Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : REAL (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : University of Limerick — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

REAL opens up new perspectives in moral and political philosophy by closing the rift between analytical theories of rights and egalitarian theories of distributive justice. There is a perception in both the academic and public discourse that pursuing egalitarian economic policies is incompatible with a commitment to rights. Socialist thinkers have traditionally been sceptical of rights, and contemporary egalitarian theories are often silent about them. At the same time, theories that take rights seriously either neglect the distributive dimension or suggest that egalitarian redistribution may infringe on individual rights. Egalitarianism and rights thus appear to be inhospitable to each other. This project seeks first, to understand what explains this divide and second, to demonstrate that it can be bridged. REAL is motivated by the thought that a theory of justice, including economic justice, would be more action-guiding if it could translate its recommendations into moral and subsequently legal rights. It thus aims to show that egalitarianism is not only compatible with a commitment to rights but that they are mutually supportive. The project has three main objectives: - to refute the idea that the concept of rights rules out egalitarian commitments - to uncover the reasons why egalitarianism is inhospitable to rights and show that they are inconclusive - to propose a rights-friendly egalitarian theory of justice The project will critically examine theories of rights and egalitarian theories of justice and adopts an analytical approach that blends arguments from political and legal philosophy, normative ethics and axiology in order to provide a novel and solid framework that integrates the two and advances current debates in these areas.

Mots-clés : moral philosophy,rights,luck egalitarianism
Projet ERC : REDEFINE (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : The Open University — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : OU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2497726.0 €

REDEFINE will examine what China’s rise means for how we understand global development and, specifically, Europe’s place in it. After 15 years of ‘going out’ to access raw materials and new markets, often in the global South, China is making assertive moves into developed economies, which were boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative linking China to Europe. At the same time, many European economies stagnated following the 2008 financial crisis with governments cutting infrastructure investment and seeking alternative sources of finance. China now sees Europe as fertile ground for new infrastructure investment, yet many European firms and governments are ill-equipped to deal with these political and economic changes. The first wave of Chinese internationalisation into the global South has been analysed largely from the perspective of international Development Studies. In the current phase, China’s move westwards radically questions the meanings and loci of development. REDEFINE’s innovation is to use insights from international development to interrogate Chinese engagement in the heart of Europe and by doing so re-orient the Eurocentric debates in the social sciences around how we define and delimit development, who drives these processes, and what it means for societies affected by such investments. REDEFINE’s aims require a disaggregated approach to unpack project-by-project effects, which will be undertaken using an assemblage methodology. Through comparative, ethnographic case studies in the UK, Germany, Greece and Hungary REDEFINE will produce fine-grained analysis to understand the rationales for Chinese investment in Europe, the geopolitical dynamics surrounding these financing streams, the structuring of projects, and how they interface with national and local development policy. By better understanding how investment deals operate, REDEFINE will connect Chinese and European government and corporate actors in order to influence their strategies and practices.
Projet ERC : RISK (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : University of Padua — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIPD
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1452210.0 €

RISK investigates Republican pageantry and encomiastic production from late 16th- to early 18th-century Europe, with regard to the Italian city-states that maintained their independence throughout this timeframe (Venice, Genoa, Lucca), the Republic of Ragusa (today in southernmost Croatia) and the Dutch Republic. A multidisciplinary corpus of sources is taken into account, including: praising texts celebrating Republican values; paintings and engravings displaying civic rituals, or portraying mythological prosopopoeias of the Republic; and written accounts of public ceremonies, such as the election of the Doge or the triumph performed after a victorious campaign. RISK provides the first comprehensive overview of these Republican displays of state power in an era - the so-called Ancien Régime - that is generally perceived to have been marked by the rise of a unique political model, i.e. the absolute monarchy. By comparing the representation of kingship and the staging of the Republican state, RISK analyses to what extent the absolutist framework influences the display of ideals such as freedom, equality, and the common good. The goal is to comprehend how the rhetorical devices of Baroque culture extoll a power that does not apply to someone (the King), but rather to something (the Republic and Republican virtues). RISK is expected to lead to a paradigm shift in our understanding of early modern cultural policy and propaganda. Indeed, Ancien Régime republicanism offers a repertoire of images and concepts that embodies an alternative mode of thinking about the state. This legacy allows us to challenge the perceived idea of a Janus-faced early modern Europe, where a series of binary oppositions would supposedly herald the transition towards modern democracy (monarchy versus republic, absolutism versus Enlightenment, court versus public sphere). RISK undermines these juxtapositions, as it highlights the richness and the plurality of our cultural heritage.

