Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : OCEAN-IDs (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
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 : 149535.0 €

Through the 2012-2017 ERC Advanced Grant project ICE&LASERS, we have developed an innovative glacier probe, which includes an embedded laser spectrometer. It will drill down the Antarctic ice sheet in a single run, to measure in situ and real-time the depth profile of water isotopes and methane in trapped gases, with the aim to solve a major challenge in paleoclimate science. To test the performance of the laser spectrometer in a realistic and non-controlled environment, in 2014 it was deployed for measuring dissolved methane in seawater (an easier environment to access compared with Antarctica). As a result of a fast response time of only 30 seconds (compared to 15-20 min for commercially available instruments), a unique continuous profile of dissolved methane was measured to a depth of 600 m within 10 min. Finances from an Innovation Fast Track incubator were obtained in July 2015 to explore the commercial potential of this dissolved methane sensor and to build a demonstrator allowing for real-time 3D mapping. However, the true potential and uniqueness of our technology is that it can be developed to measure – in situ and real-time – multiple dissolved gases (like CH4, N2O, C2H6) and isotopic ratios (e.g., D/H, 13C/12C), which would mean a major step forward for oceanographic research and exploration. OCEAN-IDs aims to proof the concept (not scheduled to be funded by the ERC AdG project) of measuring multiple dissolved gases and isotopic ratios from seawater using our state-of-the-art laser spectrometer technology combined with novel sample extraction methods and real-time data visualisation. The objective is to develop a new generation of in-situ oceanographic instruments at TRL7 that can be taken to market.

Mots-clés : oceanographic probe,laser technology,in situ measurements,gas industry,ocean physics,methane hydrates
Projet ERC : TibArmy (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
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 : 1499875.0 €

TibArmy proposes to undertake a study of a previously unresearched subject: the Tibetan army during the period of the Buddhist government of the Dalai Lamas, known as the Ganden Phodrang, from 1642 to 1959. This government was the heir to a robust military culture with long experience in the defence of Buddhism since the Tibetan Imperial Period (7th-9th centuries); however, from its inception it decided to rely on foreign armies for its protection. On the basis of two distinctive features of this period—the creation and maintenance of the first Tibetan standing army and the limited number of the troops compared to former times—the project will explore the enduring ambivalence of the Dalai Lamas’ government towards having its own army, as well as its reasons, consequences and expressions in discourse and practice. The methodology follows a multifaceted approach towards the military in Tibet, by taking into considerations its social, economic, political, legal, religious and cultural aspects, and focussing on the multicultural and connected historical context of the Tibetan army’s evolution (foreign Mongol and Manchu armies stationed in Tibet, and the later adoption of British and Japanese military models). The research project, based on written and oral multilingual sources, is structured along 5 thematic axes: 1. A history of the army institution (17th-20th c.): social, economic and political aspects; 2. Interactions with the Sino-Manchu troops and other foreign influences on the Tibetan army; 3. Cultural and discursive aspects: integration of the army within the Buddhist frame; 4. Material culture and photographs: a visual history of the Army (with photograph exhibition); 5. A lexicon of military terminology. By focussing on the links between Buddhism and the military in Tibet, TibArmy will achieve a clearer understanding of the links between State construction, religion and army, and will also shed light on the past and current geo-political situation in Asia.

Mots-clés : tibet history,military history,army history,buddhism and violence,visual history,prosopography,cultural exchanges
Projet ERC : NoMaMemo (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Freie Universität Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1983744.0 €

