Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : NANOSHOCK (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
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 : 2353438.0 €

Fluid dynamics are fundamental to a wide spectrum of natural phenomena and technological applications. Among the most intriguing fluid dynamics events are shockwaves, discontinuities in the macroscopic fluid state that can lead to extreme temperatures, pressures and concentrations of energy.The violence and yet the spatial localization of shockwaves presents us with a unique potential for in situ control of fluid processes with surgical precision. Applications range from kidney-stone lithotripsy and drug delivery to advanced aircraft design. How can this potential be leveraged/harnessed? What mechanisms and inherent properties allow for formation and control of shocks in complex environments such as living organisms? How can shocks be generated in situ and targeted for drug delivery with high precision while minimizing side effects? What is the potential of reactive/fluidic-process steering by shock-interaction manufacturing? Our objective is to answer these questions by state of the art computational methods, supported by benchmark quality experiments. Computations will be based on advanced multi-resolution methods for multi-physics problems with physically consistent treatment of sub-resolution scales. Uncertainty quantification will be employed for deriving robust flow and shock-dynamic field designs. Paradigms and efficient computational tools will be delivered to the scientific and engineering community. Our group has strong foundations in complex-fluid physics and computational methods and a strong record of successfully integrating research and technical applications. Our goal is to provide un-precedented insight into shock generation and dynamics in complex environments and to unravel the path to technical solutions. Leveraging the enormous potential of manufactured shocks in situ gives access to breakthrough innovations and high-impact technologies, ranging from shock-driven nanoparticle reactors to non-invasive shock-mediated low-impact cancer therapies.
Projet ERC : MolMap (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Entité participante : Max Planck Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : MPG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 385000.0 €

Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool for exploring biomolecules in cells and tissues, especially with the advent of super-resolution techniques. To better understand key processes such as cell differentiation and disease progression, it is crucial to investigate the abundance, localization and mutual interactions of crucial cellular components such as nucleic acids and proteins. Unraveling their complex interplay in whole signaling networks is necessary to investigate cellular responses to stimuli. However, currently available characterization techniques are either limited by low multiplexing capability (e.g. fluorescence microscopy) or lack localization information (e.g. mass spectrometry). Despite the immense biological and clinical relevance of understanding network-wide changes, the lack of a technological platform to image, identify and quantify a multitude of key protein networks at high spatial resolution in tissues impedes our understanding of the molecular basis of health and disease. I aim to solve this pressing issue and revolutionize fluorescence microscopy using tools from DNA Nanotechnology with transformative potential to positively answer the question: Can we localize and identify each protein or nucleic acid molecule in a complex tissue microenvironment? The approach is based on my recently developed DNA- and Exchange-PAINT techniques. To push the envelope of what’s technically possible I will first build a lattice light-sheet microscope for deep tissue high throughput DNA-PAINT imaging. Second, I will develop novel nanobody- and aptamer-based labeling approaches in combination with molecular barcoding and automated multiplexed image acquisition and processing. With these disruptive and transformative tools, I will investigate whole signaling cascades at once in single cells and whole tissues, thus enabling quantitative imaging transcriptomics and proteomics with highest spatial resolution.

Mots-clés : super resolution microscopy,single molecule imaging,dna nanotechnology,quantitative microscopy
Projet ERC : FocAd (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Entité participante : Max Planck Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MPG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999998.0 €

