Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : LIFEPLAN (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : SLU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 4921090.0 €

Biodiversity underlies ecosystem functioning. To achieve the basis for a sustainable management of natural resources under current environmental change, we thus need a unified theory of the forces structuring vast sets of ecosystems and taxonomical groups on Earth. For the first time, such a synthesis is now within reach, based on a recent revolution in sampling methodology, globally relevant ecological data, and advances in statistical methods for linking immense data to community ecological theory. In LIFEPLAN, we bring together the key expertise needed to generate and interpret Big Ecological Data for a global synthesis of biotic patterning across our planet: world leaders in community ecology, methods for automated species recognition, and Bayesian statistics for immense data. Our objectives are to generate a new understanding of biodiversity patterns and dynamics by developing fundamentally new methods for big data statistics. To this end, we will generate fully standardized, global big data on a range of species groups, thus allowing quantification of variation in ecological communities at spatial scales covering six orders of magnitude (from 0.1 km to 10000 km), across tens of thousands of species. The resulting data motivate the development of transformative big data statistics, in particular highly scalable algorithms for spatio-temporal data, as well as methods for automated species identification from DNA, audio and image samples. As a key deliverable, we will develop global joint species distribution models describing the spatio-temporal structure of life on Earth. Working together will allow each of us to tackle what we regard as the ultimate challenges in our own fields, while simultaneously collaborating around solutions changing the face of modern biodiversity science. Now is the time for this project, as the big data and big methods emerging today coincide with a great need for global understanding of biodiversity structure and dynamics.

Mots-clés : global patterning of life,big data science,automated species recognition,high throughput data generation,community ecology,biodiversity science,bayesian statistics,scalable methods,hierarchical patterns and processes,joint species distribution modelling
Projet ERC : IntegraBrain (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : TU Dresden — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : TUD
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 95147.06 €

Bioelectronic medicine may soon replace systemic drugs for treating some chronic conditions. The clinician will implant a miniature laboratory to deliver and coordinate a multi-modal treatment program directly at the affected tissue. The technology to bring this vision to the clinic is not yet available. The IntegraBrain project will contribute by building an implantable network of sensors and actuators. Actuators will deploy electricity, light, drugs and thermal energy as modalities of the therapeutic program, while sensors will monitor its progress. A key technological advance will be a method for direct writing of the sensor-actuator network. To achieve this, we will develop a palette of functional inks where each ink supports one of the therapeutic modalities. The technology has the potential to be tailored for applications in soft tissue organs, especially in the nervous system, where injury or degeneration can result in chronic disability. We will apply IntegraBrain technology in two niches of the nervous system in rodents. In the central nervous system, we will demonstrate seizure control by multi-modal neuromodulation. In the peripheral nervous system, we will demonstrate reversible block and excitation. For the first time, we will observe if multi-modal neuromodulation leads to synergistic effects on the nervous system. With the IntegraBrain project, we hope to catalyse pre-clinical development of implantable human-machine interfaces for therapeutic applications.

Mots-clés : bioelectronics,implant,multi modal,neuromodulation
Projet ERC : IntegraBrain (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Leibniz Association — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : LG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 72316.0 €

Bioelectronic medicine may soon replace systemic drugs for treating some chronic conditions. The clinician will implant a miniature laboratory to deliver and coordinate a multi-modal treatment program directly at the affected tissue. The technology to bring this vision to the clinic is not yet available. The IntegraBrain project will contribute by building an implantable network of sensors and actuators. Actuators will deploy electricity, light, drugs and thermal energy as modalities of the therapeutic program, while sensors will monitor its progress. A key technological advance will be a method for direct writing of the sensor-actuator network. To achieve this, we will develop a palette of functional inks where each ink supports one of the therapeutic modalities. The technology has the potential to be tailored for applications in soft tissue organs, especially in the nervous system, where injury or degeneration can result in chronic disability. We will apply IntegraBrain technology in two niches of the nervous system in rodents. In the central nervous system, we will demonstrate seizure control by multi-modal neuromodulation. In the peripheral nervous system, we will demonstrate reversible block and excitation. For the first time, we will observe if multi-modal neuromodulation leads to synergistic effects on the nervous system. With the IntegraBrain project, we hope to catalyse pre-clinical development of implantable human-machine interfaces for therapeutic applications.