Time series characterize diverse systems, examples in this proposal are: i) Proton motion in an inhomogeneous aqueous environment, ii) folding and unfolding of a peptide described by a suitably chosen reaction coordinate, iii) migration of a living cell on a substrate, iv) US Dollar / Yen exchange rate. Examples i) and ii) are close-to-equilibrium, iii) is a far from equilibrium since energy is constantly dissipated, while example iv) at first sight defies the classification into equilibrium or non-equilibrium. For the understanding, comparison, classification and forecasting of time series data, stochastic differential equations, diverse random walk models, and more recently, machine-learning algorithms are commonly used. But fundamental questions remain unanswered: Is a unified description of such diverse systems possible? What is the relation between different proposed models? Can the non-equilibrium degree of a time series be estimated? NoMaMemo provides a unified description of generic time series data in terms of non-linear integro-differential stochastic equations based on memory functions that are extracted from data. NoMaMemo accounts for non-linear and non-equilibrium effects as well as for non-Gaussian noise and connects with fundamental concepts such as equilibrium statistical mechanics, response theory and entropy production. The general formulation contains previously proposed models and thus allows their comparison, forecasting quality will be compared with modern machine-learning algorithms. NoMaMemo creates a generic platform to analyse, understand, compare, classify and predict time series data and to optimize stochastic systems with respect to search efficiency, barrier-crossing speed or other figures of merit. NoMaMemo will significantly advance the understanding of chemical reaction and protein folding kinetics, the interpretation of THz and IR spectroscopy of liquids and the analysis of living matter and socio-economic data.

Mots-clés : memory effects,non markovian effects,chemical reaction kinetics,protein folding kinetics,thz and ir spectroscopy
Projet ERC : THZCALORIMETRY (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Ruhr University Bochum — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RUB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2100000.0 €

Time-resolved THz-Calorimetry Explores Molecular Recognition Processes Definition: “THz-calorimetry is the science of measuring low frequency density of states kinetics for the purpose of deriving the entropy changes associated with biological processes in real time.” Goal: Our scientific vision is to introduce time-resolved “THz-Calorimetry” to access the entropy changes of the protein and the solvent accompanying enzymatic reactions or more general molecular recognition processes, i.e. under non-equilibrium conditions with envisioned time resolutions of nanoseconds. Advances in THz technology will make it possible to develop strong, ultrafast THz sources in the frequency range up to 10W that allow the detection of frequency-resolved transient low frequency spectra of biological samples with μsec or even nsec time resolution. We will correlate the transient THz spectra with changes in the entropy and enthalpy, both experimentally and theoretically. Ultrafast THz-calorimetry is an innovative tool to access to the specific transient entropy changes of molecular recognition processes under non-equilibrium conditions. Objectives of the proposal: 1. Monitor transient low frequency spectra (0-300cm-1) during molecular recognition processes. 2. Develop cutting edge experimental methods which allow the separation of protein and solvent modes under ambient conditions. Determine Delta S(protein(t)), Delta S(ligand(t)), Delta S(solvent(t)), thus specify the role of changes in the solvent entropy (hydrophobic effect) for biomolecular recognition. 3. Apply ultrafast THz-calorimetry: Explore the entropy changes of the enzyme, the ligand and the solvent for a family of MMP enzymes and substrates and correlate these results with biological function. Deduce underlying molecular mechanisms. 4. Develop new models for molecular recognition processes which are quantitative and predictive.

Mots-clés : thz spectroscopy
Projet ERC : EQUATE (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of York — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1406165.5 €

Timing is everything in archaeology; EQuaTe will build on exciting advances in amino acid and thermoluminescence (TL) dating to provide a chronology that will deepen our understanding of early human evolution and migration throughout Europe. During the Quaternary (the last 2.6 million years), Europe witnessed major climatic oscillations, with periodic expansion of ice sheets into lowland areas, changes of sea-level, re-organization of plant and animal communities, and the evolution and migration of human populations. Despite extensive studies of the rich European geological and archaeological records (providing a detailed history of these environmental changes), these have little meaning without a secure chronology. Dating is extremely difficult beyond the limit of radiocarbon dating (~60,000 years). Key to our approach is the discovery that commonly-occurring calcitic fossils (snail opercula) provide both closed-system repositories for amino acids and a stable TL signal over Quaternary timescales. It is therefore now possible to use both dating methods on the same biomineral to build a strong dating framework; taking advantage of momentum in this field, EQuATe will apply this approach on a European scale. This novel paired chronology, spanning the entire Palaeolithic in Eurasia, will refine our understanding of European human cultural and population dynamics and their relationship to environmental change over the last 2.6 Ma, across a region stretching from Britain to the Black Sea. EQuaTe will provide the scientific means to answer critical questions, e.g.: when did early human populations expand into Europe, and under what climatic conditions? Are apparent differences in tool technologies a reflection of different species, technical evolution over time, or geographical variations in source materials and cultural tradition? The pan-European chronology developed by this research will be a breakthrough in our ability to understand our past.

Mots-clés : geochronology
Projet ERC : BIOMITRAL (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Ri.MED — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1880506.25 €

Tissue Engineered Heart Valves (TEHVs) can restore function in the pulmonary and aortic positions and have shown capacity for tissue regeneration and growth in pre-clinical models. Yet, this concept has not been extended to the Mitral Valve (MV), whose pathologies affect >25% of the valve disease patients in Europe. In this proposal, we introduce a bio-inspired design methodology and bioprocessing technology to engineer BIOMITRAL: a polymeric, stent-less, tissue engineered MV that recapitulates native structure-function. Key to our approach is the engineering of MV leaflets and chordal apparatus. In the native MV, this set of tendon-like appendages mechanically connects the leaflets to the left ventricle (LV) and allows for harmonization of the valve kinematics, coaptation and ventricle contractile dynamics. Commercial MV prostheses used for MV replacement, as well as most existing TEHVs are mounted on synthetic stents that lack of this important structure and consequently neglect this physiological mechanism. In addition, non-degradable stents cannot adapt to patient's growth, de-facto negating a key advantage in TEHVs. Our specific hypothesis is that recapitulating native leaflet structure-function and incorporating engineered chordal apparatus will lead to an engineered MV with enhanced functional and remodeling performances. To verify our hypothesis, we will: Aim 1. Characterize the structure-function of freshly isolated human valve tissue and use the derived properties to fabricate stented (control) and stentless BIOMITRAL prototypes; Aim 2. Assess prototypes mechanics and kinematics in silico via finite element modeling and in vitro in a pulse duplicator; Aim 3. Evaluate BIOMITRAL in vivo functional performance and assess remodeling in a chronic ovine model. Engineering a “living” MV with bioinspired leaflets and chordae that connect engineered leaflets with the LV is a revolutionary concept that can fundamentally transform the design of MV prostheses.

Mots-clés : tissue engineering heart valve,heart valve biomechanics,biomaterials
Projet ERC : INSITE (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : University of Liège — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1435375.0 €

Tissue Engineering (TE) refers to the branch of medicine that aims to replace or regenerate functional tissue or organs using man-made living implants. As the field is moving towards more complex TE constructs with sophisticated functionalities, there is a lack of dedicated in vitro devices that allow testing the response of the complex construct as a whole, prior to implantation. Additionally, the knowledge accumulated from mechanistic and empirical in vitro and in vivo studies is often underused in the development of novel constructs due to a lack of integration of all the data in a single, in silico, platform. The INSITE project aims to address both challenges by developing a new mesofluidics set-up for in vitro testing of TE constructs and by developing dedicated multiscale and multiphysics models that aggregate the available data and use these to design complex constructs and proper mesofluidics settings for in vitro testing. The combination of these in silico and in vitro approaches will lead to an integrated knowledge-rich mesofluidics system that provides an in vivo-like time-varying in vitro environment. The system will emulate the in vivo environment present at the (early) stages of bone regeneration including the vascularization process and the innate immune response. A proof of concept will be delivered for complex TE constructs for large bone defects and infected fractures. To realize this project, the applicant can draw on her well-published track record and extensive network in the fields of in silico medicine and skeletal TE. If successful, INSITE will generate a shift from in vivo to in vitro work and hence a transformation of the classical R&D pipeline. Using this system will allow for a maximum of relevant in vitro research prior to the in vivo phase, which is highly needed in academia and industry with the increasing ethical (3R), financial and regulatory constraints.

