Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : BROADimmune (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Università della Svizzera italiana — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : USI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1867500.0 €

The overall goal of this project is to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to the generation of potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies against medically relevant pathogens, and to identify the factors that limit their production in response to infection or vaccination with current vaccines. We will use high-throughput cellular screens to isolate from immune donors clonally related antibodies to different sites of influenza hemagglutinin, which will be fully characterized and sequenced in order to reconstruct their developmental pathways. Using this approach, we will ask fundamental questions with regards to the role of somatic mutations in affinity maturation and intraclonal diversification, which in some cases may lead to the generation of autoantibodies. We will combine crystallography and long time-scale molecular dynamics simulation to understand how mutations can increase affinity and broaden antibody specificity. By mapping the B and T cell response to all sites and conformations of influenza hemagglutinin, we will uncover the factors, such as insufficient T cell help or the instability of the pre-fusion hemagglutinin, that may limit the generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies. We will also perform a broad analysis of the antibody response to erythrocytes infected by P. falciparum to identify conserved epitopes on the parasite and to unravel the role of an enigmatic V gene that appears to be involved in response to blood-stage parasites. The hypotheses tested are strongly supported by preliminary observations from our own laboratory. While these studies will contribute to our understanding of B cell biology, the results obtained will also have translational implications for the development of potent and broad-spectrum antibodies, for the definition of correlates of protection, and for improving vaccine design.

Mots-clés : broadly neutralizing antibodies,influenza,malaria,b cells,somatic mutations,affinity maturation,vaccines,t cell help,human genetics
Projet ERC : EXCITATOR (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : SynapCell — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 83655.0 €

The overall objective of EXCITATOR is to transfer the methods developed in the F-TRACT ERC project (f-tract.eu) around the concept of active probing of brain states with the industrialization goal to make them applicable for fast drug discovery in animal models. The industrialization process will be prepared in collaboration with Synapcell SAS, a biotechnology company that provides the biopharmaceutical industry with innovative drug discovery programs. EXCITATOR has one scientific objective (O), which requires achieving one proof-of-concept (PoC): • O – Cortical excitability as a read-out for drug screening. Electrodes will be inserted in the cortex and deep brain structures of rodents in control conditions. Under the acute challenge of drugs injected in animals, the changes of oscillatory power and cortical excitability as quantified in responses to micro-stimulations will be monitored. Our main scientific goal is to demonstrate that intracranial EEG (iEEG) responses to micro-stimulations will be more sensitive than standard iEEG power analysis to quantify the effects of drugs. • PoC – Automatised active probing platform for drug screening: For an industrial use, we will need to automatize the iEEG data recording and processing in animal models. In practice, we will transfer the most relevant functionalities of the FTRACT technology that relies on a human database with automatic data processing. Experimentally, some constraints related to small animals will need to be solved, like defining electrode configurations that maximize neural responses and minimize stimulation artefacts. Eventually, we aim at delivering an innovative and fully integrated drug screening platform from iEEG responses to micro-stimulations.

Mots-clés : neurostimulation,signal processing,electrophysiology,animal models,drug testing,brain
Projet ERC : VARME (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : University of Gothenburg — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1495595.0 €

The overall objective of VARME is to determine the long-term effects of the news media on citizens’ beliefs about societal problems. Theoretically and empirically, the program challenges the prevailing Short-term Media Effects Paradigm that characterizes most research on media effects. In doing so, the program uncovers a variety of important long-term media effects largely ignored in previous research. These include how beliefs about societal problems are initially formed (RQ1), how beliefs are maintained and reinforced (RQ2), as well as under what conditions they change both temporarily and more permanently (RQ3). The ambitious objective of VARME is achieved by three complementary projects. These projects are all possible thanks to an internationally unique infrastructure for data collection at the University of Gothenburg. Project 1 uncovers the long-term processes of media effects over a period of several years. Using an extensive longitudinal mixed-methods design, this study provides unique knowledge on how citizens’ beliefs about society are maintained, reinforced and potentially changed by the news media in the long run. Project 2 clarifies how citizens’ beliefs initially form in response to news coverage. By setting up a novel event-based study, this project enables a close “live” analysis of belief formation as real-world events take place and media coverage unfolds over time. Project 3 focuses on causality and mechanisms behind long-term media effects. Working together with professional journalists, this project is based on a series of realistic experiments on how citizens’ news choices and news exposure influence the maintenance, reinforcement and changes of beliefs over time. Apart from documenting the varieties of long-term effects on citizens’ beliefs about a wide range of societal problems, VARME makes significant contributions to several established theories of media effects.

