archives due to common limitations in time coverage, resolution, and chronology. FluidMICS will employ a novel technique to reconstruct past temperatures based on physical properties of relict drip water preserved in cave formations (speleothems). The behavior of such micrometer-scale fluid inclusions during cooling and heating is directly related to the temperature at which the inclusions were once closed off. This physical basis makes the method uniquely robust and distinguishes it from other paleo-thermometers that depend on empirical calibrations. Combined with the distinct advantages of speleothems, which cover long time periods and can be absolutely dated, this approach will lead to unprecedented insights into magnitude, timing, and distribution of past temperature changes, lifting paleoclimate research to a new level. Our pilot data show that the microthermometry method faithfully discloses past temperatures several hundred thousand years ago. In FluidMICS, we will generate a solid understanding of potential non-thermal effects, further increasing precision and accuracy of the reconstructed temperatures, streamlining the analysis, and extending the applicability of the method. These advances will enable us to generate uniquely accurate and precise terrestrial temperature records far back in time that are distributed over large areas of the globe. These new datasets will serve as invaluable resources to better understand the complexities of our climate system under different atmospheric CO2 concentrations and in times of rapid change, and to test climate models used for future projections.

Mots-clés : speleothem,fluid inclusions,temperature reconstruction,petrography,microscopy,quaternary
Projet ERC : 4DBIOSERS (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : CIC biomaGUNE — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2410771.0 €

Optical bioimaging is limited by visible light penetration depth and stability of fluorescent dyes over extended periods of time. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers the possibility to overcome these drawbacks, through SERS-encoded nanoparticle tags, which can be excited with near-IR light (within the biological transparency window), providing high intensity, stable, multiplexed signals. SERS can also be used to monitor relevant bioanalytes within cells and tissues, during the development of diseases, such as tumours. In 4DBIOSERS we shall combine both capabilities of SERS, to go well beyond the current state of the art, by building three-dimensional scaffolds that support tissue (tumour) growth within a controlled environment, so that not only the fate of each (SERS-labelled) cell within the tumour can be monitored in real time (thus adding a fourth dimension to SERS bioimaging), but also recording the release of tumour metabolites and other indicators of cellular activity. Although 4DBIOSERS can be applied to a variety of diseases, we shall focus on cancer, melanoma and breast cancer in particular, as these are readily accessible by optical methods. We aim at acquiring a better understanding of tumour growth and dynamics, while avoiding animal experimentation. 3D printing will be used to generate hybrid scaffolds where tumour and healthy cells will be co-incubated to simulate a more realistic environment, thus going well beyond the potential of 2D cell cultures. Each cell type will be encoded with ultra-bright SERS tags, so that real-time monitoring can be achieved by confocal SERS microscopy. Tumour development will be correlated with simultaneous detection of various cancer biomarkers, during standard conditions and upon addition of selected drugs. The scope of 4DBIOSERS is multidisciplinary, as it involves the design of high-end nanocomposites, development of 3D cell culture models and optimization of emerging SERS tomography methods.

Mots-clés : nanoplasmonics,surface enhanced raman scattering,biosensing,cell spheroids,3d cell models,nanomedicine
Projet ERC : ENCOMOLE-2i (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : University of Lübeck — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998530.0 €

Optical imaging has exceptional potential for medical diagnosis, because it can provide high spatial resolution and molecular contrast. However, for in vivo imaging in humans, the poor penetration of only a few millimetres is a major obstacle. Optical endoscopes solve this problem, but currently most of them only perform non-advanced, classical white light imaging. Also, the speed of current devices is not sufficient to comprehensively scan entire organs at microscopic resolution. Hence, medical imaging is still dominated by non-optical techniques like X-ray, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. The objective of ENCOMOLE-2i is to push the performance of advanced optical in vivo imaging techniques to cross the application threshold for clinical research and practice. An endoscopic multi-modal molecular imaging platform will be developed with unprecedented capabilities for the diagnosis of disease. The hardware technology development includes three novel imaging modalities. Optical coherence tomography with line rates of several Megahertz will be used for comprehensive structural imaging over large areas. Time encoded stimulated Raman sensing, supported by a new type of two photon microscopy, will be used for guided and referenced molecular imaging. Combining these techniques into one system and interfacing it with a newly developed endoscope will generate great synergy. Moreover, the unique synchronization capabilities of these modalities enable a radically new strategy for more efficient data acquisition: The concept of adaptive “Intelligent Imaging”. The goal is to develop a universal endoscopy platform which can then be specifically tailored to the individual application. In the project the focus is on gastrointestinal imaging. The synergy between technological and algorithmic advances in ENCOMOLE-2i will break ground for more optical in vivo imaging in clinical research and routine, which can finally lead to improved diagnosis of many types of disease.

Mots-clés : biomedical optics,biomedical imaging,endoscope,optical coherence tomography,raman,fourier domain mode locking,fdml,wavelength tuanble laser
Projet ERC : PhoW (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
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 : 147463.0 €

Optical quantum technologies—the use of the quantum properties of light to benefit from quantum-enhanced performances in communications, computation, simulation and sensing—require highly efficient single photon sources. Such devices are difficult to fabricate and today’s sources present an efficiency intrinsically limited to few percents. Within the framework of the ERC StG QD-CQED, the PI team developed a new generation of single photon sources based on semiconductor quantum dots in cavities that are more than an order of magnitude more efficient. However, the technology is currently only accessible to quantum optics highly-trained specialists and big research facilities with enough resources to acquire the expensive optical collection setup as well as the highly stabilized cryostats required to benefit from the source performances. The objective of this project is to develop an affordable prototype of a cryo-cooled plug-and-play single photon source. Such prototype is a critical step to allow crossing the chasm toward the single-photon source industrialization. To do so, we will integrate the photon source devices in a robust architecture, providing self-optical alignment through direct and monolithic fibre coupling. We will develop a customized cryo-cooler with the necessary packaging for the source integration. We will conduct detailed testing of the full prototype's robustness and stability to multiple cooling cycles. We will finally develop operation procedures and electrical feedback controls to allow for plug-and-play operation by non-specialists. The project also deals with all IPR measures and includes discussions with industrial partners for short-term commercialization.

