Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : TRANSPOS-X (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems
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 : 2500000.0 €

Transposable elements (TEs) account for more than two thirds of the human genome. They can inactivate genes, provide novel coding functions, sprinkle chromosomes with recombination-prone repetitive sequences, and modulate cellular gene expression through a wide variety of transcriptional and posttranscriptional influences. As a consequence, TEs are considered as essential motors of evolution yet they are occasionally associated with disease, causing about one hundred Mendelian disorders and possibly contributing to several human cancers. As expected for such genomic threats, TEs are subjected to tight epigenetic control imposed from the very first days of embryogenesis, in part owing to their recognition by sequence-specific RNA- and protein-based repressors. It is generally considered that the evolutionary selection of these TE controllers reflects a simple host-pathogen arms race, and that their action results in the early and permanent silencing of their targets. We have recently uncovered new evolutionary evidence and obtained genomic and functional data that invalidate this dual assumption, and suggest instead that transposable elements and their epigenetic controllers establish species-specific transcriptional networks that play critical roles in human development and physiology. The general objective of the present proposal is to explore the breadth of this phenomenon, to decipher its mechanisms, to unveil its functional implications, and to probe how this knowledge could be exploited for basic research, biotechnology and clinical medicine.
Projet ERC : Remote memory traces (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
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 : 1494325.0 €

Traumatic events generate some of the most enduring forms of memories. Despite an elevated lifetime prevalence of related fear and anxiety disorders, effective treatments for traumatic memories are scarce and the mechanisms behind successful memory attenuation poorly understood. This discrepancy is particularly pronounced for remote traumata, when the original insult occurred in the distant past. Here, we propose to identify, isolate to analyze, and causally determine neuronal subpopulations involved in remote fear memory attenuation. To achieve these goals, we will use a combination of transgenic mice with direct in situ manipulations of neuronal subpopulations and cell type-specific transcriptomic and epigenetic profiling. Specifically, we will inducibly and persistently tag neurons activated by remote memory recall, and subsequently capitalize on this tag threefold: First, by visualizing this tag after successful memory attenuation, we will identify neuronal subpopulations that promote remote memory reduction. Second, by using this tag as an anchor for pharmacological manipulations interfering with neuronal activity, we will determine a causal implication of these neurons in successful memory attenuation. Lastly, by employing this tag as bait, we will isolate neuronal subpopulations that promote memory attenuation to analyze their epigenetic regulation of gene expression, a core component of enduring forms of memories. By investigating these mechanisms in three independent protocols for memory attenuation, we seek to provide proof-of-principle that successful memory attenuation is defined by a unique molecular signature, which can serve as a template to better ascertain the potential of other treatments aimed at attenuating remote memories. We expect this project to deepen our understanding of remote traumatic memories and their attenuation at an unprecedented cellular and molecular resolution.

Mots-clés : ptsd,memory trace,epigenetics,extinction,reconsolidation,exposure based therapy,mouse,psychotherapy,long term memories,transcription,fear conditioning
Projet ERC : MICROLIPIDS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Dutch Research Council — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NWO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499426.0 €

Tremendous progress has been made in the last decade in the genetic characterization of microorganisms, both in culture and in the environment. However, our knowledge of microbial membrane lipids, essential building blocks of the cell, has only marginally improved. This is remarkable since there exists a dichotomy in the distribution of lipids between the three Domains of Life. Diacyl glycerols based on straight-chain fatty acids are produced by bacteria and eukaryotes, whereas archaea synthesize isoprenoidal glycerol ether lipids. From a microbial evolutionary perspectives, this ‘lipid divide’ is enigmatic since it has recently become clear that eukaryotes evolved from the archaea. Preliminary results of my research group show that when novel analytical methodology is used, there is a large hidden diversity in microbial lipid composition that may resolve this fundamental question. Here I propose to systematically characterize prokaryotic intact polar lipids (IPLs) with state-of-the-art analytical techniques based on liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry to bring our knowledge of microbial lipids to the next level. To this end, we will characterize (i) 250+ bacterial and archaeal cultures and (ii) 200+ environmental samples for IPLs by HPLC-MS, complemented by full identification of fatty acids and other lipids released after acid hydrolysis of total cells. This approach will be complemented by the characterisation of functional genes for lipid biosynthesis. This will involve both mapping of known genes, based on the analysis of published whole (meta)genome data, as well as the identification of as yet unknown genes in selected groups of prokaryotes. The results are expected to make a fundamental contribution to (i) our understanding of the evolution of biosynthesis of membrane lipids, (ii) their application as microbial markers in the environment, and (iii) in the development and application of organic proxies in earth sciences.

