Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : ABIONYS (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Helsinki — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1707040.0 €

In order to tackle some of the prime societal challenges of this century, science has to urgently provide effective tools addressing the redesign of chemical value chains through the exploitation of novel, bio-based raw materials, and the discovery and implementation of more resource-efficient production platforms. Nature will inevitably play a pivotal role in the imminent transformation of industrial strategies, and the recent bioeconomy approaches can only be regarded as initial step towards a sustainable future. Operating at the interface between chemistry and life sciences, my ABIONYS will fundamentally challenge the widely held distinction separating chemical from biosynthesis, and will deliver the first proof-of-concept where abiotic reactions act as productive puzzle pieces in biosynthetic arrangements. On the basis of our previous ground-breaking discoveries on artificial enzyme functions, I will create a significantly extended toolbox of biocatalysis modules by applying protein-based interpretations of synthetically crucial but non-natural reactions i.e. transformations that are in no way biosynthetically encoded in living organisms. My research will exploit these tools in multi-enzyme cascades for the preparation of complex organic target structures, not only to highlight the great synthetic potential of these approaches, but also to lay the groundwork for in vivo implementations. Eventually, the knowledge gathered from enzyme discovery and cascade design will enable to create an unprecedented class of bioproduction systems, where the genetic incorporation of artificial enzyme functions into recombinant microbial host organisms will yield tailor-made cellular factories. Combining classical organic synthesis strategies with the power of modern biotechnology, ABIONYS is going to transform the way we synthesize complex and functional building blocks by allowing us to encode organic chemistry thinking into living production platforms.

Mots-clés : biocatalysis,enzyme cascades,synthetic biology,cellular factories,pathway design,stereochemistry,green chemistry
Projet ERC : CODIC (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Karolinska Institutet — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 94738.0 €

In our ERC grant GEnetic NEtworks as a tool for anti-CAncer Drug Development we used siRNA screening and genetic networks to identify dCTPase being involved in DNA repair and replication. Further studies revealed that dCTPase plays a role in the degradation of nucleoside analogues used in cancer treatment. We then used an RNAi approach to validate dCTPase as a target to improve nucleoside analogue therapy. The dCTPase protein was purified and we set up an enzymatic high-throughput assay to screen >65,000 compounds, which generated hits that inhibit dCTPase (IC50~1-10μM). Using in house medicinal chemistry we developed TH1217, a low nM potent and selective dCTPase inhibitor with favourable pharmacokinetic properties. TH1217 synergistically induces apoptosis and cell death in combination with cytidine analogue treatment in cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, but shows no increased toxicity in nontransformed dividing cells. Here, we want to explore the commercial potential of the dCTPase inhibitors identified in the ERC grant. In this programme, we will, with the company Oxcia AB, establish the viability of the business programme using technical analysis, develop a business strategy and direction, specifically secure IP, perform market analysis, develop a business plan, manage preclinical development and prepare for clinical trials in collaboration with clinicians and regulatory bodies, IMPD application to Medical Products Agency and identify and discuss with potential commercialization partners and funding agencies to support cost of clinical trials. We have a non-profit foundation that owns our IP rights in an effort to secure long term support for translational science aimed at bringing new therapies to patients. In our planned business model, we start a new company that holds an exclusive license to the IP from the foundation which is used to develop the overall business programme and attract investments.

Mots-clés : dctpase inhibitors,hematological cancers,new therapy,commercialisation,combination therapy,synergy,cytidine analogue
Projet ERC : CODIC (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Oxcia ab — Pays : Suède — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Oxcia ab
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 55262.0 €