Mots-clés : in silico modeling,computational modeling,tissue engineering,mesofluidics,in vitro,bioprocess engineering,systems biology,bone regeneration
Projet ERC : VANGUARD (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : National Research Council — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNR
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Tissue and organ failure, caused by injury or other type of damage, accounts for a large part of the health care costs in EU and U.S. Current surgical or grafting procedures are only partly successful in restoring the functions of the damaged tissues.Tissue Engineering has emerged as a rapidly expanding field for repair and regeneration of damaged tissue and organs.This involves the seeding and attachment of human cells onto a scaffold through in-vitro, or a combination of in-vitro and in-vivo. Existing scaffold fabrication techniques are time consuming and costly. We plan to take the first steps towards the commercialization of a novel system to fabricate tissue scaffolds made of Graphene Oxide (GO) in an extremely dynamical and efficient manner. The prototype consists of opto-mechanical and laser components that will be used to dynamically deform the initially flat surface consisting of a single layer of GO deposited over a porous membrane. Specifically, we will utilize a Spatial Light Modulator laser and a novel software application in order to realize a pixelated surface with the desired profile. The spatial deformation will be controlled and detected with the use of Atomic Force Microscopy. Special shapes of the asperities, i.e. local surface maxima of a rough surface, enhance adhesion over the entire surface when in contact with a biological material. Analogously to known natural surfaces with hierarchical roughness, we aim to mimic this kind of effects by using Graphene thanks to its high strength and flexibility. All in all, the goal of VANGuaRD is two-fold: (1) to establish the technical feasibility of our idea by designing and building a highly versatile prototype device that includes both hardware and software components for fabricating easily reconfigurable GO-based scaffolds using only a single substrate. (2) to establish the commercialization potential of such system by means of designing a viable and scalable business model.

Mots-clés : tissue engineering,graphene,spatial light modulator,scaffold
Projet ERC : PiezoGel (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Tel Aviv University — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Tissue regeneration has emerged as a promising novel therapy for various disease conditions. A key requirement for the implementation of this advanced approach is the efficient, reliable and reproducible growth of 3D cell cultures, including organoid structures. State-of-the-art 3D culture media support the growth of such cultures, yet exhibit several key setbacks, including low reproducibility and limited modularity. Moreover, no commercial piezoelectric media are currently available, thus prohibiting the option of inducing electrical stimulation of the cells via mechanical stimuli, similar to the in vivo function of several tissues. Here, we aim to develop PiezoGel, a biocompatible, reproducible, controllable and piezoelectric medium for 3D cell cultures. The newly-designed medium will be based on two components, a cell-supporting hydrogel and a piezoelectric self-assembled peptide structure. In the scope of the BISON-694426 Advanced ERC project, we identified promising molecular building blocks for each of these components. The Proof of Concept project will focus both on technological development of the PiezoGel matrix and on business feasibility. Thus, the formulation of the newly-designed cell medium will be optimized, and the resulting matrix will be examined for various properties, including mechanical rigidity and piezoelectricity. The growth of diverse organoid cultures, as well as stem cell differentiation, will be further tested and calibrated. Relevant stakeholders will be approached allowing to map the product requirements and expected features directly from the users. In parallel, the regulatory compliance of the PiezoGel medium will be verified, and the relevant material and methodologies will be patented. We envision diverse applications for the PiezoGel technology, including establishing 3D cell cultures as drug development platforms, basic research exploration, and further advancement of the tissue regeneration field.

Mots-clés : tissue regeneration,3d cell culture,piezoelectric cell medium,organoids,peptide self assembly,hydrogel
Projet ERC : MEDICI (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : IRCCS
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1377911.71 €

Tissue responses to microbial and endogenous danger signals involve the activation of both resident and monocyte-derived macrophages, as well as the coordinated inducible expression of hundreds of inflammatory genes. Gene transcription is controlled by the information contained in thousands of genomic regulatory elements (enhancers and promoters), which is first read by transcription factors (TFs) and then integrated and relayed to the transcriptional machinery via an array of co-regulators with disparate biochemical activities and functions. The recent work of several groups, including our own, has extensively characterized how in macrophages the genomic regulatory sequences controlling inflammatory gene expression are coordinately bound and activated by myeloid lineage-determining TFs and broadly expressed stimulus-activated TFs. However, we still have a very incomplete understanding of the necessary next step in the process, namely how distinct combinations of DNA-bound TFs regulate recruitment and function of the co-regulators and machineries that control gene transcription. Here, I propose to systematically identify the complement of co-regulators that control the induction of inflammatory genes in macrophages, which will be then mechanistically and functionally characterized both in vitro and in vivo. By integrating cutting edge genomic and computational approaches with focused genetic screens and biochemical analyses, and eventually validating relevant results in mouse models, this project aims at obtaining an unprecedented level of understanding of the information flow linking genomic regulatory elements to inflammatory gene transcription.

Mots-clés : macrophages,transcription,transcription factors,chromatin,epigenetics and gene regulation