Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Chap4Resp (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
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 : 1999956.0 €

Cellular respiration provides energy to power essential processes of life. Respiratory complexes are macromolecular batteries coupling electron flow through a wire of metal clusters and cofactors with proton transfer across the inner membrane of mitochondria and bacteria. Waste products of these cellular factories are reactive oxygen species causing ageing and diseases. Assembly and maturation mechanisms of respiratory complexes remain enigmatic because of their membrane location, multisubunit composition and cofactor insertion. E. coli Complex I, one of the largest membrane proteins, composed of 14 conserved subunits with 9 Fe/S clusters and a flavin, is a minimal model for its 45-subunit human homologue. When proton pumping by respiratory complexes is affected, bacteria become resistant to antibiotics requiring proton gradient for uptake. Based on the latest genetic data, we realize that the huge E. coli macromolecular cage, the structure of which we recently solved by cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM), in conjunction with a novel protein cofactor, is a specific chaperone for Fe/S cluster biogenesis and assembly of respiratory complexes. This integrated multidisciplinary project combines cryoEM and other structural, biophysical and spectroscopic techniques, to uncover the functional mechanism of this emerging chaperone. The structural plasticity of the chaperone fuelled by ATP hydrolysis, and its interaction with Fe/S cluster biogenesis systems and the main respiratory complexes as a function of stresses, will be scrutinized to gain quasiatomic insights into the way the chaperone operates on its substrates. A novel technology for synergetic in situ investigation of protein complexes in the bacterial cytoplasm by optical imaging, state-of-the-art cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy, and subtomogram analysis, will be developed and used to obtain snapshots of the chaperone-substrate interactions in the cellular context.

Mots-clés : cryo electron microscopy,correlative light electron microscopy,chaperone substrate interaction,assembly of bacterial nuo complex,bacterial iron sulfur cluster biogenesis
Projet ERC : NeuroNanoChip (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : VU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 13857.88 €

Cellular studies in neuroscience are hampered by the fact that in vitro cultures of primary neurons are complex, variable and heterogeneous, making studies on cultured neurons time consuming, labour intensive and not scalable. Especially for single cell studies on synaptic transmission and cellular trafficking, this is a major limitation. Both in academia and industry, mitotic cells are commonly used as a proxy for neurons (e.g. PC12 cells). However, while being less variable and better scalable, such cells model neurons only to a limited extent. These cells make no functional contacts (synapses) and do not have the same polarized organization that neurons have, which limits the validity for studies on synaptic transmission and cellular trafficking. Most commonly prescribed drugs for brain disorders target synapses. Yet, drug screening, lead finding/optimization and safety studies build either on cells that make no synapses or on labor-intensive low-throughput assays. Hence, new, standardized, scalable assays using real (synaptic) neurons, will provide a substantial step forward both for academia and industry. This application aims to develop a nano-electrode chip with an electrode array to stimulate, record and image many single neurons with high-resolution, for a period up to several weeks. This approach provides imaging data at single synapse and single organelle resolution and synaptic transmission data at high-throughput. Together, this will not only facilitate and standardize cellular assays using real neurons, but also upscale throughput 100 fold. In addition to the chip itself, we also see market potential for the method (growing/recording neurons on chips) and for a fee-for-service company that offers high throughput compound screening on synaptic neurons.

Mots-clés : neuroscience,synaptic transmission,nano electrode,exocytosis,cultured neurons,patch clamp,cellular trafficking,life cell imaging
Projet ERC : BIODESERT (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Alicante — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1113305.98 €

