Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : FORCE-UI (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : University of Bath — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1422060.0 €

Touch input is the universal approach for communicating intention to interactive computing systems. However, touchscreens are flat, solid surfaces that fail to reproduce the qualities of real-world object interaction (e.g. deformation, stiffness, springiness). Further, their expressivity is fundamentally bounded by a single measurable dimension: contact with a solid, touch-sensitive surface. This project will radically increase the expressivity of touchscreen-based interaction by co-locating three force modalities into a single visual display surface (force input, resistive- and kinetic- force feedback). This will create a new paradigm for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI): Force Responsive Deformable User Interfaces (FRUI). FRUIs will allow users to ‘push through’ a display and for the display to ‘push back’. To achieve this ambitious goal, I will combine innovative hardware prototyping with experimental computer science and psychophysical study methodologies to complete four key research objectives: (1) Develop novel engineering approaches to construct FRUI; (2) Empirically characterise humans’ capabilities and responses during interaction with FRUI; (3) Construct conceptual models, metaphors, and principles for user interaction with FRUI; (4) Evaluate the expressivity, efficiency, and user satisfaction of FRUIs. I am considered an international leader in the development of shape-changing interfaces (interfaces whose physical geometry adapts to underlying digital content), as evidenced through my strong research track record (including two recent agenda-setting papers at the premier HCI conference), international community leadership, and external grant success. This background ideally places me to conduct all aspects of this highly ambitious programme of work. FORCE-UI has the potential to revolutionise touch input, and in doing so will have a significant impact on society’s use of interactive systems.

Mots-clés : deformable user interface,force input,force output,touch input,display
Projet ERC : TOXANOID (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KNAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 137500.0 €

Toxicology and pharmacology assays are crucial pillars of modern drug development. They are essential to understand how tissues such as intestine and liver take up and degrade pharmaceutically active compounds. Due to the lack of suitable in vitro systems, these assays are carried out in experimental animals. This practice increases cost and development time but also creates significant ethical issues. We recently developed a 3D culture system that allows us to expand human tissue stem cells from intestine and liver as organoids and differentiate them to the respective functional adult tissue in vitro. These stem cell-derived tissues show high cytochrome activity and are able to metabolize drugs in a simple and cost-effective in vitro assay. With support from the ERC Proof of concept grant we aim to prove that our technology can outperform current in vitro systems and replace a significant portion of animal-based toxicology studies. This technological advance will lead to substantial reduction of cost in industrial and academic drug development and overcome practical and ethical pitfalls in animal-based testing. To this end we will develop an organoid-based assay to test tissue-drug interactions in three steps: 1) Definition of optimal parameters for human in vitro assays to assess gastro-intestinal and hepatic toxicity 2) Scale-up 3) Technology transfer and commercial distribution

Mots-clés : stem cells,organoids,toxicology
Projet ERC : European Unions (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
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 : 1997132.0 €

Trade unions play a major role in democratic interest intermediation. This role is currently threatened by the increasingly authoritarian strain in EU’s new economic governance (NEG). This project aims to explore the challenges and possibilities that the NEG poses to labour politics. Until recently, European labour politics has mainly been shaped by horizontal market integration through the free movement of goods, capital, services and people. After the financial crisis, the latter has been complemented by vertical integration effected through the direct surveillance of member states. The resulting NEG opens contradictory possibilities for labour movements in Europe. On the one hand, the reliance of the NEG on vertical surveillance makes decisions taken in its name more tangible, offering concrete targets for contentious transnational collective action. On the other hand however, the NEG mimics the governance structures of multinational firms, by using key performance indicators that put countries in competition with one another. This constitutes a deterrent to transnational collective action. The NEG’s interventionist and competitive strains also pose the threat of nationalist counter-movements, thus making European collective action ever more vital for the future of EU integration and democracy. This project has the following objectives: 1. To understand the interrelation between NEG and existing ‘horizontal’ EU economic governance; and the shifts in labour politics triggered by NEG; 2. To open up novel analytical approaches that are able to capture both national and transnational social processes at work; 3. To analyse the responses of established trade unions and new social movements to NEG in selected subject areas and economic sectors at national and EU levels, and their feedback effects on NEG; 4. To develop a new scientific paradigm capable of accounting for the interplay between EU economic governance, labour politics and EU democracy.

