Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : BEATRICE (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Queen's University Belfast — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : QUB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1997797.0 €

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MaMi) is now a core technology for 5G networks. With MaMi, we refer to systems with an unconventionally large number (e.g. hundreds or even thousands) of base station antennas simultaneously serving tens (or even hundreds) of users. To date, the development of MaMi has been exclusively based on information theory (IT) tailored towards cellular communications. While IT is undoubtedly a versatile mathematical tool, it is based on mathematical logic. This theoretical framework now needs to be extended and reshaped to: (i) account for the unique electromagnetic (EM) properties and (ii) incorporate the main feature of future MaMi-based communication systems, namely their capability of sensing the system’s response to the radio waves, and thereby informing its modification. Looking ahead, MaMi will have far more general applications: optical communications, radar, and wireless power transfer to name a few. The grand question that the proposed research will address is: Are the existing IT tools sufficient to understand the physical phenomena and develop the upcoming generation of MaMi-based systems in ten years from now? BEATRICE will address this fundamental question by unifying EM theory and IT and pave the way for an extended range of applications supported by massive antenna arrays after 2025. The specific project objectives are to: O1) Redefine the information theoretic modelling of concurrent and future MaMi-based systems using knowledge of unique EM characteristics, thereby quantifying their realisable potential. O2) Develop new topological designs and modulation techniques for robust communication by harnessing knowledge about the EM properties of the transceivers and the propagation medium. O3) Leverage the world-class T&M facilities at QUB, to design, fabricate and measure novel array topologies which will be able to support a plethora of MaMi-based applications.

Mots-clés : massive mimo,information theory,electromagnetic theory
Projet ERC : COSMICLENS (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : University of Liège — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 697805.0 €

Measuring cosmological distances has revolutionized our understanding of the Universe, and is still doing so! Early work in the 1920s led to the discovery of the expansion of the Universe. More precise distance measurements in the 90s with type-Ia supernovae revealed that this expansion is accelerating, with crucial consequences in cosmology and physics. Is the acceleration due to some repulsive form of dark energy? To Einstein's cosmological constant? Do we need to consider new physics? Answering these fundamental questions requires a precise measurement of the Hubble parameter, H0, which is my goal using the time delay (TD) method in strongly lensed quasars. The TD method exploits well-known physics on galaxy-scales. It is one of the very few techniques that can yield H0 to <2% using a single methodology. It involves no calibration, and is truly independent of any other cosmological probe. Capitalizing on the successful pathfinders COSMOGRAIL (PI: Courbin) and H0LiCOW (PI: Suyu, CoI: Courbin) time has come to fully exploit TDs with an observational, modeling and technical boost, organized in 2 phases. Phase I will secure H0 to 2% using the current chain of analysis, with feasible enhancements beyond the current state-of the-art. This will confirm or refute the tension seen between H0 values with different cosmological probes. Phase II targets 1% precision, improving the FoM of Stage-IV cosmological surveys by 40%. The 4 proposed Work Packages can transform the field within the next 5 years by 1- implementing the first high-cadence photometric monitoring of lensed quasars to measure 50 new TDs, 2- providing new flexible non-parameteric lens models based on sparse regularization of the reconstructed source and lens mass/light distributions, 3- providing a modular end-to-end simulation framework to mock lensed systems from hydro-simulations and to evaluate in detail the impact model degeneracies on H0, 4- discovering new suitable lensed quasars in current surveys.
Projet ERC : ProForce (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Utrecht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1991760.0 €

Mechanical forces play critical roles in the regulation of biological functions, including development, motility, and haemostasis. Aberrant mechano-regulation is implicated in human pathologies, including cancer and infarction. Proteins sense forces by undergoing conformational changes under external loads that trigger downstream signaling. Despite its importance, mechanical regulation at the single-protein level remains poorly understood, in part due to a lack of suitable techniques to probe the physiological highly relevant low force (~1 pN) range. ProForce aims to understand mechano-regulation at the single-molecule level in this previously inaccessible regime and to develop approaches to directly interfere with and correct aberrant force responses. We propose to advance massively-parallel magnetic tweezers as the ideal tool for single-protein force measurements, as they can resolve very small forces (<0.1 pN), perform stable and highly-multiplexed measurements over long times, and can readily be combined with fluorescence detection to provide an orthogonal read out. We aim to address three sets of biological systems that are regulated by low forces and are potential targets for drugs that alter their force response: 1) The blood protein von Willebrand factor (VWF) that is activated by shear flow and critically involved in haemostasis. Reduced VWF activity leads to bleeding disorders, while gain-of-function mutations increase the risk of myocardial infarction. 2) Focal adhesion kinase is a force-activated kinase involved in intracellular signal transduction pathways important in cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis. 3) Adhesion G-protein coupled receptors are a subset of the GPCR-family, activated by mechanical stimuli and involved in development, immunity, neuronal function, and tumorigenesis. The aim of ProForce is to understand mechano-regulation at the single-protein level and to establish force response as a potential drug target.

Mots-clés : protein conformational changes,forces,force spectroscopy,magnetic tweezers,von willebrand factor,focal adhesion kinase,adhesion gpcr
Projet ERC : SENECA (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
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 : 1898750.0 €

Mechanical instabilities of thin sheets has long been exploited in Nature to create patterns and ensure vital functions such as stimuli responsiveness. By applying forces at the surface of thin objects, it is possible to create a wide variety of chiral 3D shapes such as helices, twists and rolls. Moreover, minute changes on these forces can induce dramatic shape-shifting between different geometries. Our goal is to use this general principle to establish a new class of chiral and addressable nanostructures that current synthetic strategies can not afford. Building on our pioneering results, i will use organic ligands at the surface of two dimensional colloidal nanoplatelets to bend and twist ultrathin nanosheets into complex shapes. We first aim at establishing generic synthetic principles for colloidal 2D materials. To do so, we will develop in situ scattering methods to get atomistic insight on their formation mechanism. We will then determine the link between surface chemistry, interfacial stress and conformation in a set of model systems. Based on these insights, we will design stimuli responsive surface ligands whose conformational change upon excitation by an external stimuli will impact the nanoparticle shape. Finally, understanding the nanoscale colloidal forces and geometric frustration between these new building blocks will enable the design of nanostructured solids made by out-of-equilibrium assembly. This research program will advance our fundamental knowledge on mechanics at the nanoscale and provide a mechanistic framework for synthetic chemistry of 2D materials. The nanoparticles that we will synthesize are expected to have broad applications due to their chiroptical properties and their stimuli responsive character in fields as diverse as nano-swimmers, detection of chiral bio-coumpounds, photo-catalysis, soft-robotic or sensors/actuators.

Mots-clés : nanoplatelets,semi conducting,quantum dots
Projet ERC : MECHANOGENOMICS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 307170.0 €

Mechanotransduction is the signaling by which external mechanical stimuli are converted into biological signals within the cell. It helps to probe and map the rigidity and texture of external world and appeared with the first life forms some 3.8 billion years ago. In mammals, many fundamental physiological functions are regulated by mechanotransduction. The somatosensory system is involved in the perception of touch, pain and proprioception. Molecular mechanosensors of this sensory system are mechanically-activated ion channels. These channels are expressed at the nerve endings of sensory neurons that project long axons to the skin and to deeper body structures. The identification of these channels constitutes one of the most important challenges in the field of sensory transduction. So far only one gene family has been unambiguously associated with mammalian mechanosensory function and is specifically involved in light-touch sensation. Therefore, the identity of mechanotransduction channels involved in the detection of other mechanosensory modalities including proprioception and mechanical pain remain to be determined. We will combine patch-clamp methodology and single-cell transcriptome sequencing to generate the specific expression profile of distinct populations of mouse mechanosensitive neurons. Combination of bioinformatics, expression analysis and electrophysiological approaches will be used to identify molecular components of mechanotransduction channels. We will explore the role of identified genes in somatosensory functions. The long-term objective is to provide a compelling view of mechanosensitive process diversity in mammalian somatosensation through molecular identification of mechanotransduction channels and characterization of their physiological functions in touch, pain and proprioception. This proposal will also provide novel channel candidates that may be involved other mechanosensory functions such as embryogenesis, bone development and hearing.