Mots-clés : iconology,representation of power,cultural history,early modern republicanism,baroque propaganda,court poetry,encomiastic literature,commissioned cycles of paintings,festival books
Projet ERC : RivRNAStructureDecay (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Entité participante : UK Research and Innovation — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UKRI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499986.0 €

RNA plays a central role in the regulation of gene expression. The basal levels of RNA in a cell depend on the ratio between RNA synthesis and RNA degradation. RNA degradation is an active and critical process that dictates RNA levels and in part controls the relative levels of gene expression. However, despite many years of research, important and perplexing questions remain about RNA stability. Even when comparable RNA degradation processes are involved individual RNAs can have distinct decay rates and the mechanisms that control such distinctive rates are unknown. RNA structure is likely to be intrinsic to our understanding of the RNA features that govern stability and until very recently our ability to measure the true in vivo RNA structure has been incredibly limited. The aim of this proposal is to understand the role of RNA structure in the regulation of RNA degradation and determine the RNA structural features that regulate the degradation pathways. We propose an ambitious programme that will pursue the following objectives: 1. Globally investigate RNA structural features and compare these to RNA degradation in vivo. 2. Decipher the mechanism of no go decay (NGD) via identifying the role of the G-quadruplex. 3. Determine the role of RNA structure in the miRNA pathway for both miRNA precursor processing and miRNA-directed processing. This proposed study will reveal the fundamental function of RNA structures in RNA degradation. Two novel in vivo RNA structural profiling platforms will be established. The combination of RNA structural profiling, with existing ribosome profiling and the RNA degradome will generate a global view of RNA structural features and their relationship with RNA degradation. This proposed study will fill a significant gap in our understanding of the mechanisms of RNA degradation in plants and this will likely impact RNA studies in all eukaryotes.

Mots-clés : rna structure,in vivo,g quadruplex,rna degradation,mirna silencing,no go decay,transcriptome
Projet ERC : 1toStopVax (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Institut Pasteur — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

RNA viruses have extreme mutation frequencies. When a RNA virus replicates, nucleotide mutations are generated resulting in a population of variants. This genetic diversity creates a cloud of mutations that are potentially beneficial to viral survival, but the majority of mutations are detrimental to the virus. By increasing the mutation rate of a RNA virus, viral fitness is reduced because it generates more errors, and attenuates the virus during in vivo infection. Another feature that affects RNA virus fitness is mutational robustness. Mutational robustness is the ability to buffer the negative effects of mutation. The attenuation of RNA viruses for vaccine production faces problems of genetic instability and reversion to a pathogenic phenotype. The conventional method for attenuation is mostly empirical and specific to the particular RNA virus species. Hence, it cannot be universally applied to a variety of virus types. We've developed a non-empirical, rational means of attenuating RNA viruses, targeting mutational robustness as modifiable trait. We demonstrate that mutational robustness of RNA viruses can be modified without changing a virus' physical and biological properties for vaccine production; yet the virus is attenuated as it becomes victim of its naturally high mutation rate. Specifically, the genome of RNA viruses are modified so that a larger proportion of mutations become lethal Stop mutations. Our technology places the virus one step away from these Stop mutations (1-to-Stop). We succeeded in attenuating two RNA viruses from very different viral families, confirming the broad applicability of this approach. These viruses were attenuated in vivo, generated high levels of neutralizing antibody and protected mice from lethal challenge infection. The proposal now seeks to complete proof of concept studies and develop commercialization strategies to scale up this new technology to preclinical testing with industrial partners.