In our ERC grant GEnetic NEtworks as a tool for anti-CAncer Drug Development we used siRNA screening and genetic networks to identify dCTPase being involved in DNA repair and replication. Further studies revealed that dCTPase plays a role in the degradation of nucleoside analogues used in cancer treatment. We then used an RNAi approach to validate dCTPase as a target to improve nucleoside analogue therapy. The dCTPase protein was purified and we set up an enzymatic high-throughput assay to screen >65,000 compounds, which generated hits that inhibit dCTPase (IC50~1-10μM). Using in house medicinal chemistry we developed TH1217, a low nM potent and selective dCTPase inhibitor with favourable pharmacokinetic properties. TH1217 synergistically induces apoptosis and cell death in combination with cytidine analogue treatment in cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, but shows no increased toxicity in nontransformed dividing cells. Here, we want to explore the commercial potential of the dCTPase inhibitors identified in the ERC grant. In this programme, we will, with the company Oxcia AB, establish the viability of the business programme using technical analysis, develop a business strategy and direction, specifically secure IP, perform market analysis, develop a business plan, manage preclinical development and prepare for clinical trials in collaboration with clinicians and regulatory bodies, IMPD application to Medical Products Agency and identify and discuss with potential commercialization partners and funding agencies to support cost of clinical trials. We have a non-profit foundation that owns our IP rights in an effort to secure long term support for translational science aimed at bringing new therapies to patients. In our planned business model, we start a new company that holds an exclusive license to the IP from the foundation which is used to develop the overall business programme and attract investments.

Mots-clés : dctpase inhibitors,hematological cancers,new therapy,commercialisation,combination therapy,synergy,cytidine analogue
Projet ERC : AstroMetrix (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Radboud University Nijmegen — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In our ERC-funded project we have used interferometric techniques from radio astronomy to precisely localize bunches of cosmic ray particles rushing through our Earth atmosphere at light speed. Here we want to use this technique to provide precise and robust tracking of tracking of vehicles, such as robotic lawnmowers, ships and planes. Localizing vehicles as precisely as possible has become an ever more important aspect of modern day life, as is evident from the success of GPS. However, under certain circumstances GPS will not work well, either because the vehicle is indoors or the accuracy of GPS-systems is not sufficient. To achieve the feat of catching particles at light speed in our ERC project, we combined the knowledge from radio astronomy, particle physics and modern digital data processing. We developed solar-powered smart receivers linked over large areas into a single interferometer and developed software tools that allow us to do radio interferometric measurements in the presence of distorting signals. In the past, radio astronomical techniques were too compute- and power-intensive for commercial applications; however, the game changers are now powerful mobile phone processors developed for the consumer market. As a result we can in principle robustly localize radio sources to within a fraction of a wavelength – i.e., anywhere from millimetres to metres depending on the radio frequency. The concept is scalable, can be used to measure accurate locations over distances from metres to thousands of kilometres, and can be employed on earth or from space. The earth-based applications has a potential economic and social impact for instance via the tracking of objects (parcels or people) indoors, while the space-based application will allow for continuous tracking of ships and planes. The main goal of this proposal is to prepare for the launch of a start-up country that can commercialize this knowledge.

Mots-clés : radioastronomy,localization,interferometry,tracking of robotic vehicles
Projet ERC : NANONC (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : KU Leuven — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KUL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1947519.0 €

In our current society, therapeutic strategies against cancer suffer from dose-limiting toxicity, lack of specificity and high morbidity. To overcome this, the use of nanomaterials (NMs) is rising, where several NM formulations are undergoing clinical trials or are used in clinics where the NMs are used as drug delivery vehicles or as mediators in physical anticancer methods (e.g. hyperthermia), where to date, the success rate is limited due to low tumor targeting efficacy, lack of specificity and frequent re-use of classical toxicity mechanisms. To overcome these issues, this research program aims to exploit the intrinsic toxicity of certain types of metal-based, degradation-prone NMs (Fe-doped ZnO, Fe-doped CuO and Ag of different sizes and coatings) towards only cancer cells as a novel and generic anti-cancer tool with 1) improved efficacy against difficult to treat cancers such as multidrug-resistant cancer cells, 2) enhanced specificity and selectivity of the treatment by the intrinsic cancer cell-specific toxicity of NMs towards cancer cells. To overcome the issues related to selective delivery of the NMs, tumor-homing cells will be used that have been shown to efficiently home to primary tumors and their metastases. In practice, the NMs used show distinct degradation kinetics that primarily induce cancer-selective toxicity. To obtain efficient tumor targeting, suicide gene-expressing tumor-homing cells will be loaded with the NMs in their cytoplasm, hereby impeding premature NM degradation. The tumor homing efficacy of these cells will be monitored via optical imaging and once at the target site these cells will be chemically destroyed using the suicide gene strategy. This will release the NMs into the tumor site, where they can selectively destroy the cancer cells. This research program will be the first to explore the full potential of cancer-specific toxicity of NMs and the use of cytoplasmic loading of cells as biological carriers for efficient delivery.

