Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Postdoc to research LEADer programme (LEAD)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND)-Fellowship programmes
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (H2020-MSCA-COFUND-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2022-04-01
End date: 2027-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3530880.0
EU funding (EUR): 1765440.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The competences for performing top-level research and research leadership is growing in complexity. There is a demand for creative, interdisciplinary and innovative researchers, led by open, inclusive and collaborative research leaders. This requires a new and dedicated approach for strategic career development, especially in the transition from research talent to research leader. The ‘postdoc to research LEADer programme’ will address the individual needs of 16 talented researchers, holding a PhD degree followed by 2-5 years of research experience. Our VISION is to empower the fellows to become the next generation of creative, critical, open, collaborative, responsible and inclusive research leaders, in or outside academia. The Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen is a centre of excellence in biomedical research, aiming to offer outstanding research training. BRIC will together with several partner organisations TRAIN, NURTURE and CHALLENGE the fellows to develop an individual researcher and research leader profile. LEAD will offer the fellows attractive employment conditions and 3-year contracts with BRIC. The recruitment will be based on transparent, merit-based selection, involving external experts from academia and industry, ensuring selection of diverse talent. Our AIMS are to 1) Ensure transparent merit-based selection, 2) ensure a supportive framework for conducting transformative, interdisciplinary biomedical research, 3) support development of excellent research leadership competences and transferable skills and 4) support the researcher’s strategic career development according to individual goals. LEAD will equip the fellows with excellent research abilities, strong leadership competences and a broad transferable skills-set, which will broadly increase their employability. Our ambition is that the fellows after completion are enabled and inspired to apply for their first research leader position in or outside academia.

Keywords: biomedicine,research leadership,pharmaceutical industry,biotech,empowerment
An innovative & seamless approach for the mass spectrometry analysis of monoclonal antibodies (iSTantibody)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Germany
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2019)
Start date: 2019-05-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 4.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are innovative therapeutic tools that are currently drawing the attention of biopharma companies for their effectiveness against a broad panel of diseases. To guarantee safety for patients, tight control over the purity of mAbs preparations is crucial. The presence of contaminants in mAbs preparations can be assessed using mass spectrometry (MS), a technique characterised by remarkable sensitivity, but which requires a time-consuming, complicated and poorly reproducible sample preparation. Notably, at today’s date, this process cannot be automated or multiplexed: it has to be performed by highly skilled scientific staff, and - importantly - it cannot be easily “plugged in” the streamlined production approaches of pharma companies. PreOmics is a young German company seeking to revolutionise the MS proteomics market with its proprietary technology portfolio. Through the iSTantibody project, PreOmics translates its patented iST technology in the context of mAbs MS analysis and tackles the current pitfalls of mAbs sample preparation. Its final goal consists of a kit to simplify and shorten MS sample preparation by > 95% compared to standard protocols, eliminating the need for skilled scientists and allowing MS sample purification on automated liquid handling platforms. The advantages for potential customers are manifold – notably, significantly reduced costs, and the consequent possibility to free resources for mAbs development. The target sector of iSTantibody is the ever-growing market for MS sample preparation consumables, which is forecasted to reach a volume of € 1.3 billion worldwide in 2022, at a CAGR of 12%. The benefit of the iSTantibody project will produce remarkable benefits for PreOmics, both in terms of increased revenues (+ € 15.3 million in 2026), employability (creation of 13 jobs) and innovation potential, opening new market perspectives and allowing PreOmics to seize more opportunities in the years ahead.