Mots-clés : bioelectronics,implant,multi modal,neuromodulation
Projet ERC : OPTEL-MED (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Brno University of Technology — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BUT;VUT
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1493198.0 €

Bioelectronic medicine today is growing in leaps and bounds, with ambitious new technologies entering the clinic and already changing the lives of more than a million patients worldwide. Materials scientists are called to craft biomedical devices that are smaller, smarter, and less invasive. We propose to create implantable photovoltaic devices which can wirelessly stimulate the nervous system and enable a new type of minimally invasive optoelectronic medicine. To achieve this, we will use biocompatible organic semiconductors which can efficiently absorb light in the near infrared part of the spectrum, where biological tissues are transparent. By micropatterning stimulation pixels on ultrathin conformable substrates, we will create optoelectronic nerve cuff electrodes which will be orders-of-magnitude thinner than what is used clinically today. We will explore deeply the physics of this new type of electrolytic photovoltaic stimulator. The designs will be optimized to operate with safe light intensities delivered from outside of the body. Benchmarking the targeting of precise optoelectronic stimulation will be done in ex vivo and in vivo nerve models. Via control of spatial patterning and localized light actuation, we will develop unique understanding of highly specific and nuanced neural control. The unique aspect of precise neuromodulation wirelessly positions us to explore a number of fundamental questions in applied neuroscience. The project is driven by answering milestone scientific questions in device physics, photoelectrochemistry, and electrophysiology, however the project is simultaneously designed to tackle an important clinical application: vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). We will apply our findings to implement an implantable stimulator actuated transcutaneously by portable light sources. We will develop standard operating procedures for chronic optoelectronic VNS in rodent animal models, paving the way for future clinical trials.

Mots-clés : bioelectronics,neuromodulation,neural engineering,cellular photostimulation,organic electronics
Projet ERC : NanoBiOptics (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes 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 : 1499495.0 €

Bioengineering is the synthetic biologist’s approach to engineering materials. It allows researchers to overcome billions of years of evolution to create unnatural biomolecules equipped with interactions unfounded in nature. Biomolecules offer unparalleled molecular recognition that can be tuned by engineers to create highly specific sensors. Unfortunately, biology has its limits; many biological optical sensors rely on fluorophores with limited lifetimes and visible emissions that overlap with tissue absorption. Unlike these fluorophores, single-walled carbon nanotubes benefit from fluorescence that is indefinitely photostable, demonstrating sensitivities that can detect analytes down to the single molecule. Their near-infrared wavelengths are also transparent to tissue absorption, allowing for continuous in vivo sensing. Unfortunately, these nanomaterials lack the molecular recognition biology has to offer. In a sense, the advantages and disadvantages posed by the fields of bio- and nano-materials engineering are highly complementary. This proposal envisions a new generation of NanoBiOptic devices – devices that exploit the synergy of nano-bio hybrids – for sensing applications. We aim to bring to the nanosensor community what directed evolution has brought to chemistry; a guided approach to tuning interactions. We apply bioengineering techniques, such as artificial nucleic acid design as well as directed evolution, to circumvent current limitations in engineering nanosensors. In demonstrating these techniques, we realize previously intractable optical platforms for bioanalyte detection, as well as a single-molecule basis for imaging DNA-protein interactions, such as those found in CRISPR. Synthetic biology thus has the potential to complement the physical sciences in the engineering of new synthetic optical platforms, enabling a “revolution through evolution” of synthetic nanomaterials.