Changes in climate and land use (e.g., increased grazing pressure), are two main global change components that also act as major desertification drivers. Understanding how drylands will respond to these drivers is crucial because they occupy 41% of the terrestrial surface and are home to over 38% of the world’s human population. Land degradation already affects ~250 million people in the developing world, which rely upon the provision of many ecosystem processes (multifunctionality). This proposal aims to develop a better understanding of the functioning and resilience of drylands (i.e. their ability to respond to and recover from disturbances) to major desertification drivers. Its objectives are to: 1) test how changes in climate and grazing pressure determine spatiotemporal patterns in multifunctionality in global drylands, 2) assess how biotic attributes (e.g., biodiversity, cover) modulate ecosystem resilience to climate change and grazing pressure at various spatial scales, 3) test and develop early warning indicators of desertification, and 4) forecast the onset of desertification and its ecological consequences under different climate and grazing scenarios. I will use various biotic communities/attributes, ecosystem services and spatial scales (from local to global), and will combine approaches from several disciplines. Such comprehensive and highly integrated research endeavor is novel and constitutes a ground breaking advance over current research efforts on desertification. This project will provide a mechanistic understanding on the processes driving multifunctionality under different global change scenarios, as well as key insights to forecast future scenarios for the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands, and to test and develop early warning indicators of desertification. This is of major importance to attain global sustainability and key Millennium Development Goals, such as the eradication of poverty.

Mots-clés : desertification,global environmental change,remote sensing,drylands,grazing,ecosystem functioning,ecosystem services,multifunctionality,climate change
Projet ERC : RARITY (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Leiden University Medical Center — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LUMC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499795.0 €

Checkpoint blockade immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment. However, this immunotherapy only benefits a minority of patients (< 15%), mainly those diagnosed with cancers having many mutations. Furthermore, checkpoint blockade therapy does not selectively activate cancer-reactive T cells. RARITY responds to these shortcomings, aiming to provide innovative solutions for the development of effective immunotherapies for patients who do not benefit from current treatments. The ground-breaking preliminary data included in this application demonstrates that cancer-reactive T cells can be naturally present in so-called non-immunogenic cancers and that they acquire distinctive phenotypes. RARITY will apply state-of-the-art technologies to fingerprint these phenotypes. This will allow the isolation of cancer-reactive T cells from tumour tissues and their employment as highly-effective therapies. Therapeutic vaccination with cancer antigens can also be used to induce T cell responses in patients where natural activation of cancer-specific T cells is not detectable. However, the applicability of vaccination is compromised by the lack of specific targets, particularly in malignancies with few mutations. RARITY will address this problem by deploying a novel class of cancer antigens. An unprecedented screening of non-exomic genomic regions will be done to detect unannotated proteins that arise from de novo transcription and translation events. These proteins can then be targeted by personalized immunotherapies. Finally, thought-provoking findings included in RARITY suggest that immune cell subsets other than T cells play a major role in anti-tumour immune responses. These subsets need to be fully inventoried and categorised so that complementary strategies to T cell immunotherapies can be developed. RARITY will do so by conducting multidimensional analysis of cancer microenvironments using imaging mass cytometry and ex vivo modulation of immune responses.

Mots-clés : cancer immunotherapy,whole genome,mass cytometry,neoantigens,neoantigen specific t cells,low mutation burden
Projet ERC : FRICatANIONS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Regensburg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150480.84 €

Chemical transformations comprise the polarization of the reacting species. As a consequence, partially or fully charged reagents and intermediates are omnipresent in chemistry. Although anion-binding processes are well-known for their crucial role in molecular recognition, this type of phenomenon has only recently been utilized for catalysis. Since catalytic reactions are of utmost relevance to construct valuable chemicals and materials, this mode of catalytic chemical activation might be the key for the future design of original and more efficient synthetic transformations. However, the effects of anions in catalytic processes are still largely unknown. Aiming at providing a novel general synthetic toolbox, in this project I propose several anion-binding activation concepts to solve current challenging catalytic synthetic problems. To achieve this goal, structurally different chiral anion-binding catalysts will be developed and incorporated into the existing limited palette of catalyst library. Furthermore, I propose a significant expansion of the application scope of anion-binding catalysis based on the activation and modulation of anionic nucleophiles and oxidants to develop organocatalytic reactions such as halogenations and oxidations, including the asymmetric functionalization of C-H bonds. In addition, anion-binding processes will be used to facilitate key steps in cross-coupling reactions such as the transmetallation, as well as the photoactivity modulation of readily available photosensitizers and the introduction of asymmetric photocatalysis involving radical-anions. The proposed groundbreaking approaches will revolutionize not only anion-binding catalysis but also all the scientific areas relying on catalytic synthetic methods. Thus, the results derived from this project will have a tremendous impact in diverse fields such as catalysis, organic synthesis and material sciences, as well as in economical, environmental and industrial issues.