Keywords: monoclonal antibodies,mass spectrometry analysis,host cell protein,proteomics,antibody,high throughput,sample preparation,biopharma
Aiding Antibiotic Development with Deep Analysis of Resistance Evolution (Aware)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Panel description: Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change, evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, microbial ecology, marine biology, ecophysiology, theoretical developments and modelling
Countries involved: Hungary
Call: ERC Proof of Concept Grant (ERC-2019-PoC, 2019)
Start date: 2019-11-01
End date: 2021-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The inappropriate use of antibiotics has rapidly accelerated antibiotic resistance evolution in pathogens, rendering several existing antibiotics ineffective. However, many pharmaceutical companies have discontinued their antibiotic research programs. This is foremost due to the rapid spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria, which makes the commercial success of new antimicrobial drugs unpredictable. Antibiotic developers do not have a toolset to appropriately test antibiotic candidates for resistance evolution. Specifically, in the early phase of drug development, researchers typically identify numerous lead molecules with antimicrobial activities. It would be imperative to estimate the rate of resistance evolution at this early stage of development to all lead candidates in order to choose those that are the least prone to resistance evolution. The applicant and his team developed a technology, they term DIvERGE. It enables the exploration of resistance in a manner that is more comprehensive and effective than any other currently used approach. In a nutshell, DIvERGE finds resistance mutations in antibiotic resistance genes at an unprecedentedly comprehensive manner . DIvERGE offers a unique opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to identify antimicrobial agents with potentially longer clinical efficacy at an early stage of drug development. Thus, the goal is simple and bold – to identify antibiotics that are less prone to resistance development. Here the team aims to commercialise the technology.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance,antibiotic development
Ultrasensitive chiral detection by signal-reversing cavity polarimetry: applications to in-situ proteomics, single-molecule chirality, HPLC analysis, medical diagnostics, and atmospheric studies (ULTRACHIRAL)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Novel ideas for radically new technologies
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Switzerland,Greece,Greece,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: FET-Open research and innovation actions (H2020-FETOPEN-1-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2017-01-01
End date: 2021-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3999250.0
EU funding (EUR): 3999250.0
Participants: 8
Project status: CLOSED

Chirality is a fundamental property of life, making chiral sensing and analysis crucial to numerous scientific subfields of biology, chemistry, and medicine, and to the pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, and food industries, constituting a market of 10s of billion €, and growing. Despite the tremendous importance of chiral sensing, its application remains very limited, as chiroptical signals are typically very weak, preventing important biological and medical applications. Recently, the project-coordinating FORTH team has introduced a new form of Chiral-Cavity-based Polarimetry (CCP) for chiral sensing, which has three groundbreaking advantages compared to commercial instruments: (a) The chiroptical signals are enhanced by the number of cavity passes (typically ~1000); (b) otherwise limiting birefringent backgrounds are suppressed; (c) rapid signal reversals give absolute polarimetry measurements, not requiring sample removal for a null-sample measurement. Together, these advantages allow improvement in chiral detection sensitivity by 3-6 orders of magnitude (depending on instrument complexity and price). ULTRACHIRAL aims to revolutionize existing applications of chiral sensing, but also to instigate important new domains which require sensitivities beyond current limits, including: (1) measuring protein structure in-situ, in solution, at surfaces, and within cells and membranes, thus realizing the “holy-grail” of proteomics; (2) coupling to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for chiral identification of the components of complex mixtures, creating new standards for the pharmaceutical and chemical analysis industries; (3) chiral analysis of human bodily fluids as a diagnostic tool in medicine; (4) measurement of single-molecule chirality, by adapting CCP to microresonators, which have already demonstrated single-molecule detection; and (5) real-time chiral monitoring of terpene emissions from individual trees and forests, as a probe of forest ecology.

Keywords: polarimetry,chiral sensing,optical rotation,optical cavities,circular dichroism
Reduced energy consumption and carbon footprint of the plastic packaging industry, using a novel environmentally friendly nanoparticle based industrial process (TINOHEAT)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure, clean and efficient energy
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for a low carbon and efficient energy system (H2020-SMEINST-1-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2016-09-01
End date: 2017-02-28
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Established in 1993 in Mainz, Germany, PlasmaChem is dedicated to the development, production and sales of nanomaterials and their formulations, medical devices, and analytical equipment. The company has developed and demonstrated an innovative method of producing novel surface-passivated titanium-based ceramic nanopowder (TiNO), which exhibits excellent colloidal stability in different media, and exceptional light and heat absorption properties. The developed manufacturing process is ecologically safe. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most produced polymers worldwide (28 Mio tonnes), with over 15 Mio tonnes used in the manufacture of packaging items, for food, medicine, drinks, household, personal care, automotive and industrial products. Approximately 100 Mio PET bottles are produced worldwide, every day, mostly using an injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) process. In this process, infrared (IR) lamps are used to heat the pre-forms above their glass transition temperature (around 100°C), so that they can be blown to the required shape. The IR heating stage of the process consumes ~330 kWh per tonne of PET, and accounts for ~94% of the energy consumed in the process. TiNO blended in low concentrations with a polymer can significantly improve the heat absorption properties of the polymer blend. PlasmaChem’s results indicate that the addition of just 10 ppm of TiNO in PET enables significant reduction of energy use in the PET blow-moulding process. The use of TiNO in the production of food packaging items from PET would allow global savings of ~750 GWh annually (a saving of ~€200 Mio in energy costs). The use of TiNO in other plastics, could allow a total saving in energy costs of more than €4-10 billion annually. The projected global need for TiNO in PET packaging alone, is 60-120 tonnes (at 10-20 ppm) per year. Aim of this project is to further scale up our prototype and to produce and commercialize TiNO for the PET and other sectors.

