Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : FunI (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Max Planck Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MPG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

The four fundamental interactions and their symmetries, the fundamental constants as well as the properties of elementary particles like masses and moments, determine the basic structure of the universe and are the basis for our so well tested Standard Model (SM) of physics. Performing stringent tests on these interactions and symmetries in extreme conditions at lowest energies and with highest precision by comparing e.g. the properties of particles and their counterpart, the antiparticles, will allow us to search for physics beyond the SM. Any improvement of these tests beyond their present limits will require novel experimental techniques. To this end, we propose ambitious Penning-trap based single-ion experiments and measurements of magnetic moments and atomic masses to substantially improve the to-date best limits on some of the key SM predictions. While the measurement technique in determining the eigenfrequencies of the stored particles with unprecedented precision will be identical to the technique used in the past ERC grant by the PI (MEFUCO - MEasurements of FUndamental COnstants), the novel ion preparation and cooling techniques to be developed as well as the physics questions to be addressed are completely different. The new findings will enable us to perform stringent tests of fundamental symmetries like charge-parity-time reversal symmetry (CPT theorem) with (anti)protons or of the energy-mass equivalence principle as well as tests of interactions like quantum electrodynamics in strong fields by using highly charged ions. This will enable us to set new limits on SM predictions or even to reveal their failures. To meet these challenges, advanced charge breeding and cooling techniques will make it possible for us to achieve among other advances a ten-fold improved test of E = mc2, and thus of Einstein’s special theory of relativity and the most stringent CPT test in the baryonic sector by comparing the magnetic moments of the proton and the antiproton.

Mots-clés : precision measurements,laser cooling,penning traps,mass spectrometry,g factor measurements
Projet ERC : LONGSENSE (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Technical University of Darmstadt — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The function of ribonucleic acid (RNA) was long thought to be only an intermediate product in the protein synthesis machinery, but this view changed since the biological significance of the non-coding protein fraction of RNA was discovered. More recently a still evolving class of RNAs with a length above 200 nucleotides, the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) came into the spotlight. Up- or downregulation have been associated with human diseases, such as neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, cardiac diseases, diabetes as well as cancer, offering the possibility to use lncRNA as biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis. The currently used method for lncRNA detection is complicated and only a reliable method for an experienced researcher with the necessary lab facilities. Detection of lncRNA follows a time-consuming protocol, taking at least 1 day from sample preparation to analysed data. To exploit the full potential of lncRNA as new biomarker for several diseases, the detection method needs to be simplified. This would allow to use lncRNA as biomarker on-spot in private praxis and integrate lncRNA in the routine diagnostic of clinics. LONGSENSE will develop a fast, user-friendly and cost-effective biosensor for lncRNA detection. The use of computer modelling for molecular reactions and RNA structure, will enable us to work efficiently and remain flexible to the rapid development in the scientific field and adapt a product to meet the needs of the market. The aims of the project are to (1) create a multi-level biosensor for the detection of disease relevant lncRNA in well-plate format for high throughput screening to be used in clinical labs or research; (2) design a device to be used on the spot; (3) asses the commercial feasibility of the technology.

Mots-clés : lncrna,star,toehold,mathematical models,synthetic biology,biosensor,disease diagnostic
Projet ERC : FOVEDIS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : Université Paris Cité — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UP Cité
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1300000.0 €

The future of the computing technology relies on fast access, transformation, and exchange of data across large-scale networks such as the Internet. The design of software systems that support high-frequency parallel accesses to high-quantity data is a fundamental challenge. As more scalable alternatives to traditional relational databases, distributed data structures (DDSs) are at the basis of a wide range of automated services, for now, and for the foreseeable future. This proposal aims to improve our understanding of the theoretical foundations of DDSs. The design and the usage of DDSs are based on new principles, for which we currently lack rigorous engineering methodologies. Specifically, we lack design procedures based on precise specifications, and automated reasoning techniques for enhancing the reliability of the engineering process. The targeted breakthrough of this proposal is developing automated formal methods for rigorous engineering of DDSs. A first objective is to define coherent formal specifications that provide precise requirements at design time and explicit guarantees during their usage. Then, we will investigate practical programming principles, compatible with these specifications, for building applications that use DDSs. Finally, we will develop efficient automated reasoning techniques for debugging or validating DDS implementations against their specifications. The principles underlying automated reasoning are also important for identifying best practices in the design of these complex systems to increase confidence in their correctness. The developed methodologies based on formal specifications will thus benefit both the conception and automated validation of DDS implementations and the applications that use them.