Mots-clés : nanomedicine,nanoparticles,nanotoxicology
Projet ERC : MigrantLife (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : University of St Andrews — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2364895.0 €

In recent decades, European countries have witnessed increasing immigration streams and ethnic heterogeneity of their populations. Facilitating immigrant integration and social cohesion has become a major societal issue. The project moves beyond previous research by first investigating how employment, housing and family trajectories evolve and interact in the lives of descendants of post-WWII immigrants and post-1990 immigrants in the UK, France, Germany and Sweden, and how factors related to a societal context, an early life context and critical transitions shape their life histories. Second, the study will project their future life trajectories using innovative simulation techniques, considering the main life domains and diversity between and within immigrant groups. Although recent studies report substantial diversity in employment, in housing and in family patterns among descendants of post-war immigrants and recent immigrants in Europe, the causes of this heterogeneity remain far from clear. Furthermore, it is not known whether observed differences between immigrants and natives are short-term outcomes in a long-term process of cultural and economic integration or rather reflections of different pathways and outcomes for immigrants and their descendants. The project will exploit large-scale longitudinal data from four countries and apply advanced longitudinal methods, including multichannel sequence analysis and multilevel event history analysis. Microsimulation will be applied to project life histories for immigrants and their descendants. The project will significantly deepen our understanding of the relationships between the three life domains, and the causes of less and more successful life trajectories among immigrants and their descendants. This project will show whether the current heterogeneity between and within immigrant and minority groups vanishes over time or rather persists, suggesting an increasing diversity of European societies.

Mots-clés : immigrants,second generation,employment,family,housing,longitudinal analysis,microsimulation
Projet ERC : DigitalValues (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Hebrew University of Jerusalem — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HUJI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1985000.0 €

In recent decades, social media has emerged as a central arena for the construction of values. Artifacts such as YouTube videos, Facebook posts, and tweets reflect and shape what people across the globe consider important, desirable, or reprehensible. Understanding this pervasive value ecology is key to deciphering the political, cultural, and social processes governing the twenty-first century. In this project, I will conduct the first comprehensive study of values in social media. I will explore the following over-arching questions: How are values constructed through social media? Which values are emphasized in these spheres? To what extent are social media platforms associated with the globalization of values? In addressing these fundamental issues, I will apply an entirely new approach for the conceptualization and study of values. Carried out comparatively in five languages, DigitalValues will explore the interaction between three facets of value construction: (a) explicit uses of the terms “value” and “values”; (b) the implicit construction of values in genres of user-generated content; and (c) users’ interpretation and evaluation of values through both private meaning-making and public social practices of commenting, sharing, and liking. The project is theoretically, empirically, and methodologically groundbreaking in a number of ways: (1) it will be a pioneering large-scale study employing inductive methods to explore the construction of values through everyday cultural artifacts; (2) as a foundational study of values in social media, it will yield a novel theory of value construction as an intersection between individuals, technologies, and sociocultural contexts; (3) it will generate new methods for infering values from verbal texts, combining qualitative, quantitative, and automated analyses; (4) finally, it will yield a comprehensive map of values as expressed across languages and platforms, leading to a new understanding of the globalization of values.

Mots-clés : digital culture,globalization,social media,user generated content,values
Projet ERC : TransOcean (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Christian Michelsen Institute — Pays : Norvège — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CMI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499989.0 €

In recent years, China’s and Vietnam’s militarized and subsidized fishing fleets have begun to shift their radical marine harvesting techniques, and accompanying trade, from the South China Sea to Africa and Oceania. Scholarly analysis has largely assumed that fishers are instruments of their states’ geopolitical agendas, responding to regulations and incentives. This both obscures the actual motivations and modalities of fishers’ expansion of their fishing grounds and downplays the transoceanic networks connecting different fishers beyond state territories and localized fishing grounds in past and present. Charting this spike in maritime trespass, TransOcean will analyze and theorize how individuals and groups of fishers move in and out of legal and illegal, state and non-state categories of fisher, poacher, trader and smuggler, and how the emergent mobilities of Asian fishers interact and collide with those of Pacific and African fishers. Deploying the innovative concept of relational and shifting multiple mobilities and employing thalassographic analysis, TransOcean develops a novel theoretical and methodological framework of fishers as mobile maritime actors who exploit their multiple occupations, incomes and networks to pursue transoceanic expansion. TransOcean studies, for the first time, diverse groups of interconnected fishers outside of territorially bounded fisheries and area studies, by analyzing mobilities beyond sea-borne migration or diasporic settlement. Though multi-scalar and globally oriented TransOcean remains firmly rooted in fine-grained ethnography, with a focus on Vietnamese and Chinese and African and Pacific fishers in specific on-shore nodal points, connected by the growing Sino-Vietnamese demand for illicit seafood. Thus, TransOcean breaks new methodological and theoretical ground for tackling intractable marine problems of significant scientific and policy value.

