Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Acclimatize (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : University Hospital Heidelberg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1902500.0 €

Mammalian organisms possess the remarkable ability to maintain internal body temperature (Tcore) within a narrow range close to 37°C despite wide environmental temperature variations. The brain’s neural “thermostat” is made up by central circuits in the hypothalamic preoptic area (POA), which orchestrate peripheral thermoregulatory responses to maintain Tcore. Thermogenesis requires metabolic fuel, suggesting intricate connections between the thermoregulatory centre and hypothalamic circuits controlling energy balance. How the POA detects and integrates temperature and metabolic information to achieve thermal balance is largely unknown. A major question is whether this circuitry could be harnessed therapeutically to treat obesity. We have recently identified the first known molecular temperature sensor in thermoregulatory neurons of the POA, transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2), a thermo-sensitive ion channel. I aim to use TRPM2 as a molecular marker to gain access to and probe the function of thermoregulatory neurons in vivo. I propose a multidisciplinary approach, combining local, in vivo POA temperature stimulation with optogenetic circuit-mapping to uncover the molecular and cellular logic of the hypothalamic thermoregulatory centre and to assess its medical potential to counteract metabolic syndrome. Acclimation is a beneficial adaptive process that fortifies thermal responses upon environmental temperature challenges. Thermoregulatory neuron plasticity is thought to mediate acclimation. Conversely, maladaptive thermoregulatory changes affect obesity. The cell-type-specific neuronal plasticity mechanisms underlying these changes within the POA, however, are unknown. Using ex-vivo slice electrophysiology and in vivo imaging, I propose to characterize acclimation- and obesity-induced plasticity of thermoregulatory neurons. Ultimately, I aim to manipulate thermoregulatory neuron plasticity to test its potential counter-balancing effect on obesity.

Mots-clés : trp ion channels,hypothalamus,thermoregulation,neuronal circuit,neuronal plasticity,temperature detection,core body temperature,energy expenditure,metabolic syndrome,obesity,leptin
Projet ERC : ElectroGene (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

Man and man-made electronic systems share the same ecosystem, and yet work radically differently. Human metabolism uses ion gradients across insulated membranes to simultaneously process slow analog chemical reactions and communicate information in multicellular systems via soluble/volatile molecular signals. By contrast, electronic systems use multicore central processing units to control the flow of electrons through insulated metal wires with gigahertz frequency and communicate information across networks via wired/wireless connections. With the advent of the internet of things, networks of interconnected electronic devices will reach the processing complexity of living systems, yet they remain largely incompatible with biological systems. Wearable electronics can profile physical parameters such as steps and heartbeat, and Google’s proposal to develop glucose-monitoring contact lenses has triggered a wave of interest in harnessing the full potential of bioelectronics for medical applications. Yet this vision remains limited to diagnostics. Capitalizing on our mind-controlled and smartphone-adjustable optogenetic drug-dosing devices, ElectroGene will establish the foundations of electrogenetics, the science of creating electro-genetic interfaces that enable direct two-way communication between electronic devices and living cells. ElectroGene consists of three pillars, (i) voltage-triggered gene expression, (ii) genetically programmed electronics and (iii) wireless-powered implants providing closed-loop bioelectronic control, which allow real-time monitoring of metabolic conditions (diagnosis), enable remote-controlled production and dosing of protein therapeutics by implanted designer cells (treatment), and manage closed-loop control between cells and electronics, thus linking diagnosis and therapy to block disease onset (prevention). ElectroGene design principles and devices will be validated in proof-of-concept preclinical studies for the treatment of diabetes.
Projet ERC : CLOCK (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Universidade de Vigo — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1049567.0 €