Mots-clés : lipids,biosynthesis,functional genes
Projet ERC : Tribocharge (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Institute of Science and Technology Austria — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ISTA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1493623.0 €

Tribocharging, i.e. charge transfer during contact, is a fundamental effect of widespread importance, yet we do not understand it. For insulators, even the most basic questions are open: What are the charge carriers? How do they bind to a surface? What drives them between surfaces? The aim of this proposal is to establish the mechanism of insulator tribocharging. Building on my work to develop new experiments and test existing models, we will use a multi-scale approach to find the origin of this effect. We will address the apparent homogeneous macrophysics, through the stochastic signatures at the mesoscale, and down to individual charges at the microscale. Throughout, we will perform crucial tests for the promising ‘water island’ hypothesis. The project consists of 3 experimental work packages: WP1: At the macroscale, we will use atomic layer deposition on polymers to create clean contacts with oxides. We will compare charge transfer with measurements of water surface coverage to test the water island model. WP2: At the mesoscale, we will use acoustic levitation to measure the charge of particles colliding with a substrate. With unprecedented precision, we will analyze statistics to tease out water’s role as a charge driver vs. discharge driver. WP3: At the microscale, we will use optical tweezers to watch individual charges jump on and off a microparticle. With sub-electron resolution, we will determine the binding energy to identify the carrier. Our experiments will be interwoven with a theoretical thread to unify the physics between scales. Facing a problem that has eluded description for centuries is inherently risky. However, our multi-scale approach has not been attempted, and gives comprehensive solutions to the challenges that have existed. Beyond fundamental relevance, our work will be useful in new technologies, e.g. triboelectric nanogenerators. Understanding tribocharging, though ambitious, promises exceptional scientific and technological rewards.

Mots-clés : tribocharging,triboelectric charging,granular physics,soft matter physics,adsorbed water,statistical physics
Projet ERC : TRIPLECON (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Erasmus MC — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 90075.0 €

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease, accounting for 15-20% of breast cancer cases, but disproportionally causing breast cancer-related death. TNBC does not express the targetable receptors ER, PR, and HER2 that are known to drive other forms of breast cancer. Mainstay practice for TNBC in the clinic is to treat with non-targeted cytotoxic chemotherapies. Long-term outcomes are however still poor, most likely owing to intrinsic drug resistance. Clinical trials have attempted to explore molecular targeted therapies to block dysregulated growth factor receptors in TNBC, for instance, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), as it is overexpressed in ~80% of TNBC. Yet, giving the long-standing availability of clinically approved EGFR-targeted therapies, such as lapatinib, the clinical benefit of single agent therapy is unsatisfactory, owing to the compensatory dysregulated signaling pathways. In our ongoing ERC – Advanced Grant Triple-BC (#322737) we are striving to explore combinatorial molecular targeted therapies to concomitantly block the identified dysregulated signaling pathways. Our preliminary work revealed that an inhibitor targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) strikingly synergized with targeting EGFR receptor family signaling to inhibit cell proliferation of TNBC cell lines. The overall goal of this PoC project is to exploit this novel finding and provide proof-of-concept evidence that stalling CDK9 signaling may enable successful targeted combination therapy in TNBC. Therefore, the specific objective is to assess the pharmacological response of dual EGFR-CDK9 targeting in TNBC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models in vivo. We envisage that this PoC project will translate our identified successful synergistic treatment into an effective future novel and safe combinatorial targeting strategy benefiting TNBC patients.

Mots-clés : triple negative breast cancer  drug resistance  synthetic lethality  patient derived xenografts  pdx   dual egfr and cdk9 inhibition  combinational targeted therapy
Projet ERC : INCLUDE (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : MODUL University Vienna — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 123725.0 €

Tropical deforestation is an important contributor to climate change, through the release of significant amounts of carbon in the atmosphere. The main proximate cause of deforestation in tropical regions is agricultural expansion, followed by timber extraction. The general objective of this research is to understand how the interaction of technological, environmental, economic and social factors influence land use dynamics, including household decisions, about agricultural expansion and resource extraction in sensitive tropical regions. More specific questions relate to the role of various governance structures, particularly those recognizing common property regimes of land tenure to indigenous and rural communities, and the deliberative evaluation about the opportunity of reforming such structures in order to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. Although such aspects have been addressed in a variety of contexts, the approach proposed here is novel as a) it explicitly models the interaction between institutional, environmental, technological and socio-economic factors at different spatio-temporal scales, b) it specifically focuses on the governance structures associated with different land tenure regimes through the lenses of Social Network Analysis (SNA), c) uses a Q-methodology framework to develop a participatory approach to study stakeholders’ perspectives and attitudes on the necessary governance interventions to prevent deforestation and forest degradation and d) it assesses the relationships between agricultural expansion, deforestation, governance structures and stakeholders’ attitudes, with particular attention to the sensitivity of household land use decisions and resource extraction. In order to meet the research objectives, this project will focus on the province of Salta in the dry Chaco in North-Western Argentina, a region characterized by high rates of land cover change and the presence of indigenous/rural communities.
Projet ERC : SUSTAINFORESTS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Bern — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998512.0 €

Tropical forest patches in agricultural landscapes are largely the survivors of a hard-to-reverse deforestation process. Yet, these patches, which are spread over West Africa, still provide crucial ecological functions, serve as habitats for biodiversity, contribute globally to carbon sinks, and are important for the livelihoods of local populations. Given their persistent degradation, identifying pathways to safeguard or even increase their contribution to ecological function and thus to sustainable development is crucial. While existing theories of agricultural expansion, intensification, and forest transition explain agriculture-induced deforestation well, they do not explain the persistence of forest patches in a context of agricultural expansion. Little or no research has analysed forest patches in the highly fragmented agricultural landscapes of the rainforest and savannah zones of West Africa. This project will analyse the interactive roles of forest patches in the agricultural landscapes of these zones in Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon. In addition, it will investigate conditions under which various biophysical, socio-cultural, economic, and institutional factors, including decision-making and land users’ behaviour and interests, interact with and affect forest patches and their sustainable use, management, and governance. Focussing on forest patches in West Africa thus closes theoretical and empirical gaps. The project will apply an iterative landscape- and people-centred approach that integrates data from remote sensing, social surveys, and participatory modelling. It will employ content analysis, multivariate statistics, and spatial analysis methods. Results will clarify the theories underpinning forest patches and open new research avenues in the sustainability sciences. Insights gained from the project will inform and trigger region-wide efforts to preserve forest patches and help initiate transformative actions on sustainable land and forest management.

Mots-clés : tropical forest patches,agricultural landscapes,land use,sustainable land management,ecosystem services,stakeholders,governance,participatory,system dynamics modelling,spatiotemporal analysis
Projet ERC : TroPeaCC (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : University of Exeter — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2275494.0 €

Tropical peatlands are the most carbon-dense ecosystems in the world and they store the equivalent of ~10 years of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Despite their importance, crucial questions remain about carbon cycling in tropical peatlands and improving understanding is critical as they are at high risk from climate change and drainage for oil palm cultivation. TroPeaCC will provide a step-change gain in our understanding of tropical peatland functioning and in projecting their response to climate change. PI Gallego-Sala will use her unique background that bridges peatland modelling and observations to deliver a novel interdisciplinary approach to tackle four outstanding questions about tropical peatlands: Q1: What controls the geographical distribution of peatlands in the tropics? TASK1: To assess the tropical peatland extent using a combination of models Q2: How large is the tropical peatland CO2 sink and what are its main climatic drivers? TASK2: To characterize the drivers of carbon accumulation rates in tropical peatlands using the palaeo-archive. Q3: How large is the methane flux in tropical peatlands? What are the main controls at the intercontinental scale? TASK3: To determine the main controls on methane fluxes in tropical peatlands, using eddy covariance, chamber-based gas flux measurements, and ground penetrating radar. Q4: What is the overall carbon balance of tropical peatlands and how will this change in the future? TASK4: To forecast future changes of the extent of tropical peatlands, of the carbon sink and of methane emissions, using the results of Tasks 1-3 to parameterise and evaluate a global dynamic vegetation model that includes tropical peatlands for the first time. The interdisciplinary approach will lead to a comprehensive understanding of the role of tropical peatlands in the global carbon cycle, allowing their inclusion in earth system models, and informing management decisions to optimise provision of multiple ecosystem services.