Mots-clés : media effects,public opinion,long term
Projet ERC : WILLOW (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Aalborg University — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : AAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1994411.25 €

The overall objective of WILLOW is to make wireless communication a true commodity by enabling lowband communications: low-rate links for massive number of devices and ultra-reliable connectivity. This research effort is a major endeavour in the area of wireless communications, taking a different path from the mainstream research that aims at “4G, but faster”. Lowband communication is the key to enabling new applications, such as massive sensing, ultra-reliable vehicular links and wireless cloud connectivity with guaranteed minimal rate. The research in WILLOW is centred on two fundamental issues. First, it is the efficient communication with short packets, in which the data size is comparable to the size of the metadata, i.e. control information, which is not the case in broadband communication. Communication of short packets that come from a massive number of devices and/or need to meet a latency constraint requires fundamental rethinking of the packet structure and the associated communication protocols. Second is the system architecture in which graceful rate degradation, low latency and massive access can exist simultaneously with the broadband services. The principles from WILLOW will be applied to: (a) clean-slate wireless systems; (b) reengineer existing wireless systems. Option (b) is unique to lowband communication that does not require high physical-layer speed, but can reuse the physical layer of an existing system and redefine the metadata/data relationship to achieve massive/ultra-reliable communication. WILLOW carries high risk by conjecturing that it is possible to support an unprecedented number of connected devices and wireless reliability levels. Considering the timeliness and the relevance, the strong track record of the PI and the rich wireless research environment at Aalborg University, WILLOW is poised to make a breakthrough towards lowband communications and create the technology that will enable a plethora of new wireless usage modes.

Mots-clés : wireless communications,machine to machine communication,reliable communication,packet based communication
Projet ERC : LIFECOURSE (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Reykjavík University — Pays : Islande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999188.0 €

The overall objective of the proposed research is to improve our understanding of the interplay between biological, environmental, and social factors that influence the development of harmful behaviours in adolescents. We propose to conduct the first multilevel cohort study of its kind that would combine biological, behavioural, and social data from before birth through adolescence for an entire population birth cohort of adolescents. The program is based in Iceland due to a unique infrastructure for the collection of health and social registry data as well as available access to a whole cohort of adolescents. We will extend our previous work using a multilevel developmental framework to identify both individual and collective level variables to study the independent and interactive effects of biological, environmental, and social determinants of adolescent harmful behaviours, with special emphasis on the influence of stress on substance use, self-inflicted harm, suicidal behaviour, and delinquency. Our retrospective longitudinal database will include existing registry information on maternal, child, and environmental determinants of adolescent harmful behaviours, measured prior to birth, at the time of birth, and during the infant, toddler, preschool, middle-childhood and early adolescent years, for the entire 2000 year birth cohort. We will prospectively measure biomarkers in human saliva and use an existing social survey infrastructure to add to the registry database. We have acquired all necessary ethical and organizational permissions and have carried out a preliminary study that shows registry data compliance of over 90% for all variables we intend to combine. This is a fundamental research project, examining unchartered territory. The results of this project will stimulate international research but more importantly, an understanding that will lead to better policies, planning and quality of life for young people in Europe and beyond.