Mots-clés : industrial relations,labour movements,labour politics
Projet ERC : TAVI4Life (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : University of Zurich — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UZH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499375.0 €

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) techniques have revolutionized the therapy options for valvular heart disease. Initially developed for elderly high-risk patients, TAVI is being extended to younger patients and may become a first-line treatment in the near future. However, the available bioprostheses for TAVI are prone to degeneration, and patients may thus require multiple re-interventions, significantly affecting their life quality. To date, a native-analogous TAVI prosthesis with in-situ remodeling capacity does not exist. Tissue engineered (TE) heart valves represent a potential solution, but are not yet suitable for high-pressure applications and lack clinical translation because of uncontrolled in-vivo remodeling, impairing their long-term functionality. In the TAVI4Life project, I aim to develop and validate a novel TAVI prosthesis for young patients with the unique ability to transform into a fully autologous valve within the body and last for life. This project will go far beyond previous TE concepts by engineering a novel decellularized human ECM and a bioresorbable stent and applying an unconventional bioengineering approach combining in-vitro, in-silico, and in-vivo TE methods. First, I will engineer and characterize a clinical-grade ECM for high-pressure conditions and test patient-specific immuno- and hemocompatibility profile (in-vitro). Next, using computational modeling, I will design and develop a bioresorbable stent and implement an analytical valve design to develop the transcatheter prosthesis (in-silico). Finally, I will evaluate valve performance and remodeling in a preclinical large animal model (in-vivo). This highly multidisciplinary approach will lead to a valve prosthesis that lasts for life, as guided in-situ tissue remodeling will enable their long-term performance. The clinical impact will be enormous as, particularly for young patients, the TAVI4Life will significantly enhance their life expectancy and quality of life.

Mots-clés : heart valve disease,tissue engineering,biomedical engineering,tavi,bioresorbable stent,computational modelling,in vitro in situ,in vivo
Projet ERC : CHROMTOPOLOGY (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems
Entité participante : Centre européen de recherche en biologie et en médecine — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CERBM
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Transcriptional regulation of genes in eukaryotic cells requires a complex and highly regulated interplay of chromatin environment, epigenetic status of target sequences and several different transcription factors. Eukaryotic genomes are tightly packaged within nuclei, yet must be accessible for transcription, replication and repair. A striking correlation exists between chromatin topology and underlying gene activity. According to the textbook view, chromatin loops bring genes into direct contact with distal regulatory elements, such as enhancers. Moreover, we and others have shown that genomes are organized into discretely folded megabase-sized regions, denoted as topologically associated domains (TADs), which seem to correlate well with transcription activity and histone modifications. However, it is unknown whether chromosome folding is a cause or consequence of underlying gene function. To better understand the role of genome organization in transcription regulation, I will address the following questions: (i) How are chromatin configurations altered during transcriptional changes accompanying development? (ii) What are the real-time kinetics and cell-to-cell variabilities of chromatin interactions and TAD architectures? (iii) Can chromatin loops be engineered de novo, and do they influence gene expression? (iv) What genetic elements and trans-acting factors are required to organize TADs? To address these fundamental questions, I will use a combination of novel technologies and approaches, such as Hi-C, CRISPR knock-ins, ANCHOR tagging of DNA loci, high- and super-resolution single-cell imaging, genome-wide screens and optogenetics, in order to both study and engineer chromatin architectures. These studies will give groundbreaking insight into if and how chromatin topology regulates transcription. Thus, I anticipate that the results of this project will have a major impact on the field and will lead to a new paradigm for metazoan transcription control.
Projet ERC : EndoNaut (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149929.0 €

