Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : TEMPO (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
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 : 3378750.0 €

Time is central to the development of the body plan of multicellular organisms. One prominent developmental timing mechanism is the rhythmic, iterative addition of tissues and organs. While the tempo of rhythmic construction is often set by developmental clocks, plants use a unique mechanism in the shoot, whereby rhythmic organogenesis emerges from dynamic changes in the distribution of the hormone auxin. High auxin levels trigger organogenesis but, contrary to a long-standing theory, the period of shoot organ production - or plastochron - cannot simply be encoded in periodic auxin oscillations, due to noise in these oscillations. Revealing how the tempo of shoot construction is established thus remains a critical knowledge gap in plant biology. In TEMPO, we hypothesize that cells record and use the history of their auxin exposure, in order to robustly set the timing of organogenesis and the plastochron at the tissue scale despite noisy auxin temporal information. This fundamental change in the way we understand the relationship between auxin and the plastochron stems from preliminary data from my team suggesting histone acetylation as an epigenetic-tracking mechanism, which allows auxin temporal information to be recorded and utilized for transcriptional control. Uncovering how auxin temporal information establishes the tempo of shoot construction requires multiscale, multidisciplinary approaches. We will combine cutting-edge live-imaging, synthetic biology and computational modeling with innovative optogenetics and single-cell genomics to both ascertain and perturb auxin temporal information and histone acetylation at high resolution, while assessing the effect on cellular transcriptional states and the timing of organ production. Beyond testing whether epigenetic tracking of auxin temporal information sets a robust plastochron across scales, we will reengineer the plastochron to demonstrate that the tempo of shoot construction can be predictively manipulated.

Mots-clés : time in development,rhythmic development,plastochron,shoot construction,auxin,epigenetics,cellular transcriptional states,live imaging,optogenetics,single cell comics,computational modeling
Projet ERC : ViveRNA (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Entité participante : International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology — Pays : Pologne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : IIMCB
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499875.0 €

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed the application of mRNA vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, paving the way for the widespread use During the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed the application of mRNA vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, paving the way for the widespread use of therapeutic mRNAs in medicine. However, lack of knowledge regarding mRNA metabolism in vivo limits the optimization and refinement of such therapies. Our preliminary data, acquired via Direct RNA Sequencing (DRS), shows that variability of poly(A) tail length and, therefore, stability of endogenous and therapeutic mRNAs in different tissues and cell types is much larger than previously thought. Here, we propose the ViveRNA project, which will enhance the DRS (eDRS) pipeline and combine it with analyses of mouse models, primary cell cultures, and synthetic biology approaches to examine the nature of mRNA turnover in vivo and characterize the metabolism of endogenous and administered mRNAs. The goal of the ViveRNA project is to elucidate the complexity of mRNA lifetime regulation. Specifically, our aims are: • Part 1: Construction of an enhanced nanopore Direct RNA Sequencing pipeline (eDRS) for comprehensive analyses of mRNA metabolism. eDRS will assess the composition and lengths of poly(A) tails, modifications, isoforms, and dynamics. • Part 2: Comprehensive analysis of the lifecycle of endogenous mRNAs, analyzing: dynamics, ribosome association, and poly(A) tail metabolism in organs and primary cells and providing insights into the role of particular enzymes. The reach data resource will help designing better mRNA therapeutics and enable the formulation of testable mechanistic hypotheses. • Part 3: Description of the metabolism of therapeutic mRNAs in relevant cell types and tissues. Then, together with the knowledge gained in Part 2, the design of more stable mRNAs with therapeutic potential will be initiated. The ViveRNA project will facilitate the rational design of next-generation mRNA therapeutics.

Mots-clés : mrna decay,mrna therapeutics,deadenylation,polyadenylation,direct rna sequencing,poly a polymerase,deadenylase
Projet ERC : WarmBodies (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Max Delbrück Center — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MDC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

Thermal homeostasis is essential to survival. But how our brain processes thermosensory information and triggers behaviors that help maintain our physiological, body state remains a mystery. The neural circuits responsible for perception of sensory stimulation and those for regulation of body state have been studied independently, yet body state has a profound impact on sensory perception. What is more, animals constantly adapt their behavior to maintain homeostasis with moment-by-moment sensing of the environment. Current models suggest that the insular cortex plays a key role in integrating internal information about body state with external sensory information about the environment to generate signals that represent the difference between internal and external inputs. Such, ‘sensory-state difference’ signals allow us to navigate and adapt to a dynamic environment. To test this model, our aim is to leverage distinct features of the thermal system and examine species with and without the ability to thermoregulate. My team has recently located the primary cortical representation of temperature (a ‘thermal cortex’) in a posterior region of the insular cortex. We will examine its activity as we monitor and manipulate the internal, core body temperature and external thermal input during robust and sensitive thermal behavior. We will compare human and mouse, which are warm-blooded, to naked mole-rats, which are nearly cold-blooded. To identify the cellular mechanisms of sensory-state integration, we will use a combination of cutting-edge techniques including neural recordings, anatomical tracing and activity manipulations during a thermal perceptual task and thermoregulatory behavior. Our holistic and comparative approach will provide insight into a fundamental question regarding cortical function and may help tackle disorders of body state associated with insular cortex dysfunction.

Mots-clés : thermal,somatosensory,mouse,neuroethology,insular cortex,naked mole rat
Projet ERC : THEAGENT (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Académie autrichienne des sciences — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ÖAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1055204.51 €

Since the European Middle Ages, the fates of theatre and the city have been intertwined. Mystery plays thrived amidst the urban guilds of medieval Paris, city comedies heralded merchant capitalism in seventeenth-century London, and Ottoman shadow puppetry shaped coffeehouse culture in nineteenth-century Istanbul. The emergence of the modern European city in particular was linked to the development of both state-sponsored and independent theatre institutions; theatre and performance practices drew on the human proximity that city living made possible, and shaped the visions of cultural heterogeneity that emerged from urban cohabitation. Today, unprecedented dynamics of migration, globalization, and rapid gentrification are fundamentally changing theatre’s importance in the urban environment. Theatre and performance practices are all but absent from urban studies, however, and theatre scholarship often views the urban question through a limited analytic lens. Combining multi-sited ethnographic and archival research, this interdisciplinary research project will focus on the key cities of London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw and Istanbul to analyze the complicated and often ambivalent relationship between theatre practices and urban transformation in twenty-first-century Europe. Following key thematic threads like migration and memory, Theatre and Gentrification’s original case studies will illustrate the diversity of property relations and housing tenure across the European continent, as well as the complex roles that theatre and performance practices play in producing urban subjectivities and structuring the cultural politics of gentrification. Groundbreaking in its use of theatre as its vantage point, this ambitious project will change the way we think about the contradictions of culture in the twenty-first century city, from its role in securing claims to global urban stature, to its position within imaginaries of authentic local resistance.

Mots-clés : theatre,urbanity,gentrification,memory,migration
Projet ERC : NLO-DM (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Académie autrichienne des sciences — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ÖAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 996010.0 €

Collisions of dark matter (DM) particles with nuclei or with themselves can be accompanied by the prompt production of (dark) Bremsstrahlung quanta or, in matter, by the emission of electrons. The latter is called the Migdal effect, and the former adds a dissipative process to DM self-interactions. Focusing on light, sub-GeV DM candidates, we will advance two fields of central interest to the particle physics community: the direct detection of DM in the laboratory and the DM-assisted formation of structure in the Universe. The first goal is to put recent ideas of prompt photon and electron production in DM-nuclear scattering on firm and undisputable grounds. We do so by new detailed theoretical calculations for the target compounds of direct detection experiments and by devising experimental verification schemes through Standard Model analogs. The results will pioneer how we understand signal formation in DM searches and clarify the reach of state-of-the-art and future DM direct detection experiments. The second goal is to give self-interacting DM with dissipative channels an exact theory embedding. We will provide a new formulation of the Bremsstrahlung process that is exact to all orders in the colliding particle-pair interaction and spans all kinematic situations: soft- and hard-emission, quantum, and semi-classical. The results will apply broadly: from the Standard Model, to particle dark matter, to primordial black hole relics. Astrophysical implications and observational signatures will be established. The findings of these works will increase our chances of discovering DM in the laboratory and the skies and bring us closer in our quest to unravel its non-gravitational nature.