Mots-clés : distributed data structures,formal methods,automated verification
Projet ERC : CODEKILLER (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : National University of Ireland — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NUI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2368356.0 €

The genetic code was established at a very early stage during the evolution of life on Earth and is nearly universal. In eukaryotic nuclear genes, the only known examples of a sense codon that underwent an evolutionary change of meaning, from one amino acid to another, occur in yeast species. The codon CUG is translated as Leu in the universal genetic code, but it has long been known to be translated as Ser in some Candida species. In recent work, we discovered that this switch is one of three parallel reassignments of CUG that occurred in three closely related clades of yeasts. CUG was reassigned once from Leu to Ala, and twice from Leu to Ser, in three separate events. The meaning of sense codons in the nuclear genetic code has otherwise remained completely stable during all of eukaryotic evolution, so why was CUG so unstable in yeasts? CODEKILLER will test a radical new hypothesis that the genetic code changes were caused by a killer toxin that specifically attacked the tRNA that translated CUG as Leu. The hypothesis implies that the reassignments of CUG were not driven by selection in favor of their effects on the proteome, as commonly assumed, but by selection against the existence of a particular tRNA. As well as searching for this killer toxin, we will study the detailed mechanism of genetic code change by engineering a reversal of a CUG-Ser species back to CUG-Leu translation, and investigate translation in some species that naturally contain both tRNA-Leu and tRNA-Ser molecules capable of decoding CUG.

Mots-clés : trnas,selfish genetic elements,genetic code,translation
Projet ERC : AncestralWeave (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : Trinity College Dublin — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TCD
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499198.75 €

The genetic threads of goat, cattle and sheep ancestry have been woven by human breeding, environmental pressures, hybridisation and the chance effects of genetic drift. The ancestral weaves of these key animals intertwine with human creativity in the most profoundly innovative episodes of the human past. Three broad episodes of particular import were: initial domestications circa 11 kya in Southwest Asia; the intensification circa 6 kya of use of those animal products which are harvested without killing such as wool, milk and traction; and the development of exceptionally productive landraces, later formalized into breeds, in recent millennia. However, each of these is loosely defined in time and space, the key traits are often osteologically invisible, and the vectors of causality in their virtuous cycles of gene-economy innovation are completely unknown. A combination of high coverage ancient whole genome data coupled with new analysis methods that allow efficient computation of genomewide locus genealogies will be used to untangle the threads of ancestry in sheep, cattle and goat across the whole genome in these transformative phases. Combining these with additional low coverage genomes generated from less preserved samples will generate a total set of 1,000 ancient animal genomes. These data will be unprecedented and will allow tracking of selection at trait genes, in order to detect human agency in breeding and, in collaboration with archaeologist partners, asking are there periods and places where threads of innovation coalesce. The project will also use ancient epigenetics to explore archaeological variation in gene activation patterns and will seek to understand the problematic build up of harmful mutations that threaten livestock today. With cognate disciplines, it will compare signals of animal mobility identifying distinct genetic strata correlating with archaeological horizons and affording the prospect of DNA-dating in future excavation.

Mots-clés : cattle genomics,sheep genomics,goat genomics,ancient dna,domestication,paleogenomics,archaeozoology,animal genetics
Projet ERC : MultiplexGenomics (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
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 : 2750000.0 €