Mots-clés : vaccines,rna viruses,live attenuated virus
Projet ERC : OBSERVE (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : University Medical Center Utrecht — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UMC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

RNA-based therapeutics, including siRNA, miRNA, mRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 components, have unprecedented therapeutic potential and hold the promise of treating any disease with a genetic component. However, inefficient delivery into diseased cells hinders their clinical progress. Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel, original approaches to overcome the delivery challenges. Recently, an endogenous RNA transport system has emerged, based on the release and uptake of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are naturally equipped to transfer RNA molecules to other cells in a functional and selective manner. Furthermore, I have recently demonstrated that EVs deliver RNA more efficiently than state-of-the-art synthetic RNA nanocarriers. Thus, EVs hold promise as a new paradigm for RNA delivery. However, the mechanisms underlying EV-mediated RNA transfer are unknown, and reproducible methods for efficient loading of EVs with therapeutic RNA are lacking. The aim of my proposal is to (1) elucidate the mechanisms underlying EV internalization and processing that lead to the functional delivery of their RNA content and (2) radically improve the loading efficiency of EVs for therapeutic RNA delivery. To realize this, I will: 1) Identify genes and pathways involved in EV-mediated RNA transfer using a novel CRISPR/Cas9-based RNA delivery reporter system. 2) Systematically compare uptake and intracellular trafficking of EVs and synthetic nanocarriers. 3) Design a novel and improved method to load EVs with therapeutic RNA. 4) Demonstrate the effect of EV-mediated delivery of therapeutic RNA in a murine model of myocardial infarction. The outcome of this research will fundamentally advance our understanding of the cellular processes enabling EV-mediated RNA transfer, which is of crucial importance for the development of EV-based and EV-inspired delivery systems. This research will accelerate clinical translation of an entire new class of therapeutics based on EVs and RNA.

Mots-clés : extracellular vesicles,exosomes,rna therapeutics
Projet ERC : illumizymes (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Göttingen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : GAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 83750.0 €

RNAs are linear biopolymers that consist of only four types of building blocks, but can fold into complex three-dimensional structures that are endowed with selective, high-affinity ligand-binding abilities known as aptamers, and catalytic activities known as ribozymes. Genome projects have brought the surprising insight that a large part of the human genome is transcribed into RNAs, but only a very small fraction is translated into proteins. The actual number of noncoding RNAs with specific functions is currently unknown, but many are considered as prominent regulators of cellular functions. Posttranscriptional modifications of RNA add an extra layer of complexity, but their regulatory roles in RNA metabolism are only poorly understood. Despite the relative simplicity in molecular composition, the available methodological repertoire for manipulation, interrogation and visualization of RNA is rather limited. This project aims to solve the challenge of RNA labeling in both fixed and living cells, using aptamers and ribozymes for RNA imaging and functional characterization. We introduce the term illumizymes for novel tools that attach bio-orthogonal tags and fluorophores to specific RNA sequences, in vitro and in vivo. Ribozymes and aptamers for small, stable, and specific labels will be identified by in vitro selection and systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) to activate the fluorescence of latent chromophores by restricting their conformational flexibility and/or formation of covalent bonds by new bio-orthogonal reactions. Using naturally inspired, cell-permeable and non-toxic ligands, we will specifically select for increased brightness and photostability, and evolve illumizymes into color-switching probes for RNA microscopy. The new genetically encodable RNA devices will find widespread applications in diverse disciplines to enlighten our understanding of cellular RNA functions in health and disease.

Mots-clés : bio orthogonal chemistry,nucleoside synthesis,solid phase synthesis,aptamer,ribozyme,in vitro selection,selex,fluorescence,rna labeling,sequencing,cloning,imaging,microscopy
Projet ERC : illumizymes (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Würzburg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1977500.0 €

RNAs are linear biopolymers that consist of only four types of building blocks, but can fold into complex three-dimensional structures that are endowed with selective, high-affinity ligand-binding abilities known as aptamers, and catalytic activities known as ribozymes. Genome projects have brought the surprising insight that a large part of the human genome is transcribed into RNAs, but only a very small fraction is translated into proteins. The actual number of noncoding RNAs with specific functions is currently unknown, but many are considered as prominent regulators of cellular functions. Posttranscriptional modifications of RNA add an extra layer of complexity, but their regulatory roles in RNA metabolism are only poorly understood. Despite the relative simplicity in molecular composition, the available methodological repertoire for manipulation, interrogation and visualization of RNA is rather limited. This project aims to solve the challenge of RNA labeling in both fixed and living cells, using aptamers and ribozymes for RNA imaging and functional characterization. We introduce the term illumizymes for novel tools that attach bio-orthogonal tags and fluorophores to specific RNA sequences, in vitro and in vivo. Ribozymes and aptamers for small, stable, and specific labels will be identified by in vitro selection and systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) to activate the fluorescence of latent chromophores by restricting their conformational flexibility and/or formation of covalent bonds by new bio-orthogonal reactions. Using naturally inspired, cell-permeable and non-toxic ligands, we will specifically select for increased brightness and photostability, and evolve illumizymes into color-switching probes for RNA microscopy. The new genetically encodable RNA devices will find widespread applications in diverse disciplines to enlighten our understanding of cellular RNA functions in health and disease.