Mots-clés : dark matter direct detection,sub gev dark matter,dissipative dark matter,bremsstrahlung
Projet ERC : MultiMemoryL2 (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université Radboud de Nimègue — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

Learning a second language (L2) after early childhood is a challenge, and learners differ not only in how well they rise to this challenge, but presumably also in how they do it. For instance, a small minority of talented individuals is able to acquire a near-native accent in L2, despite the fact that the phonetic repertoire normally becomes dedicated to the native language within the first years of life. It seems thus plausible to assume that these learners have access to a different manner of phonetic learning. Different learning situations, e.g. learning a language in the classroom versus learning it by immersion, also seem likely to involve different acquisition mechanisms. However, we know almost nothing about such qualitative processing differences in L2 learning. Memory research, on the other hand, offers a number of dual-route or dual-system accounts that do describe different ways in which our brain stores and remembers information. The general dimension on which such routes differ is abstraction: New information may either be retained literally, or it could be abstracted to its most important features. The current project aims to use such theories and methods from memory research to investigate the hypotheses that there are several alternative routes to L2 learning, and that individuals, as well as situations, differ with respect to which of these routes is preferably taken. Both word / pronunciation and grammar learning will be examined, assessing in how far language domains differ concerning the variability of learning routes. Furthermore, the stage of L2 acquisition may play an important role. Hence, both the learning of an entirely new language and the processing of an already established second language (English) are included. Since the research fields of second language acquisition (how we learn a new language) and of memory (how we learn something in general) have so far taken entirely different paths, the project will be the first of its kind.

Mots-clés : individual differences situational differences l2 pronunciation talent episodic memory semantic memory complementary learning systems l2 word learning l2 grammar learning syntactic rule learning
Projet ERC : SynMoBio (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Université Radboud de Nimègue — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2350000.0 €

The goal of this ERC is to develop synthetic motile systems with cilia-like and flagella-like movement based on supramolecular assemblies of controlled shape, size and morphology. With this strategy, we are addressing the great challenge of developing synthetic systems with the ability to move, sense, adapt at the cellular, tissue and systemic level. The systems developed will then allow us to study the effect of propulsive movement on cellular uptake, targeted transport, external guidance and sensing and thus define the active delivery potential of these systems. Assembly from building blocks with pre-programmed functionality able to transfer complexity to their structure and behaviour is the core principle guiding nature and a tool that we have harnessed in our research. Besides their ability to move directionally these complex bio-inspired systems are programmed to sense changes in the environment and consequently to adapt to the changes by regulating their speed, shape and behaviour. Since they are by design catalytically active, they can also change the chemical composition of their environment as well as dynamically regulate the chemical signaling pathways in their interaction with other species. The study of the primary biomimetic complex emergent functions such as motility, adaptivity (regulated and feedback output) and interaction/communication in biological environments will be the goals of this ERC program and will concentrate on 3 work packages built from 5 interconnecting projects. Organic, inorganic catalysts and biocatalysts based on multiple enzymes will be incorporated within asymmetric soft self-assembled structures to generate smart autonomous systems able to harvest different sources of energy from the surrounding environment and generate a feedback response. The final output of the program will be to develop an understanding of the directional movement of engineered synthetic motile systems studied from cellular levels to complex environments.

Mots-clés : bionanotechnology,nanochemistry,amphiphilic polymers,dendrimers,micro nanogel,autonomous systems,motility,life like molecular systems,molecular intelligence,adaptive systems,communication,chemotaxis,collective behaviour
Projet ERC : EXPAND (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
Entité participante : Institut de recherche pour le développement — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : IRD
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 368706.39 €

Often called ‘ocean deserts’, subtropical gyres have low biological productivity but, due to their immense size, contribute significantly to carbon sequestration regulating global climate. In gyres, biological productivity strongly depends on nitrogen supplied by microbes called diazotrophs, capable of fixing molecular nitrogen (N2) into bioavailable nitrogen forms. Earth system models predict increasing uncertainty in biological productivity towards the end of the 21st century. Such uncertainty responds to N2 fixation parametrisation in models and is largely driven by the scarce observations available in the Indian Ocean (IO), representing only 1% of the N2 fixation data available globally. Moreover, our current understanding of N2 fixation is mainly based on nutrient availability (phosphorus and iron) impacts on diazotrophs. However, my previous research shows that other controls including ocean circulation and diazotroph/non-diazotroph interactions are key in shaping N2 fixation inputs locally. None of these controls have been comprehensively examined over the vast extension of the IO, nor throughout seasons. We will conduct oceanographic expeditions covering the full extension of the IO gyre at its minimum and maximum expansion seasons. Gyre expansion will be tracked with satellite and in situ hydrographic and current speed measurements. The impact of chemical (nutrients), physical (ocean circulation), and biological (species interactions) controls on N2 fixation will be comprehensively measured, using at-sea experiments and up-to-date isotopic and molecular analyses. Moreover, seasonal variability will be monitored over a full year with mooring lines anchored at the centre, northern and southern edges of the gyre, equipped with DNA samplers and a newly designed automatic device measuring N2 fixation rates. These datasets will link cellular to ecosystem processes, bridging the gap between ocean desert expansion and N2 fixation in the world’s least explored gyre.