Mots-clés : multilevel analysis,stress,adolescence,harmful behavior
Projet ERC : BATSPEAK (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : University of St Andrews — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1935402.99 €

The overarching goal of BATSPEAK is to shed light on the biological origins of speech and language by analysing the molecular mechanisms and neural circuitry that support vocal learning in the bat, using tools that I have pioneered in this species. Vocal learning is a fundamental building block of human spoken language and is a trait we share with few other animals. It has only been identified in 4 non-human mammal groups, of which bats are the only tractable model system in which the molecular and neural mechanisms can be addressed, thus providing a unique window onto the biological foundations from which human speech and language evolved. BATSPEAK has 3 aims: 1. To identify the genomic markers of vocal learning allowing us to probe the molecular mechanisms that underlie mammalian vocal learning 2. To characterise neural mechanisms underlying mammalian vocal learning 3. To determine direct, causative contributions of molecular and neural mechanisms to mammalian vocal learning behaviour This project will use bats as an exemplar species in which the molecular and neural mechanisms underlying mammalian vocal learning can be understood, and will contain 3 work packages: WP1. Comparative evolutionary genomics, coupled with gene function and gene expression analyses, to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying vocal learning WP2. Comparative neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, and transcriptomics to characterise a key neural circuit underlying vocal learning WP3. Generation of transient transgenic bats to test hypotheses of the role of molecular and neural mechanisms in vocal learning behaviour Understanding the bases of vocal learning in mammals will shed light on the biology underlying speech and language and provide a new mammalian model for the study of language related disorders.

Mots-clés : vocal learning,language,speech,language disorder,bats
Projet ERC : ReNewQuantum (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : University of Geneva — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIGE
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2437716.0 €

The overarching goal of ReNewQuantum is to renew the mathematical foundation behind quantum phenomena. We aim to construct a recursive and exact new approach to quantum theory. Quantum theory is one of the pillars of modern science. Its success stretches from elementary quantum mechanical models, developed a century ago by quantization of classical mechanics, to advanced quantum field theories such as the standard model of particle physics, which is the quantization of a gauge theory. However, a precise and universal mathematical formulation of the quantization procedure is still lacking. In addition, there are very few analytic methods in Quantum Mechanics and in Quantum Field Theory. They are typically based on approximation schemes which often lead to quantitative and even qualitative failures in our descriptions. In response to these shortcomings, the main objective of ReNewQuantum is to construct a completely new mathematical approach to quantization and to quantum systems. This quantum theory will provide: - a global, explicit and recursive description of the series of quantum corrections, - access to exact quantum regimes beyond perturbation theory, - a well founded mathematical theory underlying the quantization procedure, based on geometric structures, and applicable to quantum field theory and string theory. ReNewQuantum will take the lead among the world scientific community in building this new theory of quantum physics. The researchers behind ReNewQuantum have already made important contributions along these directions. The construction of a recursive and exact new approach to quantum theory with the stated properties will only be possible through their joint synergetic effort and a combination of their deep mathematical and physical expertises, including geometry, topology and the mathematical theory of quantization (Andersen, Kontsevich), and quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, random matrix theory and string theory (Eynard, Mariño).

Mots-clés : topological recursion,mirror symmetry,resurgence,deformation quantization,fukaya category,geometric recursion,quantum chern simons theory,tqft,string theory,moduli space theory
Projet ERC : ReNewQuantum (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : University of Southern Denmark — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : CO-PI
Acronyme de l'entité : SDU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2919525.0 €