Mots-clés : fiber coupling and cryogenic packaging for industrialization of quantum light sources,plug and play operation procedures for non specialist,reliability and robustness benchmarking
Projet ERC : SLAQ (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : INRIM
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Optical transitions in atoms and ions are used in precise interferometry, quantum computation (QC) and accurate clock applications, and the research in these fields has led the birth of a laser spectroscopy industry. Currently, this industry is growing, and smaller lasers are already finding their way into exciting transportable applications, such as rockets. QC possesses extensive market potential, and is expected to surpass the $2 billion mark over the next five years. QC industry is a forerunner in adopting tomorrow’s technologies, and the demand they create for new high-tech will also benefit other domains. Currently, QC is facing an enormous bottleneck – computers occupy large spaces in a way reminiscent of the 1960’s, when personal computers filled entire rooms but could carry out only the simplest operations. At the heart of miniaturization efforts for quantum computers are compact, reliable and inexpensive laser systems. In our laboratory, we faced the very same problem with our laser spectroscopy setup and were frustrated by the amount of time we had to devote to maintenance. We made an exciting innovation to overcome the current challenges. The key lies on the design of our Extended-Cavity Diode Laser (ECDL)-based setup, which combines the best features of current laser configurations (Littrow/Cateye). We use a novel design which makes the operation of the ECDL virtually free from any mechanical hysteresis-related problems. We can also fit the laser inside a miniaturized power supply, and achieve a considerably smaller volume for the unit. Therefore, we can create a compact, reliable and cost-effective laser system attractive for various applications. In the PoC, we will carry out a technology PoC and a commercialization PoC to improve the time to market of our exciting approach to laser spectroscopy.

Mots-clés : extended cavity diode laser,optical spectroscopy,quantum technologies
Projet ERC : APEG (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : Technical University of Munich — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2404250.0 €

Optimization problems are ubiquitous in computer science. Almost every problem involves the optimization of some objective function. However a major part of these problems cannot be solved to optimality. Therefore, algorithms that achieve provably good performance guarantees are of immense importance. Considerable progress has already been made, but great challenges remain: Some fundamental problems are not well understood. Moreover, for central problems arising in new applications, no solutions are known at all. The goal of APEG is to significantly advance the state of the art on algorithmic performance guarantees. Specifically, the project has two missions: First, it will develop new algorithmic techniques, breaking new ground in the areas of online algorithms, approximations algorithms and algorithmic game theory. Second, it will apply these techniques to solve fundamental problems that are central in these algorithmic disciplines. APEG will attack long-standing open problems, some of which have been unresolved for several decades. Furthermore, it will formulate and investigate new algorithmic problems that arise in modern applications. The research agenda encompasses a broad spectrum of classical and timely topics including (a) resource allocation in computer systems, (b) data structuring, (c) graph problems, with relations to Internet advertising, (d) complex networks and (e) massively parallel systems. In addition to basic optimization objectives, the project will also study the new performance metric of energy minimization in computer systems. Overall, APEG pursues cutting-edge algorithms research, focusing on both foundational problems and applications. Any progress promises to be a breakthrough or significant contribution.

Mots-clés : online algorithms,approximation algorithms,algorithmic game theory
Projet ERC : PB3P (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : Prebiomics srl — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Prebiomics
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Oral diseases are a global medical and socioeconomic burden. Diseases affecting dental implants (peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis) are particularly on the rise, and despite the plaque microbiome plays a crucial role in their etiology, the potential of profiling the microbial communities around implants for supporting implant care has not been exploited yet for clinical applications. The availability of metagenomic tools able to profile human microbiomes at unprecedented resolution developed within the ERC-StG MetaPG project and a pilot study we recently performed on the peri-implant microbiome are now enabling such tantalizing opportunity. In this PoC proposal, we aim to develop a product for dental clinics to provide clinically actionable indications for the prevention and treatment of peri-implant diseases by a combination of high-resolution strain-level metagenomic profiling and predictive machine learning methods. Such approach would overcome available clinical tests that are based on low-resolution molecular techniques that are inadequate at completely characterizing the plaque microbiome and do not offer a reliable support in the daily clinical practice to the dentists. By profiling and analysing 2,000 peri-implant microbiome samples collected from 50 dental clinics in the R&D phase, we aim to develop and validate a market-ready kit to (1) define a reproducible strain-level microbial signature for peri-implant diseases, (2) identify and characterize clinically relevant strain-level features of Fusobacterium nucleatum in mucositis, and (3) successfully support the clinical dental practice. Because inter-patient strain-level diversity of the plaque microbiome and of F. nucleatum in particular explains the variability in peri-implant health, our commercial proposition will provide the first microbiome-based and personalized approach for dental clinics.

Mots-clés : genomics,microbiome,peri implant diseases,healthcare,prevention