Keywords: packaging,energy efficiency,plastics,additives
Clinical development and proof of principle testing of new regenerative VEGF-D therapy for cost-effective treatment of refractory angina A phase II randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study (ReGenHeart)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Treating and managing disease
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Austria,Spain,Poland,Finland,Poland,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Denmark,United Kingdom
Call: Clinical research on regenerative medicine (H2020-SC1-2016-RTD, 2016)
Start date: 2017-01-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5934088.75
EU funding (EUR): 5934086.0
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

Chronic angina pectoris is a debilitating chronic disease, a subgroup of these patients suffers from refractory angina which unfortunately can’t be controlled by medical therapy (angioplasty or surgery). Refractory angina is a substantial burden on the individual and healthcare system, in Europe there are 100,000 new cases per year, annual mortality of these patients is relatively low (<4%) thus refractory angina patients suffer multiple hospitalizations and low levels of health-related quality of life. The ReGenHeart project is based on extensive preclinical work and a phase I safety, feasibility and dose-finding clinical study recently completed by the consortium. The project will conduct a multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded Phase II clinical study to provide proof of concept and clinical validation for a new, percutaneous, cost-efficient therapy for refractory angina patients. Using our optimized catheter-mediated intramyocardial approach with AdenoVEGF-D, which has never been used in man before our phase I trial, we aim to induce regenerative changes supported by therapeutic angiogenesis in the affected area of a patient's heart and, in a single procedure, reduce the burden on the individual and their health service. The proposed trial is ready to proceed, subject to final regulatory approval in the seven clinical centres. 120 CCS class 2-3 refractory angina patients will be recruited, which will allow us to assess the benefits of therapy to patients who still have potential to respond to the regenerative therapy. Patients will be randomized 2:1 to either the gene therapy or placebo arms. Trial follow up, at 6 and 12 months, will assess how far they can walk in 6 minutes (primary endpoint) and also by their CCS angina score, quality of life, so-called MACE endpoints and several advanced PET and MRI imaging endpoints.

Keywords: gene therapy,cardiovascular disease,angina,clinical trial,regenerative medicine
Innovative WAter recoverY Solutions through recycling of heat, materials and water across multiple sectors (iWAYS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, and Biotechnology
Theme: Sustainable, resource-efficient and low-carbon technologies in energy-intensive process industries
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Spain,Spain,Spain,Italy,Italy,Spain,Spain,Spain,Belgium,Greece,Poland,Sweden,Lithuania,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Preserving fresh water: recycling industrial waters industry (H2020-LCCI-2020-EASME-singlestage, 2020)
Start date: 2020-12-01
End date: 2024-11-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 12806610.25
EU funding (EUR): 10596775.129999999
Participants: 22
Project status: SIGNED

The European Green Deal, an ambitious growth strategy aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), calls for the mobilization of the industry. Indeed, while important steps have been taken in the past, the annual global extraction of materials tripled in the last 50 years and is expected to increase further. The dual transformation, green and digital, place special emphasis on resource and energy intensive sectors. Furthermore, the expected zero pollution action plan for air, water and soil will enforce this transformation. In this changing environment, industry will have to adapt swiftly and decisively but the ease and smoothness of this transition is up for debate. Solutions that increase costs and impede productivity will face substantial resistance. There is a pressing need for new technologies and approaches that complement economic growth and productivity while firstly addressing environmental challenges. iWAYS is a step in this direction, featuring a wide array of technologies that are non-disruptive and applicable in any industry with wastewater and gaseous emissions. While the concept of water and heat recovery have been demonstrated and widely applied, in iWAYS a unique approach is taken, focusing on until now impossible streams to address and building synergies between heat and water reclamation and exploitation. The project also addresses several issues afflicting commercial technologies (such as Reverse Osmosis and Membrane Distillation) through innovative and enabling approaches.