The genome is composed of the genetic code and a rich repertoire of epigenetic chemical DNA modifications, the Epigenome, with distinct signatures in health and disease. Unmasking the interplay between different genomic features is critical for understanding the operating system of life. Specifically, revealing long-range epigenetic regulation may uncover predisposition to cancer. Nevertheless, due to the short read-length of single-cell next-generation sequencing, there is no method today that can integrate multiple genomic observables, on the same genome and at the same time. The missing picture constitutes a major genomic “blind spot”, obscuring epigenetic regulation of gene expression. This project aims to provide a multiplexed view of the genome never before accessible. I will utilize single-molecule physical and chemical mapping of individual chromosomes to discover long-range epigenetic correlations, focusing on markers for predisposition to breast cancer. I will approach multiplexing by applying optical and electrical sensing concepts to detect chemical tags attached to long genomic DNA molecules. Equipped with a toolbox of biochemical DNA labeling reactions, I will develop a unique spectral imager for simultaneous acquisition of high-content genomic information from DNA stretched in nanochannel arrays. DNA tagging will also be used to enhance electrical contrast for nanopore epigenetic sequencing. Finally, by combining electric sensing inside nanochannels I will develop new integrated devices for electro-optical genomic analysis. Together, these developments cover the full range of genomic length scales and resolution. MultiplexGenomics will establish a groundbreaking experimental framework for genetic/epigenetic profiling of native chromosomal DNA. A successful completion of this project will make possible the discovery of novel control networks and hidden long-range regulation, opening new horizons for basic genomic research and personalized medicine.

Mots-clés : single molecule detection,super resolution imaging,spectral imaging,nanopore sequencing,nanochannels,genomics,epigenetics
Projet ERC : ROC-CO2 (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Durham University — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1278392.04 €

The global carbon cycle controls Earth’s climate by the emission and drawdown of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. One of the major sources of CO2 is thought to be the oxidation of organic carbon contained in rocks during chemical weathering. Since the industrial revolution, this flux has been accelerated by burning fossil fuels. However, the natural rates of CO2 emission by rock-derived organic carbon oxidation are very poorly constrained – the only major CO2 source that has not been properly quantified – and the dominant controls on this flux remain unclear. The CO2 release is likely to be ~100 TgC/yr, similar to degassing from volcanoes. Without knowing the rate of CO2 emission and the controls on this flux, it is not possible to fully understand the evolution of atmospheric CO2 and global climate over geological timescales, nor to project future changes over hundreds to thousands of years. To address this deficit and quantify a major geological CO2 source, the proposal will: 1) Assess which factors govern rock-derived organic carbon oxidation. 2) Determine how environmental changes impact oxidation rates and CO2 release. 3) Quantify the global CO2 emissions by rock-derived organic carbon oxidation during chemical weathering, and assess how they may have varied both over Earth history and via anthropogenic change. By quantifying a major CO2 emission for the first time, this project will provide a step change in our understanding of the geological, as opposed to the anthropogenically-modified, carbon cycle. Measurement of rock-derived organic carbon oxidation will require a new approach, harnessing state-of-the-art geochemical proxies carried by rivers (rhenium). Data from river catchments spanning large gradients in the likely environmental controls (erosion, temperature), will elucidate the main factors governing this process, and enable construction of a data-driven numerical model to provide the first quantification of CO2 emissions by this process.

Mots-clés : carbon cycle,chemical weathering,physical erosion,trace elements,rhenium,rivers
Projet ERC : ArtHep (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Aarhus University — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : AU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1992289.0 €

The global epidemics of obesity and diabetes type 2 lead to higher abundancy of medical conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease causing an increase in liver failure and demand for liver transplants. The shortage of donor organs and the insufficient success in tissue engineering to ex vivo grow complex organs like the liver is a global medical challenge. ArtHep targets the assembly of hepatic-like tissue, consisting of biological and synthetic entities, mimicking the core structure elements and key functions of the liver. ArtHep comprises an entirely new concept in liver regeneration with multi-angled core impact: i) cell mimics are expected to reduce the pressure to obtain donor cells, ii) the integrated biocatalytic subunits are destined to take over tasks of the damaged liver slowing down the progress of liver damage, and iii) the matching micro-environment in the bioprinted tissue is anticipated to facilitate the connection between the transplant and the liver. Success criteria of ArtHep include engineering enzyme-mimics, which can perform core biocatalytic conversions similar to the liver, the assembly of biocatalytic active subunits and their encapsulation in cell-like carriers (microreactors), which have mechanical properties that match the liver tissue and that have a camouflaging coating to mimic the surface cues of liver tissue-relevant cells. Finally, matured bioprinted liver-lobules consisting of microreactors and live cells need to connect to liver tissue when transplanted into rats. I am convinced that the ground-breaking research in ArtHep will contribute to the excellence of science in Europe while providing the game-changing foundation to counteract the ever increasing donor liver shortage. Further, consolidating my scientific efforts and moving them forward into unexplored dimensions in biomimicry for medical purposes, is a unique opportunity to advance my career.

Mots-clés : enzyme mimics,encapsulated catalysis,cell mimics,liver,bioprinting
Projet ERC : Mechan-of-Chromo (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Spanish National Research Council — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CSIC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1894999.0 €

The global folding of the chromosome is mediated by Structural Maintenance of Chromosome (SMC) proteins, which stabilize the higher-order chromatin architecture by bringing distant DNA sequences together. Despite over a decade of work on these systems, their mechanism remains unknown, largely because of difficulty in re-capitulating physiological DNA binding and condensation in vitro. Moreover, traditional biochemical approaches are poorly suited for the study of processes that are fundamentally mechanical in nature. However, key breakthroughs, including the discovery that SMC is loaded by Spo0J protein at parS sites in vivo, and that parS sites act as global condensation centres for the chromosome have opened new possibilities to study chromosome organisation using single-molecule (SM) approaches. Importantly, our recent experiments with Magnetic Tweezers (MT) have already revealed a novel function of Spo0J in condensing DNA via a parS-independent binding mechanism. Inspired by these recent discoveries, I have devised a series of novel SM biophysical approaches with the ambitious goal of determining the mechanism of action of SMC complexes, including understanding the role of SMC loaders and SMC accessory subunits, and how these proteins are regulated by ATP binding and hydrolysis for chromosome organisation. The rationale behind this approach is that SM methods are particularly well-suited for monitoring DNA cohesion and condensation where manipulation of individual DNA molecules, measurement of forces, and addition of proteins and buffer solutions can be carefully controlled. High throughput MT will be combined with fast video imaging, optical trapping, and fluorescence; and will be used to interrogate hypothetical models for SMC-DNA interactions. Finally, the novel assays developed here may be applicable to other protein-DNA interactions including variant SMC-like proteins specialized for other biological functions such as DNA repair.

Mots-clés : single molecule biophysics,magnetic tweezers,optical tweezers,fluorescence,tirf microscopy,chromosome condensation and cohesion,smc proteins,scpa,scpb,spo0j,parb
Projet ERC : PLAS-OLED (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Aalto University — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 6570.0 €

The global lighting market consumes 20 % of total electric power generated, producing an enormous 400 million metric tons of CO2 annually. The need for more efficient light sources has driven the blossoming of light-emitting diode (LED) research and technology. However, inorganic LEDs for solid-state lighting contain rare earth and toxic heavy metal traces that have negative environmental impacts. Recently, organic LEDs (OLEDs) have been introduced as promising general lighting sources. Unlike LEDs, OLEDs can be fabricated using energy-efficient processes and ecological materials. Therefore, the hazards of LEDs can be addressed by shifting to OLED lighting. Currently, the best OLED lamps are limited to 50 lm/W and lifetimes of around 5000 hours. To convince the market to embrace OLED for general lighting, white OLEDs (WOLEDs) need to reach the luminous efficacy and luminance of inorganic white LEDs (100 lm/W, 10000 hours lifespan). In the PLAS-OLED project, to address this need, I propose the fabrication of a novel WOLED architecture. The new idea here is the conversion of monochromatic OLEDs into WOLEDs with polariton modes. Polariton modes are exciton-dressed degenerate states, meaning that polaritons can be utilized to convert a single-color emitting exciton (e.g., green color) to multi-color emission (e.g., blue and red). Moreover, polaritons states have been reported to accelerate emission rates in organic semiconductors, and to induce reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) for harvesting non-radiative triplet excitons or converting slow phosphorescence to fast fluorescence. Thus, polaritons can also increase the luminous efficacy and luminance of WOLEDs. By conducting comprehensive photoluminescence and electroluminescence experiments, I aim to demonstrate that polaritonics is a disruptive technology for converting monochromatic OLED into inexpensive, efficient, stable, and bright WOLEDs.

Mots-clés : strong light matter interactions for manipulating electronically excited states in organic semiconductors,organic semiconductor polaritons,organic light emitting diodes,oleds,reverse intersystem crossing  risc,thermally activated delayed fluorescence,tadf,harvesting triplets with polaritons,microcavities,strong light matter interactions,electrical injection in organic semiconductors