Mots-clés : fishers,transoceanic expansion,multiple mobilities,thalassography,ethnography,anthropology,illegal fishing,poaching,smuggling,trading,trespassing
Projet ERC : GLO (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Brunel University London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1058546.19 €

In recent years, conservationists have engaged in heated debates about whether and how conservation should respond to the challenges posed by ‘the Anthropocene’—a term increasingly used to encapsulate the overwhelming, transformative impact of human activity on the Earth system. How are these debates—and the wider ‘Anthropocenic’ awareness they embody—reshaping conservation philosophy, strategy and practice? How are they manifested in and across diverse contexts? How, conversely, are global conservation developments and ‘Anthropocenic’ phenomena apprehended and reshaped on the ground? This project explores such urgent questions through an unprecedented study of the global nexus of orangutan conservation at a unique historical juncture marked by flux and uncertainty. Combining in-depth ethnography and multiply-scaled cross-cultural comparison, it approaches orangutan conservation as a sprawling, uneven terrain across which the rapidly-evolving relationship between conservation and ‘the Anthropocene’ is being played out. Its objectives are 1) to examine if and how contemporary conservation is being ‘scaled up’ and re(con)figured in and for ‘the Anthropocene’; and 2) to cut ‘the Anthropocene’ down to size by exploring how it is experienced, conceptualized, contested or indeed refused across multiple conservation settings. Comprising four interlinked studies to be carried out simultaneously at the main nodes of orangutan conservation, this project seeks to pioneer a new synchronic, multi-sited approach to the analysis of global conservation and lay the groundwork for an empirically-driven, theoretically ambitious new field of scholarship on conservation in/for ‘the Anthropocene’—one that will revitalize social scientific understandings of conservation while adding much-needed empirical depth and nuance to emerging cross-disciplinary discussions about ‘the Anthropocene’.

Mots-clés : anthropocene,conservation,orangutans,human animal relations
Projet ERC : CONC-VIA-RIEMANN (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Technion – Israel Institute of Technology — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1194190.0 €

In recent years, the importance of superimposing the contribution of the measure to that of the metric, in determining the underlying space's (generalized Ricci) curvature, has been clarified in the works of Lott, Sturm, Villani and others, following the definition of Curvature-Dimension introduced by Bakry and Emery. We wish to systematically incorporate this important idea of considering the measure and metric in tandem, in the study of questions pertaining to isoperimetric and concentration properties of convex domains in high-dimensional Euclidean space, where a-priori there is only a trivial metric (Euclidean) and trivial measure (Lebesgue). The first step of enriching the class of uniform measures on convex domains to that of non-negatively curved ("log-concave") measures in Euclidean space has been very successfully implemented in the last decades, leading to substantial progress in our understanding of volumetric properties of convex domains, mostly regarding concentration of linear functionals. However, the potential advantages of altering the Euclidean metric into a more general Riemannian one or exploiting related Riemannian structures have not been systematically explored. Our main paradigm is that in order to progress in non-linear questions pertaining to concentration in Euclidean space, it is imperative to cast and study these problems in the more general Riemannian context. As witnessed by our own work over the last years, we expect that broadening the scope and incorporating tools from the Riemannian world will lead to significant progress in our understanding of the qualitative and quantitative structure of isoperimetric minimizers in the purely Euclidean setting. Such progress would have dramatic impact on long-standing fundamental conjectures regarding concentration of measure on high-dimensional convex domains, as well as other closely related fields such as Probability Theory, Learning Theory, Random Matrix Theory and Algorithmic Geometry.

Mots-clés : concentration inequalities,asymptotic geometric analysis,phenomena in high dimension,isoperimetric inequalities,functional inequalities,generalized ricci curvature,curvature dimension condition