The overarching goal of ReNewQuantum is to renew the mathematical foundation behind quantum phenomena. We aim to construct a recursive and exact new approach to quantum theory. Quantum theory is one of the pillars of modern science. Its success stretches from elementary quantum mechanical models, developed a century ago by quantization of classical mechanics, to advanced quantum field theories such as the standard model of particle physics, which is the quantization of a gauge theory. However, a precise and universal mathematical formulation of the quantization procedure is still lacking. In addition, there are very few analytic methods in Quantum Mechanics and in Quantum Field Theory. They are typically based on approximation schemes which often lead to quantitative and even qualitative failures in our descriptions. In response to these shortcomings, the main objective of ReNewQuantum is to construct a completely new mathematical approach to quantization and to quantum systems. This quantum theory will provide: - a global, explicit and recursive description of the series of quantum corrections, - access to exact quantum regimes beyond perturbation theory, - a well founded mathematical theory underlying the quantization procedure, based on geometric structures, and applicable to quantum field theory and string theory. ReNewQuantum will take the lead among the world scientific community in building this new theory of quantum physics. The researchers behind ReNewQuantum have already made important contributions along these directions. The construction of a recursive and exact new approach to quantum theory with the stated properties will only be possible through their joint synergetic effort and a combination of their deep mathematical and physical expertises, including geometry, topology and the mathematical theory of quantization (Andersen, Kontsevich), and quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, random matrix theory and string theory (Eynard, Mariño).

Mots-clés : topological recursion,mirror symmetry,resurgence,deformation quantization,fukaya category,geometric recursion,quantum chern simons theory,tqft,string theory,moduli space theory
Projet ERC : FANOEC (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
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 : 2199983.0 €

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the key reaction to enable the storage of solar energy in the form of hydrogen fuel through water splitting. Efficient, Earth-abundant, and robust OER catalysts are required for a large-scale and cost-effective production of solar hydrogen. While OER catalysts based on metal oxides exhibit promising activity and stability, their rational design and developments are challenging due to the heterogeneous nature of the catalysts. Here I propose a project to (i) understand OER on metal oxides at the molecular level and engineer catalytic sites at the atomic scale; (ii) develop and apply practical OER catalysts for high-efficiency water splitting in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical devices. The first general objective will be obtained by using 2-dimensional metal oxide nanosheets as a platform to probe the intrinsic activity and active sites of metal oxide OER catalysts, as well as by developing sub-nanocluster and single-atom metal oxide OER catalysis. The second general objective will be obtained by establishing new and better synthetic methods, developing new classes of catalysts, and applying catalysts in innovative water splitting devices. The project employs methodologies from many different disciplines in chemistry and materials science. Synthesis is the starting point and the backbone of the project, and the synthetic efforts are complemented and valorised by state-of-the-art characterization and catalytic tests. The project will not only yield significant fundamental insights and knowledge in heterogeneous OER catalysis, but also produce functional and economically viable catalysts for solar fuel production.

Mots-clés : electrocatalysis,molecular chemistry,energy,oxygen evolution
Projet ERC : ChromatinRemodelling (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Entité participante : Uppsala University — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498954.0 €

The packaging of genetic information into chromatin regulates a wide range of vital processes that depend on direct access to the DNA template. Many chromatin-interacting complexes impact chromatin structure and their aberrant regulation or dysfunction has been implicated in various cancers and severe developmental disorders. A better understanding of the roles of chromatin-interacting complexes in such disease states requires a detailed mechanistic study. Many chromatin-interacting complexes modify chromatin structure, yet understanding the underlying mechanisms remains a major challenge in the field. Furthermore, how chromatin-interacting complexes are regulated to enable their various functions is incompletely understood. We will address these longstanding questions in two specific aims. Aim I: Building on our expertise in single-molecule biology, we will develop powerful single-molecule imaging approaches to monitor the action of chromatin-interacting complexes in real time. We will further probe how the diverse activities of the chromatin-associated complexes are coordinated and coupled to conformational transitions. Aim II: Drawing on our expertise in structural biology, we will use a range of structural techniques in combination with biochemical approaches to study the vital regulation of chromatin-interacting complexes by their regulatory subunits as well as by chromatin features. We expect to obtain ground-breaking insights into the mechanisms and regulation of disease-related chromatin-associated complexes, which may open up new horizons for developing therapeutic intervention strategies. Furthermore, the approaches developed here will enable the investigation of a large number of chromatin-related processes.

Mots-clés : chromatin,chromatin remodelling,molecular motors,motor mechanisms,allosteric regulation,nucleosome