Mots-clés : tropical ecosystems,peatlands,carbon cycle
Projet ERC : TRODITIES (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Copenhagen — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UCPH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 333167.5 €

Trust, Global Traders, and Commodities in a Chinese International City Yiwu, a city of 2 million in China’s commercially vibrant Zheijang province, is known by traders from countries including Afghanistan and Syria, the Ukraine and Mexico, and the UK and Russia, as being the world’s hub for wholesale of ‘small commodities’. Journalists have recently been struck both by Yiwu’s significance to consumption practices across the world and by the diverse mix of merchants that assemble in the city. Yet despite the clear insights into globalization and the significance of trade for forging relations between cultures offered by a study of a modern trading node such as Yiwu, the city has yet to be the focus of sustained research. The proposed project, Trust, Global Traders, and Commodities is an integrated comparative programme of research that will provide new empirical data and comparative analysis on the global trade in low-grade Chinese-made commodities. Its focus will be on the ways in which transnational trading activities are conducted in the cosmopolitan and dynamic city of Yiwu. This project’s in-depth investigation of Yiwu, and its connections to the wider world through networks and flows of people, commodities, and knowledge, will yield ground-breaking perspectives on the precise ways in which trade facilitates the simultaneous exchange of commodities, practices, ideas, and identities. The project is necessarily multi-sited and an inter-disciplinary engaging researchers and theoretical approaches in in anthropology, area studies, business studies, and history; it will also draw on expertise from law, commercial shipping, and international trade policy. (1335 characters)

Mots-clés : cities,capitalism,china,commodities,ethnography,globalization,islam,informal money transfers,markets,online trading,small and medium enterprises  smes,trade,trading networks,trust,yiwu
Projet ERC : TRODITIES (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : U. Cambridge
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 95410.0 €

Trust, Global Traders, and Commodities in a Chinese International City Yiwu, a city of 2 million in China’s commercially vibrant Zheijang province, is known by traders from countries including Afghanistan and Syria, the Ukraine and Mexico, and the UK and Russia, as being the world’s hub for wholesale of ‘small commodities’. Journalists have recently been struck both by Yiwu’s significance to consumption practices across the world and by the diverse mix of merchants that assemble in the city. Yet despite the clear insights into globalization and the significance of trade for forging relations between cultures offered by a study of a modern trading node such as Yiwu, the city has yet to be the focus of sustained research. The proposed project, Trust, Global Traders, and Commodities is an integrated comparative programme of research that will provide new empirical data and comparative analysis on the global trade in low-grade Chinese-made commodities. Its focus will be on the ways in which transnational trading activities are conducted in the cosmopolitan and dynamic city of Yiwu. This project’s in-depth investigation of Yiwu, and its connections to the wider world through networks and flows of people, commodities, and knowledge, will yield ground-breaking perspectives on the precise ways in which trade facilitates the simultaneous exchange of commodities, practices, ideas, and identities. The project is necessarily multi-sited and an inter-disciplinary engaging researchers and theoretical approaches in in anthropology, area studies, business studies, and history; it will also draw on expertise from law, commercial shipping, and international trade policy. (1335 characters)

Mots-clés : cities,capitalism,china,commodities,ethnography,globalization,islam,informal money transfers,markets,online trading,small and medium enterprises  smes,trade,trading networks,trust,yiwu