Translating intracellular delivery to the market The advent of nanotechnology allowed the combination of new chemical and physical tools to engineer carriers able to perform specific functions at the molecular level. In recent years the ERC award ERC-STG-MEViC, helped to develop a powerful new technology called EndoNaut. This can be used to encapsulate and deliver dyes, imaging and contrast agents and drugs. EndoNaut technology consists of pH sensitive polymeric vesicles with the unique characteristics of endosomal delivery whilst maintaining cell viability and metabolic activity. The core technology, is based on the assembly in water of diblock copolymer poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine)–poly(2-(di-isopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PMPC–PDPA) into vesicles (also known as polymersomes). These nanoscopic carriers enable the encapsulation of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds including large biological macromolecules. Intracellular delivery is of prime importance for several applications and it can enhance existing therapies as well as allowing new ones. It is not surprising that EndoNaut is now generating significant commercial interest from several our collaborating pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical partners. There are two major areas of application for EndoNaut that offer opportunity for short term commercialisation. The first application is as a reagent in life science research and the second is as screening platform for new chemical entities libraries of pharmaceutical companies with few or no other option to deliver their molecules. The world market for both intracellular reagents and high-throughput screening are predicted to grow yearly by 8-9% generating revenue in the order of billions of USD (PRNewswire). The aim of this project is to form a new company dedicated to the exploitation of EndoNaut technology. The current grant would be enabling in the translation process from laboratory to market.

Mots-clés : intracellular delivery,cell reagent,drug discovery,high throughput,ph sensitive,endosome release
Projet ERC : TOLERANCE (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : RUNMC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1479090.0 €

Transplantation is a life-saving procedure for patients who suffer from end-stage organ failure. While the discovery of potent immunosuppression offers a solution to the previously insurmountable problem of organ rejection, transplant recipients still face substantial problems, including chronic rejection and adverse effects related to the chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs. Therefore, transplantation field’s ‘holy therapeutic grail’ is immunological tolerance induction without the need for chronic immunosuppression. Our recent work has identified innate immune responses, and in particular trained immunity, to play a critical role in transplantation. Based on compelling preliminary data, I hypothesize that trained immunity-induced myelopoiesis and hyperinflammation are proximal causes of T and B cell immunity and therefore are compelling therapeutic targets to induce immunological tolerance and significantly improve allograft survival. We will tackle the central hypothesis from the vantage points of medicine & immunology and biomedical engineering by pursuing two objectives: Objective 1 Medicine & Immunology – To mechanistically decipher innate immune responses and myelopoiesis in kidney transplant patients. Objective 2 Biomedical Engineering – To develop immuno-imaging and nanomedicine approaches that target innate immunity in transplantation. We have developed a comprehensive preclinical development program to evaluate these novel methods in a kidney transplant mouse model. This Program’s successful completion will yield unique nanobiologic immunotherapies and immunoimaging strategies, which can be employed to take control of the innate immune response and promote allograft tolerance in transplantation, but can also be adopted to treat other conditions that are characterized by an exacerbated immune response, including infections, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Mots-clés : nanomedicine,nano immunotherapy,kidney transplantation,molecular imaging,precision medicine
Projet ERC : GLASST (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Technical University of Munich — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : TUM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 102587.5 €

Transport is a major determinant of population health. Adverse health impacts are greatest in lower and middle income cities. Research and policy models are being used to predict how changes in travel patterns and related exposures (e.g. physical activity, air pollution, and road traffic danger) might influence health outcomes (e.g. injuries, heart disease, some cancers and diabetes). However, current methods are not able to produce reliable or comparable results for the questions researchers and policy makers are asking. Results are needed for settings with limited data. Methods are needed to integrate with the separate discipline of transport modelling. There is a need to develop the next generation of transport and health impact models and tools that are academically robust and practically useful. I will develop the next generation of models through the following objectives: 1. To develop methods and computer programs that allow researchers to compare health impact models and data. By collating and comparing models across many settings and scenario I will identify the circumstances in which variation in model structure and parameters makes an important difference to model results. This information will be used to create and test models for new settings and problems. 2. To integrate health impact modelling methods with the models used by transport researchers. This will make health impacts visible to transport planners. I will investigate the added value that land use/transport models can bring to health impact modelling from improved spatial and temporal detail and following households’ residential location over time. 3. To use the methods from (1) and findings from (1) and (2) to develop a global city-level model and tool that utilises the best data available in any setting to create comparable exposure and disease estimates. This will transform the opportunities for modelling health impacts of transport policies and scenarios across the world.