Management of marine fisheries is still far from incorporating adaptation to climate change, even though global stocks are heavily overexploited and climate change is adding additional pressure to the resource. In fact, there is growing evidence that current fisheries management systems may no longer be effective under climate change, and this will translate into both ecological and socioeconomic impacts. This research project argues that the combination of fisheries management science and socio-ecological systems thinking is necessary in order to advance in fisheries adaptation to climate change. To this end, the main objectives are set to: 1) Identify and understand the new challenges raised by climate change for current sustainable fisheries management; 2) Develop a novel approach to fisheries adaptation within a socio-ecological framework; 3) Provide empirical evidence on potential solutions for the adaptation of fisheries management systems; and 4) Help introduce fisheries adaptation at the top of the regional and international adaptation policy agendas. To do this, I will combine model and simulation approaches to fisheries with specific case studies where both biophysical and economic variables will be studied an modelled, but also individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in an active way, learning from participatory methods their preferences towards adaptation and the consequences of the new scenarios climate change poses. Three potential case studies are identified for property rights over stocks, property rights over space, and Marine Reserves in two European and one international case study areas. As a result, I expect to develop a new Adaptation Framework for fisheries management that can be scalable, transferable and easily operationalized, and a set of case study examples on how to integrate theory and participatory processes with the aim of increasing social, ecological and institutional resilience to climate change.

Mots-clés : adaptation,climate change,fisheries,marine reserves,property rights,resilience
Projet ERC : JUDI-ARCH (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Masaryk University — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499625.0 €

Many European states have transferred decision-making powers regarding court administration and the career of a judge from political bodies to special organs in which judges have a major say. Judicial councils and other bodies of judicial self-government (JSG) spread particularly quickly during the European Union (EU) Accession Process. However, the effects of these bodies are not fully understood, as the traditional descriptive and normative scholarship is not able to capture them. JUDI-ARCH will fill this gap and address the implications of this phenomenon for the “new” as well as “old” EU member states. The central research question of JUDI-ARCH is: how the rise of JSG has changed the concept of separation of powers? More specifically, the JUDI-ARCH proposal consists of three interrelated research aims. The first is to assess the impact of JSG on public confidence in and the independence, accountability, transparency and legitimacy of the domestic judiciaries of 14 European states and the two European supranational courts, both the actual and the perceived. The second aim is to examine what impact the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) have had on domestic judicial design and, vice versa, how has domestic judicial design affected the selection of judges of the ECtHR and the CJEU. The third overarching aim is to analyse the impact of JSG on the concept of separation of powers. A major innovation in our approach will be the integration of comparative legal perspective with sociological and political science approaches. We will conduct in-depth conceptual, qualitative and quantitative case studies on the impact of different models of JSG in both “new” and “old” EU Member States, including longitudinal quantitative analysis of the use of mechanisms of judicial independence and accountability before and after the creation of a JSG body and in-depth elite interviews.

Mots-clés : courts,judges,separation of powers,judicial councils,judicial independence,judicial accountability,legitimacy of courts,public confidence in courts,cjeu,ecthr
Projet ERC : SYMCELLS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LMU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1250.0 €