Mots-clés : mechanotransduction,ion channel,somatosensation
Projet ERC : FoodTransforms (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of Tübingen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 482500.0 €

Mediterranean cuisine has long been perceived as a timeless constant, already linking the different societies around the sea by the 2nd mill. BC. The geographic frame was considered to be essential, whereas intercultural entanglements as transformative factors were neglected. By integrating archaeological, textual and scientific research, we will shed new light on the transformative power of cultural encounters arising from the intense connectivity between local communities in the Eastern Mediterranean Late Bronze Age and the simultaneous introduction of food of South and East Asian origin (e.g. pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon). We intend to achieve this goal by analysing human remains and pottery vessels from selected sites between the Aegean and Egypt from the 15th to the 12th cent. BC to trace spatial and temporal dynamics. Organic residue analyses of the pottery will shed light on the preparation and consumption of food (e.g. oils, wine, spices). We will include vessels with their contents labelled on them and then link so-far hardly understood Egyptian textual evidence to the contents, which enables a new understanding of these texts for the study of food. We combine the results from residue analyses with a cutting-edge approach to the study of human dental calculus, the potential of which has just been recognized for the understanding of human nutrition: we will analyse DNA from food traces and bacteria as well as proteins, lipids and microremains in dental calculus. This will give unique insight into individual consumption of different oils (olive, sesame etc.), kinds of milk (cow, sheep, goat) and related products (cheese, kefir) and of plants (spices, cereals), which goes far beyond what has been achieved to date. The linkage of food residues in vessels and calculus will allow us to trace processes of homogenization and diversification as consequences of early globalization and better understand food circulation in present and future globalization processes.

Mots-clés : late bronze age,eastern mediterranean,globalization,food history,organic residue analysis,analysis of human dental calculus  adna,lipids,proteins,microremains
Projet ERC : SCOOTER (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Karlsruhe Institute of Technology — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KIT
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149875.0 €

Megatrends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Industry-4.0 paradigms, and cloud-based service delivery are combining to push data-center infrastructures to their limits. This applies in particular to Ethernet-based communication networks within large data centers, which limit further scalability of computing power and storage capacity already today. Compact power-efficient transceiver concepts are key to overcome these bottlenecks. SCOOTER aims at what the Ethernet Alliance has recently classified as the “Holy Grail” of the Ethernet ecosystem: Transceivers that enable serial transmission of 100 Gbit/s data streams, while fulfilling the stringent requirements of small-form-factor-pluggable (SFP) packages. The project exploits the concept of silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration that combines the economics of large-scale silicon photonic integration with the exceptional performance of organic electro-optic (EO) materials. In a series of experimental demonstrations, we have proven the superior performance of SOH electro-optic modulators, both in terms of speed and power consumption. The SCOOTER transceiver concept is expected to hit a strongly growing multi-billion Euro market. The study aims at an in-depth analysis of market opportunities and competitive boundary conditions, the specification of technical product concepts, as well as the associated IP strategy and risk analysis. The project shall result in a comprehensive business plan that allows to raise funds for the next phase of commercialization through a start-up company. We expect that the envisaged transceivers will not only help to overcome the communication bottlenecks in today’s networks, but may also have transformative impact on the long-term Ethernet roadmap, enabling interface rates of 400 Gbit/s, 800 Gbit/s, 1 Tbit/s, and beyond.

Mots-clés : integrated photonics,silicon photonics,optical interconnects,data center,silicon organic hybrid,transceivers,ethernet
Projet ERC : ZF-MEL-CHEMBIO (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : University of Edinburgh — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1865345.0 €

Melanoma (cancer of the melanocyte) kills over 20,000 Europeans each year and incidence continues to rise rapidly. BRAF(V600E) inhibitors have led to clinically significant improvements in outcomes for melanoma patients, yet many patients with metastatic melanoma rapidly succumb to the disease due to eventual chemoresistance, or insensitivity to the drug. Thus, it is critical to identify new therapies that can act alone, or be combined with available treatments for enhanced efficacy and/or to overcome drug resistance. An important and new therapeutic concept for melanoma is to target the melanocyte lineage. Recent evidence reveals that a melanocyte lineage specific programme maintains melanoma survival, and we have engineered the first animal model in zebrafish to demonstrate that targeting the master melanocyte lineage transcription factor MITF leads to rapid melanoma regression. Thus, understanding and targeting the melanocyte lineage is directly relevant to melanoma, and reveals therapeutically targetable processes. Our vision is to use live-imaging of the melanocyte lineage as the basis for phenotypic chemical screens in zebrafish to find drugs/leads and identify targetable processes that might elucidate pathways for cancer therapy. Screening for targets of the melanocyte lineage is highly relevant to melanoma because melanocytes are the melanoma cell of origin, and genes that specify the melanocyte stem cells and the lineage during embryogenesis are the same genes that play fundamental roles in cancer. We will use innovative chemical-biology to capture and validate targets in vivo, and perform chemo-preventative and -therapeutic trials in zebrafish melanoma models using known and novel drug-delivery methods. Ultimately, we aim to translate our most promising drug/leads and targets into the mammalian system, to establish the basis for patent applications and clinical trials.

Mots-clés : melanocyte,melanoma,cancer stem cells,drug lead,drug development,target id,small molecules,biochemistry,imaging,tumour regression,genetic engineering,crispr,zebrafish,model systems
Projet ERC : Bcl-Inhib (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Lund University — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers worldwide, especially in regions with a high number of Caucasians such as Europe. Currently, 100,000 diagnoses and 5,000 deaths from melanoma are registered in Europe every year. This increase in melanoma incidence is a serious health problem and poses an economic as well as societal concern. The survival in patients with malignant melanoma is very poor with a five year survival rate of about 10%. Indeed, the current clinical therapies against malignant and metastatic melanoma have a relatively low efficacy and are associated with significant adverse events. Therefore there is an urgent need for development of novel drugs that can cure or prolong the survival of these patients. Molecular targeted therapy by using a drug that reduces the growth and spread of cancer cells via inhibition of a specific protein is a foundation stone of precision medicine and treatment. We have identified a lead molecule that inhibits proliferation and metastasis of human malignant melanoma cells. The present proof-of-concept proposal aims at lead optimization, preclinical verification, IPR positioning, market assessment, and other commercial activities including go to market strategy and dialogue with potential collaborators. This will make a unique medical and commercial opportunity to develop a highly specific drug against a disease in urgent need of new treatment options.

Mots-clés : malignant melanoma,small molecule,anti cancer drug
Projet ERC : INTACt (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Weizmann Institute of Science — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Melanoma is the most aggressive, treatment-resistant and lethal type of skin cancer. Its increasing incidence worldwide emphasizes the need for new treatment strategies. Major recent breakthroughs in melanoma therapy have highlighted the role of immune T cell-mediated responses against tumor cells, showing that immune-system recognition of neo-antigens on cancer cells serves as a distinctive immunological signature. However, current strategies to identify neo-antigens are biased, costly and time-consuming. Directly addressing this major therapeutic limitation, this PoC project is aimed at commercializing an innovative tool, called INTACt, for designing highly personalized therapies for melanoma patients, ones that efficiently target the composition of patient-specific neo-antigens that arise as a consequence of mutations in a patient’s melanoma genome. INTACt is designed to identify neo-antigens in a high-throughput, systematic and cost-effective manner in cell lines, fresh tumors, patient-derived xenografts and plasma. INTACt will further identify the patient neo-antigen-reactive T cells to then be returned to the patient, using neo-antigen-specific T cells or RNA vaccines. Such personalized targeting of the patient’s melanoma genetic landscape is key to a significantly improved mortality. Unlike existing therapeutic strategies, INTACt may be considered the ultimate personalized immune therapy for the treatment of melanoma patients to be expended to other cancer types. This patient-specific tool will significantly lower patients’ economic and psychological burden caused by unnecessary chemotherapy and targeted therapy. INTACt also holds the promise of realizing value from enormous past investments in drug candidates that were eliminated due to person-specific toxicities or lack of efficacy as these can be combined with the neo-antigen-based immunotherapy. INTACt will thus enable the creation of new business models for the highly pressured pharmaceutical industry.

Mots-clés : melanoma,neo peptide,somatic mutation,immunogenomics,immune therapy