Mots-clés : nitrogen fixation subtropical gyres primary productivity climate change
Projet ERC : ContiZymes (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Entité participante : Université de Groningue — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RUG
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999991.0 €

Directed evolution has revolutionized the application of enzymes in industrial settings by allowing users to tailor the properties and activities of biocatalysts to their needs. But classic directed evolution is notoriously labor- and time-intensive, as it manually stages mutation, selection, and amplification cycles. In contrast, continuous evolution (CE) approaches aim to achieve these steps within a replicating organism, making it possible to engineer efficient enzymes in a matter of days rather than months or years. Unfortunately, current CE approaches are typically applicable only to model enzymes with little industrial value.  To unleash the full potential of CE, we will develop a scalable, low-tech CE platform, which is readily applicable to biocatalysts that provide value-added products. Toward this end, we will merge a versatile selection system we recently developed with strategies to diversify the genes of targeted enzymes in vivo and an autonomous setup to grow bacterial populations continuously. Combined the resulting CE-platform will enable us to engineer biocatalysts along many and long evolutionary trajectories. Moreover, analyzing the fate of these populations by sequencing will allow us to map the sequence-structure-function relationships of these biocatalysts. Based on the systematic datasets generated in these efforts, we will train machine-learning (ML)-models to predict functional sequences. Lastly, in a ML-directed CE approach, we will establish a design-build-test-learn cycle to improve models and guide CEs toward promising, but otherwise inaccessible sequence spaces.  Overall, ContiZymes will overcome unaddressed challenges associated with the application of biocatalysts that promote sought-after C-C, C-halogen, and C-N-bond forming reactions. We will not only engineer these enzymes at an unprecedented rate and scale, but also map their fitness landscapes and take a critical step toward the on-demand design of next-generation biocatalyst

Mots-clés : continuous evolution enzyme engineering genetic code expansion biocatalysis machine learning in enzyme engineering
Projet ERC : ExpandNeuro (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and Communication Engineering
Entité participante : Université de Linköping — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2684473.0 €

The central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems perform the fast information processing and transmission throughout the body. Injuries, diseases, and disorders in the CNS and PNS represent a major issue for personal health and society, as they are associated with several common medical conditions such as neuropathic and chronic pain, paralysis, major depressions, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy, to name a few. Many of these conditions cannot be treated with medication but must be resolved by directly intervening in the electrical signaling of the nervous system. To access the relevant neural structures within the brain or nerves, penetrating probes are necessary. One major challenge, which is hampering the use of neural interfaces for precision medical treatments, is the huge mechanical mismatch between neural probes and nerve tissue, which in combination with natural bodily motions causes scar tissue formation around the probes. This issue is especially severe for PNS interfaces due to excessive tissue motions around the probes. There is a lack of technologies that allows for chronic high-density interfacing (i) within peripheral nerves and (ii) of deep regions within the brain. The objective of the EXPANDNEURO research program is to address the current limitations by developing: (i) New inert ultra-soft (≤ 50 kPa) stretchable conductor that can be laser processed to ≤3 µm features. (ii) A novel ultra-soft high-resolution multi-electrode probe technology. (iii) Chronically stable penetrating cortical probes and peripheral nerve interfaces based on the probe technology. (iv) In situ expandable ultra-soft neural probe clusters that enable chronic high-resolution interfacing of deep brain volumes. The project will have major impact within the materials and microfabrication communities, and far-reaching future implications for treatments of neurological injuries, diseases, and disorders.

Mots-clés : neural interfaces,soft electronics,stretchable electronics,nanocomposites,biomedical engineering,implants