Focal adhesions (FA) are gigantic protein complexes whose formation is triggered by integrin ligand activation. FAs represent (1) a sensing platform and anchoring points to the outside environment and, (2) a machinery to transduce this information by initiating signaling pathways for cell growth, survival, migration and polarization. Failure in the regulation of FA leads to developmental defects and contributes to the formation of aggressive cancers. Hence, understanding FA formation is the basis for counteracting these detrimental effects. Recently, mass spectrometry and advanced light microscopy clarified players involved in the FA assembly and implicated sophisticated regulation networks of membranes and actin cytoskeletons in the growth of FAs. However, the molecular mechanisms of FA formation and signaling still remain unclear. We propose to study the molecular mechanisms governing the growth of FA by bottom-up reconstitutions using purified recombinant protein components. We will employ a systematic and hierarchical assembly of the FA machinery on an integrin platform as well as on an actin cytoskeleton in a stepwise fashion. We will use a combination of cutting-edge techniques of hybrid structural biology (cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography), light microscopy and biochemical/biophysical approaches. Our core expertise is cryo-EM, which has emerged as the method of choice to study the molecular mechanisms of (super-)macromolecular assemblies. Furthermore, we will set up a system to observe the behavior of tension-sensitive FA components in the presence of force under cryo-EM. Finally, lessons learned from our biochemical and ultrastructural analysis will be directly transferred and tested in living cells. Using these innovative methods, we will tackle fundamental and medically relevant questions regarding the assembly and function of FAs.
Projet ERC : DISTRES (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : Weizmann Institute of Science — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1450085.0 €

Following the immense recent advances in distributed networks, the explosive growth of the Internet, and our increased dependence on these infrastructures, guaranteeing the uninterrupted operation of communication networks has become major objective in network algorithms. The modern instantiations of distributed networks, such as, the Bitcoin network and cloud computing, introduce in addition, new security challenges that deserve urgent attention in both theory and practice. The goal of this project is to develop a unified framework for obtaining fast, resilient and secure distributed algorithms for fundamental graph problems. We will be focusing on three main objectives: 1. Developing efficient distributed algorithms that handle various adversarial settings, such as, node crashes and Byzantine attacks. 2. Initiating and establishing the theoretical exploration of security in distributed graph algorithms. Such a notion has been addressed before mainly in the context of secure multi-party computation (MPC). The heart of our approach is to develop new graph theoretical infrastructures to provide graphical secure channels between nodes in a communication network of an arbitrary topology. 3. Exploring the power of interaction between an untrusted prover and a distributed verifier. This model touches upon central theoretical concepts concerning randomness, communication, and their interplay with the underlying graph. The main novelty in addressing these objectives is in our approach, which is based on taking a graph theoretic perspective where common notions of resilience requirements will be translated into suitably tailored combinatorial graph structures. We believe that the proposed plan will deepen the theoretical foundations for resilient distributed computation, strengthen the connections with the areas of fault tolerant network design and information theoretic security, and provide a refreshing perspective on extensively-studied graph theoretical concepts.

Mots-clés : distributed graph algorithms,congest model,theory of computation,fault tolerant network design
Projet ERC : SIMDAMA (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1685500.0 €

For decades, the Standard Model of particle physics has successfully predicted the outcome of experiments probing the laws of nature on the smallest distances. Its last missing ingredient, the Higgs particle, was discovered at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in 2012. A vast experimental program is now underway to complete its description of weakly interacting particles called neutrinos. For all its successes, the Standard Model does not provide an explanation for the nature of dark matter, which is thought to account for a quarter of the energy in the universe. This project, based on the `lattice QCD' framework, will enable a more stringent test of the Standard Model, contribute to narrowing down the list of dark-matter candidate particles, and reduce uncertainties in neutrino detection. The strong interaction, which binds protons and neutrons together to form atomic nuclei, is described by the sector of the Standard Model called Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). The complexity of the strong interaction is often the limiting factor in testing the Standard Model and in searching for new fundamental particles and forces. Strong-interaction matter is also of tremendous intrinsic interest because it exhibits many emerging phenomena such as spontaneous symmetry breaking, quantum-relativistic bound states, and a high-temperature `quark-gluon plasma' phase, to name a few. By replacing space and time by a lattice, QCD becomes amenable to an ab initio treatment via large-scale computer simulations. The subproject of testing `sterile' neutrinos as dark-matter constituents depends on understanding aspects of hot QCD matter, since they would have been produced in the early, hot universe. This goal is thus connected to present-day heavy-ion collision experiments, where tiny droplets of hot QCD matter are produced in the laboratory.

Mots-clés : pacs03  12 38 gc lattice qcd simulations
Projet ERC : LymphMap (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Weizmann Institute of Science — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

For many years, lymphatic vessels have been viewed as inert fluid conduits whose open structure allows for passive flow of antigens, proteins and cells from peripheral tissues to lymphoid organs. Yet, recent discoveries highlighting novel functions and heterogeneous origins of the lymphatic endothelium, call for reevaluation of the passive lymphatic-vessel paradigm. During the past decade, we have used the zebrafish (ZF) to detail the cellular and molecular events underlying the development of the lymphatic system. Our discoveries have greatly contributed to our understanding of the origins, specification and mechanisms of formation of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) in the developing embryo. In line with our past achievements, we now aim towards novel directions- to transform the adult ZF into an equally convenient model for the study of lymphatic diversity. The overall goal of LymphMap is to reveal the multiple regulatory levels that coordinate the formation and functionality of lymphatic vessels in health and disease. To this end, we will carry out a comprehensive research program characterizing four distinct aspects of lymphatic biology: 1.Cellular origins and molecular signature of LECs 2.Formation and specialization of organotypic lymphatics 3.Lymphatic vessels during organ regeneration 4.Lymphatic involvement in human disease Our experimental strategy involves the combination of high-resolution imaging, global expression profiling and regeneration models in adult ZF, with analyses of human-derived LECs in various clinical settings. The important and unique aspects of our approach are the focus on in vivo dynamics, and the cross-organ comparative analysis, which will likely provide the much-needed knowledge on lymphatic diversity in health and disease. When completed, we anticipate that this work will be part of a new paradigm – no longer perceiving lymphatics as passive bystanders, but rather as orchestrators of tissue morphogenesis and regeneration.

Mots-clés : lymphatic,zebrafish,regeneration
Projet ERC : EndoMitTalk (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Autonomous University of Madrid — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UAM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1199875.0 €

For many years, mitochondria were viewed as semiautonomous organelles, required only for cellular energetics. This view has been displaced by the concept that mitochondria are fully integrated into the life of the cell and that mitochondrial function and stress response rapidly affect other organelles, and even other tissues. A recent discovery from my lab demonstrated that mitochondrial metabolism regulates lysosomal degradation (Cell Metabolism, 2015), thus opening the way to investigate the mechanism behind communication between these organelles and its consequences for homeostasis. With this proposal, we want to assess how mitochondrial crosstalk with endolysosomal compartment controls cellular homeostasis and how mitochondrial dysfunction in certain tissues may account for systemic effects on the rest of the organism. EndoMitTalk will deliver significant breakthroughs on (1) the molecular mediators of endolysosomal-mitochondria communication, and how deregulation of this crosstalk alters cellular (2), and organism homeostasis (3). Our central goals are: 1a,b. To identify metabolic and physical connections mediating endolysosomal-mitochondria crosstalk; 2a. To decode the consequences of altered interorganelle communication in cellular homeostasis 2b. To study the therapeutic potential of improving lysosomal function in respiration-deficient cells; 3a. To assess how unresolved organelle dysfunction and metabolic stresses exclusively in immune cells affects organism homeostasis and lifespan. 3b. To decipher the molecular mediators by which organelle dysfunction in T cells contributes to age-associated diseases, with special focus in cardiorenal and metabolic syndromes. In sum, EndoMitTalk puts forward an ambitious and multidisciplinary but feasible program with the wide purpose of understanding and improving clinical interventions in mitochondrial diseases and age-related pathologies.

Mots-clés : mitochondria,endolysosomal system,interorganelle communication,t lymphocytes,inflammaging,cardiorenal syndrome,metabolic disorder,age associated diseases
Projet ERC : OPTORETINA (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Centre hospitalier national d’ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CHNO
Type d'entité : Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 781266.25 €

For patients suffering from inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), gene and cell therapies offer hope of preserving or restoring vision. Retinal imaging is crucial, to first phenotype patients to determine which cells are degenerated and devise an appropriate therapeutic path; then in the lab for cell therapy development, and finally back in the clinic to monitor therapeutic success in patients who have been treated with gene or cell therapy. To date, the imaging tools used in the clinic do not provide sufficient resolution for visualizing individual cells non-invasively, constituting a major roadblock for the development of gene and cell therapies. My group develops novel optical imaging tools for noninvasive cellular imaging such as full field optical coherence tomography (FFOCT), an interferometric technique, and adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy (AOO), which corrects ocular aberrations, to achieve diffraction limited resolution of in vivo retina. Recently we also devised a dynamic FFOCT method to detect metabolic contrast using intracellular organelle motion to indicate cell activity. These new noninvasive, all optical tools have the potential to provide, for the first time, simultaneous subjective and objective retinal function measurements. Here, I propose to adapt these existing optical setups based on dynamic FFOCT and AOO to allow retinal stimulation with visible light to enable functional testing of i) patients with IRDs in order to evaluate surviving cells and orient their therapy path; ii) in vitro retinal organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells; ii) patients being treated in our clinical centre with novel gene and cell therapies to check that vision is being successfully preserved or restored. The new imaging methods developed here will achieve quantitative functional assessment of cellular activity in vivo and in vitro, lifting the major imaging obstacles for successful application of gene and cell therapies in the clinic.

Mots-clés : ophthalmology,inherited retinal disease,optical coherence tomography,adaptive optics,scanning laser ophthalmoscopy,gene cell optogenetic therapies,microscopy,live imaging,retinal organoids,optoretinography,perimetry
Projet ERC : SmartForests (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : University of Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. Cambridge
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1996004.0 €

Forests are crucial to acting on environmental change. They are key contributors to the carbon cycle and biodiversity, as well as air and water quality. At the same time, digital technologies are reshaping forests in order to manage and enhance their environmental contributions. However, these new technologies are generating social-political impacts that have yet to be extensively researched. For the first time, this groundbreaking project addresses the vital question of how forests are becoming “smart” through the increasing use of digital technologies to manage these environments. Smart forests span locations from Germany to New York City to Thailand, and from remote to urban areas. While there is now extensive research on smart cities, other “smart” environments have been less well studied. This is problematic, since it is necessary to assess how these technologies enable and constrain particular modes of governance and engagement. Without this research, smart environments such as smart forests run the risk of producing social-political inequities and undemocratic governance, as has been identified with smart cities. Using inventive digital practices, fieldwork, participatory workshops and mapping, the research will investigate the transformation of forests and forest communities through digital technologies. Through 5 case studies, the project will analyze the ways in which forest technologies are transforming practices of observing, mitigating, participating in, and regulating environmental change. SmartForests asks not just how digital technologies are remaking forests, but also investigates how forests become social-political technologies for addressing environmental change. Situated at the intersection of science and technology studies (STS) and digital media studies, the research will demonstrate how these technologies impact socio-ecological relations, and will propose more equitable approaches to digital and environmental practice and policy.

Mots-clés : digital technology,smart environments,environmental media,forests
Projet ERC : ECOHERB (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Lund University — Pays : Suède — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1705420.75 €

Forests slow global climate change by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide but this ecosystem service is limited by soil nutrients. Herbivores potentially alter soil nutrients in a range of ways, but these have mostly only been recorded for large mammals. By comparison, the impacts of the abundant invertebrates in forests have largely been ignored and are not included in current models used to generate the climate predictions so vital for designing governmental policies The proposed project will use a pioneering new interdisciplinary approach to provide the most complete picture yet available of the rates, underlying drivers and ultimate impacts of key nutrient inputs from invertebrate herbivores across forest ecosystems worldwide. Specifically, we will: (1) Establish a network of herbivory monitoring stations across all major forest types, and across key environmental gradients (temperature, rainfall, ecosystem development). (2) Perform laboratory experiments to examine the effects of herbivore excreta on soil processes under different temperature and moisture conditions. (3) Integrate this information into a cutting-edge ecosystem model, to generate more accurate predictions of forest carbon sequestration under future climate change. The network established will form the foundation for a unique long-term global monitoring effort which we intend to continue long after the current funding time scale. This work represents a powerful blend of several disciplines harnessing an array of cutting edge tools to provide fundamentally novel insights into an area of direct and urgent importance for the society.

Mots-clés : data model integration,indirect climate drivers,plant herbivore interactions,plant soil linkages,trophic interactions