Mots-clés : bio orthogonal chemistry,nucleoside synthesis,solid phase synthesis,aptamer,ribozyme,in vitro selection,selex,fluorescence,rna labeling,sequencing,cloning,imaging,microscopy
Projet ERC : GPRV (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : University of Oxford — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999833.0 €

Radial velocity (RV) planet searches are a key exoplanet detection method, and one of the only ways to measure a planet's mass. The best RV instruments today reach precisions well below 1 m/s, something which would have seemed impossible 30 years ago. The key factor limiting the sensitivity of RV surveys now is stellar activity. Regions of enhanced magnetic flux on the stellar surface alter the shape of absorption lines in the stellar spectrum, and perturb the measured RVs. I have developed physically motivated but flexible, data-driven methods to disentangle planets from activity in RV data, which are critical to the success of future surveys. I now propose to apply these state-of-the-art techniques to the very large sample of multi-epoch spectra collected by HARPS and HARPS-N, the leading RV spectrographs of the past decade, and then to the forthcoming Terra Hunting Experiment (THE), which will use a copy of HARPS on a dedicated telescope to search for Earth-analogues around nearby stars. The combined HARPS(N) archives are a treasure trove of information on activity-induced perturbations to spectra and RVs, which is currently under-exploited. This project have a transformative effect on our understanding of different types of activity effects, their dependence on stellar properties, and their signatures in the spectra and RVs. It will reveal planets that were missed by previous analyses, particularly around active (young) stars. Finally, it sets out a clear route to the efficient mitigation of activity effects that the THE survey requires to achieve its goals. THE will discover some of the best exoplanet characterisation targets for the next 15-20 years, and my ERC-funded team will be central to its success.
Projet ERC : ICARO (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Italian Institute of Technology — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1047500.0 €

Radio and chemotherapy are the major clinical treatments for cancer. However these treatments lack cell specificity and can have severe side effects against healthy cells, especially when used in combination. My goal is to develop a nanocrystal (NC) platform to merge radio and chemotherapy into a single entity that is more specific towards tumor cells. To achieve ICARO’s goal, three main objectives will be pursued. The first objective is to introduce post-synthesis reactions, namely cation exchange (CE) and intercalation (INT) reactions, as new protocols to replace or intercalate cations that are useful as radionuclides within the crystal lattice of water-soluble NCs. Our goal is to establish protocols for the preparation of radiolabelled-NCs that will be easily translated to the medical practice for radiotherapy. This requires CE/INT reactions that occur in aqueous media, possibly with NCs prefunctionalized with specific recognition molecules to achieve targeted radiotherapy. To minimize the radio exposure of the operator, CE/INT protocols will be carried out as the last step of NC preparation. The second objective of ICARO will be to explore in situ CE/INT reactions with NCs entrapped in a matrix that simulates the tumor mass. By first located NCs at the tumor and then let the CE/INT to occur, enhance therapeutic effect is expected. The third objective of ICARO will be to develop heterostructures to combine radio and chemotherapy. They will include at least one semiconductor NC on which to perform radiolabelling protocols and one portion made of a superparamagnetic (SP) NC for magnetically triggered drug release. With respect to magnetic hyperthermia, which exploits SP-NCs to produce bulk heat (>46°C) at the tumor, the local heat effect generated at the surface of SP-NCs will enable drug release using a lower dose of magnetic material. Finally, new types of heterostructures combining radio and chemotherapy will be tested, for the first time, in preclinical trials.

Mots-clés : chemotherapy,metal based internal radiotherapy,nanostructures,drug release,nanocarriers,drug delivery,radiolabelled nanoparticles