Mots-clés : directed evolution,bioengineering,near infrared spectroscopy,nanotechnology
Projet ERC : AHH-OMICS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
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 : 1249292.5 €

Biological systems rely on an influx of energy to build and maintain complex spatio-temporal structures. A striking example of this is the self-organisation of cells into tissues, which relies on an interplay of molecular programs and tissue-level feedback. The mechanistic basis underlying these processes is poorly understood. The recent advent of single-cell sequencing technologies for the first time gives the opportunity to probe these processes with unprecedented molecular resolution in vivo. Biological function, however, relies on collective processes on the cellular scale which emerge from many interactions on the microscopic scale. But what can we learn about such collective processes from detailed empirical information on the molecular scale? Concepts from non-equilibrium statistical physics provide a powerful framework to understand collective processes underlying the self-organisation of cells. In the proposed research endeavour, we will combine the possibilities of novel single-cell technologies with methods from non-equilibrium statistical physics to understand collective processes regulating cellular behaviour. Using this conceptually new approach, we will 1) unveil collective epigenetic processes during differentiation, reprogramming and ageing, 2) determine how the interplay between different layers of regulation leads to the emergence of mesoscopic spatio-temporal structures in vivo, and 3) understand universal fluctuations in gene expression to unveil mechanistic principles of cellular decisions. Our theoretical work will be challenged by single-cell sequencing experiments performed by our collaborators. We will overcome important conceptual limitations in an emerging technology in biology and pioneer the application of methods from non-equilibrium statistical physics to single-cell genomics. At the same time, we take an interdisciplinary approach to tackle questions at the frontier of non-equilibrium physics.

Mots-clés : single cell genomics,epigenetics,dna methylation,field theory,non equilibrium physics,stem cell biology
Projet ERC : WACONDY (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
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 : 1312963.0 €

Biology is a source of exciting mathematical challenges. Likewise, there is a strong demand from biologists for rationalizing and quantifying their fascinating observations and for testing hypotheses via theoretical models. PDE have proven powerful for these purposes. The main goal of the WACONDY project is to expand the theory of Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) equations and related ones to encompass recent investigations in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. The asymptotic analysis of wave propagation in structured populations, along with that of equilibria in quantitative genetics models, have generated new problems that fall outside of the scope of the current theory. These novel HJ equations arise in regimes that are analogous to semi-classical analysis in physics. On the one hand, they are valuable for biology because the associated dynamics can be reduced to simpler rules than the original problem. On the other hand, they do not fit in the classical theory of viscosity solutions. Hence, innovative techniques are needed to achieve their deep understanding. The envisioned outcomes of the project are: a comprehensive analysis of non-local HJ equations arising in kinetic reaction-transport equations and reaction-diffusion equations for dispersal evolution; the asymptotic analysis of quantitative genetics models balancing diversity among offspring and selection of the fittest individuals, in the regime of small variance. The case of sexual reproduction will be emphasized, as the associated limit problem unveils novel features, beyond the HJ formulation. The design of asymptotic-preserving numerical schemes for this new class of equations will complement the program. Beyond tackling these fundamental aspects, the project aims to open new interdisciplinary research directions. We anticipate contributions to diverse topics such as collective waves of micro-organisms, propagation of genetically engineered organisms, and patterns of adaptation in changing environments.

Mots-clés : mathematical biology,kinetic equations,hamilton jacobi equations,wave propagation,quantitative genetics,asymptotic preserving schemes
Projet ERC : Laser-Bioprint (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : TU Wien — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUW
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149850.0 €

Bioprinting is a rapidly developing technology sector aimed at additive manufacturing of tissues and organs. It is expected to lead to the most disruptive biomedical applications of additive manufacturing. Apart from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, bioprinting applications of immediate commercial and societal benefit include the development of personalized cancer therapies and realization of in vitro tissue models based on human biology for reliable drug tests in pharma industry. The latter one is especially attractive, as it will potentially result in substantial savings of drug development costs. Furthermore, it may help to considerably reduce the need for animal studies in the foreseeable future. The need for increased resolution is one of the main technological challenges of bioprinting today. Most currently available bioprinters are based on dispensing methods. Therefore, the achievable spatial resolution is in the range of tens of micrometers. The possibility to reproduce features on the submicrometer scale would provide the missing link to accessing the complexity of natural cell environment and enable fabrication of truly biomimetic constructs.