Mots-clés : walking,cycling,modeling,travel,health impacts,physical activity,air pollution,road traffic injuries,greenhouse gas emissions,noise,travel demand modeling,impact assessment
Projet ERC : GLASST (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 34038.73 €

Transport is a major determinant of population health. Adverse health impacts are greatest in lower and middle income cities. Research and policy models are being used to predict how changes in travel patterns and related exposures (e.g. physical activity, air pollution, and road traffic danger) might influence health outcomes (e.g. injuries, heart disease, some cancers and diabetes). However, current methods are not able to produce reliable or comparable results for the questions researchers and policy makers are asking. Results are needed for settings with limited data. Methods are needed to integrate with the separate discipline of transport modelling. There is a need to develop the next generation of transport and health impact models and tools that are academically robust and practically useful. I will develop the next generation of models through the following objectives: 1. To develop methods and computer programs that allow researchers to compare health impact models and data. By collating and comparing models across many settings and scenario I will identify the circumstances in which variation in model structure and parameters makes an important difference to model results. This information will be used to create and test models for new settings and problems. 2. To integrate health impact modelling methods with the models used by transport researchers. This will make health impacts visible to transport planners. I will investigate the added value that land use/transport models can bring to health impact modelling from improved spatial and temporal detail and following households’ residential location over time. 3. To use the methods from (1) and findings from (1) and (2) to develop a global city-level model and tool that utilises the best data available in any setting to create comparable exposure and disease estimates. This will transform the opportunities for modelling health impacts of transport policies and scenarios across the world.

Mots-clés : walking,cycling,modeling,travel,health impacts,physical activity,air pollution,road traffic injuries,greenhouse gas emissions,noise,travel demand modeling,impact assessment
Projet ERC : GENTE_Pop (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems
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 : 1499627.0 €

Transposable elements (TEs) are powerful engines of genome evolution, as illustrated by their implication in the rewiring of regulatory networks and the creation of new cellular functions. Short-term consequences of TE mobilization can also be particularly dramatic given that TE insertions are a unique source of large effect mutations. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the contribution of ongoing transposition to within-species variation. This situation stems in large part from the repetitive nature of TEs, which complicates their analysis. Moreover, TE mobilization is typically rare and therefore new TE insertions tend to be missed in small-scale population studies. Hence, a major challenge in genomics is to determine the conditions leading to transposition in nature and the range of effects it generates. While most TE insertions are likely to be deleterious or neutral, it is widely proposed that because TE activity can be sensitive to the environment, transposition may in fact act as a major adaptive response of the genome to environmental changes. Here, using large experimental and wild populations of the plant A. thaliana, I propose to leverage innovative genomic, molecular genetics and eco-evolutionary approaches to determine the Genetic x Environmental (GxE) map of heritable transposition and its contribution to the creation of adaptive variation. Aim 1 is to identify the genetic and environmental factors that underpin TE mobilization by quantifying newly generated heritable insertions in thousands of genetically diverse individuals subjected to a range of environmental stressors. Aim 2 is to determine the fitness effects of these heritable TE insertions using multigenerational competition experiments and highly complex environments. This project will greatly increase our understanding of the nature of the genetic variation TEs contribute to and our ability to predict the impact of ongoing transposition, notably in the context of climate change.

Mots-clés : transposable elements,de novo mutations,epigenetics