Mots-clés : catalysis,asymmetric reactions
Projet ERC : DYNPOR (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Ghent University — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UGent
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1993750.0 €

Chemical transformations in nanoporous materials are vital in many application domains, such as catalysis, molecular separations, sustainable chemistry,…. Model-guided design is indispensable to tailoring materials at the nanometer scale level. At real operating conditions, chemical transformations taking place at the nanometer scale have a very complex nature, due to the interplay of several factors such as the number of particles present in the pores of the material, framework flexibility, competitive pathways, entropy effects,… The textbook concept of a single transition state is far too simplistic in such cases. A restricted number of configurations of the potential energy surface is not sufficient to capture the complexity of the transformation. My objective is to simulate complex chemical transformations in nanoporous materials using first principle molecular dynamics methods at real operating conditions, capturing the full complexity of the free energy surface. To achieve these goals advanced sampling methods will be used to explore the interesting regions of the free energy surface. The number of guest molecules at real operating conditions will be derived and the diffusion of small molecules through pores with blocking molecules will be studied. New theoretical models will be developed to keep track of both the framework flexibility and entropy of the lattice. The selected applications are timely and rely on an extensive network with prominent experimental partners. The applications will encompass contemporary catalytic conversions in zeolites, active site engineering in metal organic frameworks and structural transitions in nanoporous materials, and the expected outcomes will have the potential to yield groundbreaking new insights. The results are expected to have impact far beyond the horizon of the current project as they will contribute to the transition from static to dynamically based modeling tools within heterogeneous catalysis
Projet ERC : STRONG (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : University of Gothenburg — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Chemistry has had profound impact on society during the last two centuries. From mass production of drugs and pigments, to the invention of plastics, and more recently with the introduction of molecular electronics. However, some basic physical laws govern possible utilizations. It is therefore of great importance to examine how to bend these laws, how to bypass them and by so doing open up new opportunities for novel applications. A central physical property of the molecule is its ability to interact with light. Plant leaves are green because they absorb light. However, less known is that this light-matter interaction can be enhanced to the point where it is so strong so that the photon and molecule cannot be regarded as separate entities, but as a system with unique properties. So called strong coupling occurs when exchange of energy between light and matter is stronger than any dissipation process and it leads to the formation of hybrid states with new physical and chemical properties. STRONG will use a chemical viewpoint to develop unique molecules optimized for strong light-matter interactions, and with these examine excited state processes of strongly coupled systems. My aim is to demonstrate that strong light-matter coupling enables selective manipulation of energy levels. By so doing I will allow for a singlet ground and first excited state, thus challenge Hund’s rule and change how the basic rules of electronic state energetics are envisioned. This enables channelling of all excitation energy, irrespectively of origin, through a singlet pathway, which is of great technological importance in organic electronics. Furthermore, I will use reversible oriented molecules to enhance the coupling and for the first time examine the relationship between orientation of molecules and strong light-matter coupling. Also the ability of light-matter interactions to increase order of an ensemble of molecules, which has profound technological applications, will be explored.
Projet ERC : LeibnizDream (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : University of Milano-Bicocca — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIMIB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 3136250.0 €

Children around the globe acquire language and with it the human ability to communicate complex thoughts. This project develops a new linguistic theory to explain language and its acquisition. Our central hypothesis is that language radically compresses thought structures to sound or sign. While current theories assume a parallel between thought and language or meaning-preserving transformations, we assume that thought is mapped to language by only realizing some pieces of conceptual representations. Adult language is hyper-efficient at compressing information. For this reason, Leibniz and many others over the last 300 years have been unable to agree on the primitives of human thought. We predict that child languages are a better mirror of the human mind. Our initial evidence suggests that children are not able to compress conceptual representations as efficiently as adults. Sometimes children produce more material than adults, leading to so-called commission errors, which have never been systematically investigated. Furthermore, comprehension is easier for children when there is a one-to-one match between language and thought. To test our central hypothesis and specify how conceptual structure is compressed into language, we carry out a series of at least twelve targeted language acquisition studies on a global scale. We have recruited collaborators for more than 50 languages from 21 different language families, two sign languages and two creoles to carry out our studies. With this data, we can formulate a complete formal model of the semantic primitives, their combination into conceptual structures, the morphological compression mechanism, and the acquisition process within our model. To accomplish these goals, we rely on insights from formal semantics, generative syntax, distributed morphology, and several other linguistic frameworks. As part of our work, we also create the first open, global research collaboration to conduct language acquisition studies.

Mots-clés : first language acquisition,comparative linguistics,formal semantics,morphology,event structure
Projet ERC : FAMI-LIES (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Erasmus University Rotterdam — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : EUR
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498250.0 €

Children who lie, learn this from a very young age. While some forms of lying are harmless, or even adaptive, other types are maladaptive. Yet, social origins of lying are grossly understudied. Parents sometimes lie (claiming to leave the child behind, when misbehaving) or model lying to children (telling someone they love a gift, while admitting to the child their dislike). How parental deception affects children is unknown. In fact, socialization of child lying is paradoxical: despite lying or modelling lying, parents usually teach that lying is wrong. Thus, many children receive mixed messages about the value of honesty. To begin the crucial study of this paradox, I coin a novel term: “parental moral dissonance”, a mismatch between what parents teach about lying and what they actually do. In the multimethod FAMI-LIES project, I will explore and explain how and why parents lie to children, how this contrasts with what they teach, and how lying and moral dissonance relate to child socio-emotional and moral outcomes. The problematic scarcity of research on social origins of lying reflects in a lack of valid measures to assess variation in parental lies. Therefore, I will first design a new, necessary questionnaire and behavioural observation codes to assess parental lying. Second, I will explore parental and child correlates of moral dissonance to generate hypotheses about its appearance, origins, and effects. Third, I will assess longitudinal associations (including bidirectional patterns) between parent and child lying, and child outcomes. Fourth, I will experimentally test causal socialization pathways from parent to child lying. A unique integration of insights of psychology and family studies frames lying in a psychosocial context. Findings will impact various disciplines, aid evidence-based prevention and intervention programs for parents and children, and provide foundations for further expansion of this societal and clinically relevant research line.

Mots-clés : parental lying,child lying,parental socialization,child socio emotional development,behavioural observations
Projet ERC : RESPONSIVENESS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Vienna — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Univie
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1292440.0 €

China’s success story of the past three decades is seen as an anomaly. Market-based reforms have generated an economic system that can hardly be described as socialist anymore, but the Communist Party of China remains in power. Although social unrest is on the rise, the CCP enjoys the consent of the overwhelming majority of its people. Most agree that China’s economic performance is the key to solving this apparent puzzle, but how can extraordinary high rates of public support be maintained in a country where income inequality is so extreme? We believe that the answer to this question lies in the responsiveness of China’s authoritarian one-party regime to popular demands and grievances, a capability that has so far been attributed only to democratic regimes. We further believe that the rapid improvement of e-participation, the opportunity to evaluate public services on the Internet, has greatly facilitated regime responsiveness - China’s score in the United Nations e-participation index is higher than the European average. We suggest, however, that as the government increasingly calibrates public policy towards satisfying the demand of China’s netizens, the "technologically illiterate" are forced to express their demands in public protests and other forms of social unrest. The proposed project sheds light on the intended and unintended consequences of enhanced e-participation in China by exploring which social interests China’s rulers incorporate into public policy making, and how these decisions influence the propensity of particular social groups to voice their demands by either participating online or taking to the streets. By exploring the “complex system” in which online complaints, social unrest and public policy interact, the project provides insights into the micro-foundations of regime responsiveness in China. It thereby increases our knowledge of how the CCP seeks to defer the antagonism that prompted the revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria.

Mots-clés : responsiveness,authoritarianism