Mots-clés : bioprinting,3d cell culture,tissue engineering,additive manufacturing technologies,3d printing,laser processing,microfabriction,photopolymerization
Projet ERC : SECReTE (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, 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 €

Biotherapeutics are bio-materials, which are used among others to treat cancer, diabetes, and rare diseases. It is expected that these medicines will make up half of the medicines in future. Already now, 350 million patients are treated with biotherapeutics, produced from proteins. The proteins that are injected to humans must be “clean” and pure. However, harvesting a protein from cells and purifying it is a daunting challenge. Current harvesting methods are complicated and expensive. We made a discovery, which would significantly improve the harvesting and purification process, therefore lowering drug production costs. In this process, biological cells are producing desired proteins from a gene that was planted into the cell’s genome. The key is that after the protein has been produced within cells, we will then induce the cells to send the protein outside – to the liquid medium. This makes the harvesting and purification process much more efficient. The innovation lies in encoding the protein with RNA-based tag. When attached to a gene of interest, the tag will make the producing cell secrete the encoded protein to the medium. If we program proteins to be secreted to the extracellular medium more efficiently protein harvesting and purification process in Pharma, Biotech and Agricultural industries could be revolutionized. This is extremely important for the Pharma industry, which is struggling on low return on investment, already threatening the sector’s viability. Quicker drug development process, cheaper and higher quality production and improved ROI will create also societal benefit. In the end, new drugs can be discovered and brought to markets quicker. In the PoC, we will characterize and discover the best tags for protein production and secretion and use it to secret key drugs essential for the Pharma industry, and demonstrate the feasibility of our technology and carry out pre-commercialization actions in order to shorten our innovation’s time to market.

Mots-clés : drug development,biotechnology,heterologous protein expression,rna localization,commercialization,protein purification,biotherapeutics
Projet ERC : BECONTRA (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : University of Salzburg — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : PLUS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499726.0 €

Birth control pills have been on the market for almost 60 years now and are used by almost 200 million women worldwide. Particularly, the use of birth control pills increases among adolescents. However, the effects of birth control pills on the brain have widely been ignored. It was my own research that found the first indication that birth control pills affect female brain structure and masculinize female brain function. Furthermore, I recently obtained evidence that these changes are strongly dependent on the type of synthetic hormone contained in birth control pills and might affect some brain areas, like the hippocampus, beyond the duration of contraceptive treatment. This poses the question, whether effects of birth control pills on the brain are fully reversible after women stop taking the pill, especially if pill use occurs during sensitive periods of brain development, like in adolescents. Previous studies suffer from small sample sizes and insufficient study designs. Importantly, they compare women on birth control pills to naturally cycling women (cross-sectional designs) rather than following the same women from before she starts taking the pill through the first months of her pill use and vice versa (longitudinal designs). Accordingly they may be confounded by sampling bias. Therefore the general aims of this proposal are (A) to study the effects of birth control pills on the brain – for the first time – systematically in a longitudinal design, and (B) to address whether the effects of birth control pills on the brain are fully reversible. I seek to link changes in the brain to changes in behaviour, and address whether different types of pills cause different effects. Most importantly, a specific focus will lie on teen use of birth control pills. In order to address these questions, this project will employ a multi-modal imaging design, following several groups of pill users over multiple time-points before, during and after contraceptive treatment.

Mots-clés : hormonal contraceptives,sex hormones,brain,cognition
Projet ERC : SPAWN (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
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 : 1330322.0 €

Black holes are involved in extreme astrophysical phenomena such as accretion, launching of relativistic jets and particle acceleration. The origin of this activity is still poorly understood, but plasma processes within the magnetosphere of the black hole are most likely involved. Thanks to high-performance computing, it is now possible to probe this region. The current state-of-the-art numerical simulations have been focusing on a fluid description of the plasma surrounding black holes. This approach is not sufficient to understand how the plasma is generated and how particles are accelerated near black holes. Here, we propose to model black hole magnetospheres using global ab-initio particle-in-cell simulations where the fields, particles and radiation evolve in a self-consistent manner. Our project will produce the first fully consistent modeling of black hole magnetospheres and allow for an accurate interpretation of current and upcoming horizon-scale observations of the Galactic center and nearby supermassive black holes by the VLTI-Gravity instrument in the infrared and the Event Horizon Telescope in radio. This project will also lead to the prediction of the electromagnetic signal from black-hole neutron star binaries prior to the merger in coincidence with gravitational waves events detected by LIGO-VIRGO instruments.

Mots-clés : particle acceleration,black holes,plasma numerical simulations