Many cells stably integrate microbes to gain ecological advantages for the organism. A remarkable example is the symbiosis between corals and algae, whose provision of photosynthetically fixed nutrients enables coral survival in nutrient-poor habitats. To establish symbiosis, coral cells acquire symbionts via phagocytosis, a process often used for pathogen clearance in other animals. Symbionts reside in phagosomes, and the prevailing view is that, similar to some pathogens, symbionts avoid destruction via phagolysosomal manipulation. Yet, unlike pathogens, symbionts provide nutrients to their host, and this may be key for intracellular persistence. Most research on nutrient translocation has focused on sugars, but surprisingly, sterols may be significant because cnidarians cannot synthesize cholesterol. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms of symbiosis establishment. Because corals are intractable cell biological models, I will leverage our unique resources and expertise to uncover fundamental aspects of symbiont acquisition and metabolic dependence using the emerging model anemone Aiptasia. To investigate symbiont acquisition (Objective 1), I will distinguish symbiont-phagocytosing cells, test candidate symbiont receptors by gain- and loss-of-function, record symbiont/cell interactions by live-imaging, and generate a symbiosis cell culture system. To understand the significance of symbiont-derived sterols (Objective 2), I will map cellular sterol utilization and identify the sterol transport machinery, test whether symbiont sterols can functionally substitute cholesterol, identify novel sterol-interacting proteins by pull-down assays, and explore symbiont persistence mechanisms using comparative phagosome proteomics. This proposal will for the first time provide a mechanistic understanding of coral-algal symbiosis establishment, a crucial process underpinning coral reefs, economically and ecologically important ecosystems.
Projet ERC : CoPAN (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : Leiden University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Many daily decisions are made through quick evaluations of another’s trustworthiness, especially when they involve strangers. Individuals rely on a partner’s tractable characteristics, including expressions of emotion. These are readily mimicked even down to the physiological level. I here propose to investigate which forms of mimicry are empathic and inform decisions of trust and distrust. The mimicry-empathy linkage has come under discussion with the publication of counter-examples in biology and failures of replication in psychology, making the question of what mimicry entails even more important. The key role emotional expressions play in our daily life positions this revived debate around mimicry at the forefront of emotion science. Scientific advancement in this field, however, demands a completely new theoretical and methodological approach. Therefore, I will place mimicry within the Tinbergian framework. Fundamentally, this means that I will incorporate biological and psychological approaches to the study of mimicry and during dyadic interactions, investigate different forms of mimicry simultaneously, e.g. facial mimicry, contagious blushing, pupil mimicry, and their 1) Function: what they are good for. Using economic games, I will study which mimicry forms are related to empathy and inform social decisions; 2) Mechanism: how they operate on the neurophysiological level; 3) Development: how mimicry develops over the lifespan and which mimicry forms are phylogenetically continuous and shared with the bonobo, our closest living relative and link to our last common ancestor. For the first time, humans and bonobos will be directly compared on the basis of their mimicry and trust. This comparison can revolutionize the way humans perceive themselves when it comes to prosocial behaviour.

Mots-clés : bodily maps of emotion,expression,emotional contagion,empathy,eye contact,evolution,comparative psychology,mimicry,pupil size,physiological linkage,social neuroscience,social interaction
Projet ERC : EPI-Centrd (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Inserm
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 375000.0 €

Many efficient drugs have been designed to treat neurological disorders, but have failed in the clinic because they were toxic, could not cross the blood-brain barrier, and/or had deleterious side effects in healthy regions. I propose a conceptual breakthrough to solve these three issues, with minimally-invasive organic electronic ion pumps (OEIPs) to provide targeted treatment where and when it is needed. I will use epilepsy as the disease model because of its high rate of drug-resistance (30%) and will offer concrete opportunities for clinical transfer of such state-of-the-art technology. The clinical problem: Resective surgery is frequently the last option available to a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy (> 1 million persons in the EU). However, surgery fails in 30% of the cases and can have deleterious consequences with severe postoperative neurological deficits (impaired motor function, speech and memory). Furthermore, some cases of epilepsy are simply untreatable surgically because resective surgery would leave unacceptable damage to core functions. Clearly, a new therapeutic approach is needed when neurosurgery is not possible or deemed too risky. The OEIP solution: As I have demonstrated, OEIPs combine state-of-the-art organic electronics and pharmacology to control epileptiform activity in vitro by directly delivering inhibitory neurotransmitters on-demand. I additionally demonstrated that thin-film flexible organic electronics can be used to create minimally-invasive depth probes for implantation which significantly reduced tissue damage compared to standard rigid implants in vivo. I will integrate OEIPs on such probes creating devices which will have both the high-quality recordings provided by the organic electrodes for electrophysiological seizure detection and the molecular delivery capability of the OEIP for seizure intervention. The devices will be a closed-loop system to detect seizure onset and intervene in the affected brain region.

Mots-clés : bioelectronics,flexible biopolymer,brain medical device,epilepsy
Projet ERC : RENOPROTECT (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : University Hospital Heidelberg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1945250.0 €

Many forms of chronic kidney disease are featured by the loss of protein into the urine (proteinuria). When the cause of proteinuria lies within the glomerulus, such as in diabetic kidney disease, then the protein overload in the tubular lumen may lead to damage of the downstream tubular cells. Particularly vulnerable are proximal tubular cells (PTCs), because these cells are specialized in protein reabsorption and have a high metabolic demand. Dysfunction of the main albumin uptake receptor cubilin (encoded by the CUBN gene) leads to the reduction of albumin uptake and albuminuria. Here, we hypothesize that genetic variants in CUBN are key for providing a cell-to-cell variability that is beneficial for PTC homeostasis and resistance against proteinuric kidney disease. This hypothesis is based on our recent findings that 1.) CUBN mutations are well tolerated by humans despite their proteinuric effects and that 2.) the CUBN locus shows signatures of balancing selection during human evolution. To address this hypothesis, we will first functionally validate common CUBN variants and haplotypes in a humanized Drosophila model and test whether they provide protection against renal disease in mice. Second, we will explore monoallelic CUBN expression and partial cryptic exon inclusion as two possible genetic mechanisms by which CUBN variants could promote proximal tubule fitness and tissue repair. Finally, taking advantage of cubilin dysfunction as a “safe” means to avoid PTC overload, we will target PTC protein uptake in proteinuric mice with the help of a nanoparticle delivery method. Altogether, our integrative translational approach will combine human genetics and experimental studies to explore a new mechanism of proximal tubule homeostasis that may also be applicable to other tissues. Based on evolutionary genetics, we aim to establish a novel paradigm for kidney protection with high relevance for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of proteinuric kidney disease.

Mots-clés : human genetics,proteinuria,chronic kidney disease,monoallelic expression,cell competition
Projet ERC : NestIOr (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Maastricht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499977.0 €

Many international organisations (IOs) are under significant pressure. The World Health Organization was heavily criticized over its handling of the Ebola outbreak. The United States has not contributed to the UNESCO budget since 2011 and plans to quit in 2018. The United Kingdom is negotiating its exit from the EU and Burundi left the International Criminal Court. The ultimate way for states to show their discontent is to disband IOs: no less than a third of the IOs, created between 1905 and 2005, has formally ceased to exist. While academics have analysed how IOs are designed and develop, we know virtually nothing about decline and death. This project addresses therefore the question why do IOs decline or die? The key innovation is to complete the theory on the 'life and death of IOs'. The main hypothesis is that some IOs, due to their specific institutional characteristics, are better at longevity than other IOs. Flexible IOs are more likely to live longer, because they can adjust and be more responsive to external pressures, such as wars, reduced trade volumes or political turnover in the member states. Larger IOs are also more likely to live longer, as it will be more difficult for states to replace them with other IOs. They may also be in a better position to fight off external pressures, including from the membership. This project uses a mixed methods approach. Through an innovative survival analysis, it analyses the effect of institutional characteristics on the likelihood that IOs decline or die as a result of external pressures. This requires the compilation of a new dataset. The quantitative analysis is complemented with fine-grained case studies of IOs at risk of declining and dying across different policy areas. These case studies are informed by unique data resulting from interviews.

Mots-clés : international organisations,institutional theory,life cycle,institutional design
Projet ERC : UfastU (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : University of Erlangen-Nuremberg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1461500.0 €

Many of the intriguing properties of complex materials, such as magnetism and superconductivity rely on the cooperative behavior of electrons in systems with several active spin and orbital degrees of freedom. Using femtosecond laser pulses it has become possible to probe and control these systems on microscopic timescales. This does not only provide an entirely new approach to understand the emergence of collective phases, but it may also help to push the current speed limits in information and communication technologies. However, in contrast to the remarkable experimental progress, theory is still unable to provide a microscopic description of the ultrafast dynamics in most materials even on a qualitative level, as long as it remains restricted to single-band models and ad-hoc parameters. To overcome this limitation, we would like develop a versatile computational tool based on the nonequilibrium extension of dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). In the previous two decades, the development of equilibrium DMFT into a tool with predictive power has had a transformative effect on our understanding of correlated materials. A successful realization of the proposed research would lay the foundations for a comparable ab-initio understanding of correlated systems out of equilibrium, and provide the numerical techniques to solve multi-orbital quantum impurity models. Already the first applications of a multi-band formalism can lead to seminal insights which are currently out of reach, including an understanding of light-induced superconductivity in materials such as the iron pnictides, or new ways to engineer many-body interactions by external fields and thus drive a system to thermodynamically not accessible phases. The new numerical tools can also be used to unravel dynamical processes in bio-molecules like hemoglobin, whose essential functionality relies on multi-orbital transition metal atoms.