Keywords: water material energy recovery
Structure and dynamics in active glass-forming liquids (ARIADNE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-06-01
End date: 2021-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 160932.48
EU funding (EUR): 160932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In this project I plan to investigate the transition between a liquid state and a disordered solid-like state in systems of active particles using numerical simulations and experimental approaches. In contrast to equilibrium (passive) systems, where this transition is controlled by temperature and/or density, active systems incorporate a new control parameter in the form of a locally-absorbed energy of non-thermal origin. Thus, with this investigation, I propose an extension to the canonical Glass Transition (GT) problem to non-equilibrium, actively-stimulated, systems. Active interplay between liquid and solid states manifests in real systems such as the cytoplasm of animal cells, dense bacterial colonies, tissues, and packed crowds. However, despite the deep biological implications, it is unclear how the presence of non-thermal energy affects the emergence of the GT in these systems. This will be the first time that this problem will be addressed with a collection of representative models of active systems. Using molecular dynamics simulations of variable complexity, I will consider part of the rich variety of features present in real active particles. This will include shape, polarity, and anisotropy. I will also explore how these features influence the emergence of collective active behaviour. These computational approaches will be accompanied by an uncommon interplay of experimental techniques which will serve to contrast computational results. I will study rheological material properties and characterise the emergence of the glass solidness for active systems using suspensions of colloids and bacteria. To extend the experimental characterisation to a microscopic level, I will use diffusive wave spectroscopy and optical microscopy. With this novel and comprehensive investigation, I aim to provide a foundation for exploring much more complex biological environments, where distinct primary entities coexist and cooperate.

Keywords: glass transition,active matter,collective behavior,molecular dynamics simulations,experimental colloidal physics,bacterial colonies
Investigating the pharmacokinetic properties of toxic metals and heat shock proteins as risk factors in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MetALS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-10-01
End date: 2021-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 162806.4
EU funding (EUR): 162806.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Background: Exposure to toxic metals are proposed as risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Despite this, evidence remains mixed, with only evidence for lead exposure supported by recent meta-analysis. Many studies neglected that biomarkers may be affected by kidney and liver function. Additionally, the heat shock protein (HSP) response is triggered by toxic metal exposures, and there is evidence for altered HSP metabolism in ALS. Methods: Using available samples (105 ALS cases, 307 controls), blood HSP’s and toxic metal exposures will be measured primarily in urine (inorganic Hg, lead, chromium, aluminium, selenium, zinc, cadmium, copper and manganese). Confounding variables such as kidney and liver function, and bone turnover will be measured. In addition, prospective recruitment of a further 100 cases and 100 controls will be carried out. For prospectively enrolees, repeat blood and urine samples will be taken three-monthly. Statistical analysis: Multivariable logistic regression will be used to compare HSP’s at baseline, while Bayesian models will be used to model correlations between HSP’s and multiple toxic metals. Longitudinal trends will be modelled using Bayesian mixed effects models. Ordinary differential equations will be used to construct elimination kinetics models. Power calculations indicate 90% power to detect an odds ratio of 2.0 at baseline, and 87% to detect longitudinal differences in trend of 15% or more between cases and controls. Impact: MetALS will employ new methodology to generate fresh insights into the role of toxic metals in ALS. MetALS will confirm or refute the finding of HSP’s as biomarkers in ALS, and provide the first insights into longitudinal behaviour of HSP’s as the disease progresses. MetALS will also provide the first combined study of both HSP’s and toxic metal exposure in an ALS cohort. These novel enquiries are expected to provide fresh insights into HSP’s and toxic metal metabolism in ALS.

Keywords: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis