Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Characterizing ligand-protein interactions with a cryo-EM data-driven modeling approach (CryoLigate)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-11-01
End date: 2025-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 222727.68
EU funding (EUR): 222727.68
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Visualizing protein-ligand interactions at atomic details is key to understand how ligands regulate macromolecular function. This knowledge could be leveraged to develop pharmaceutics utilizing the structure-based drug discovery platform. However, determining experimental structures of such complexes is often difficult using theVisualizing protein-ligand interactions at atomic details is key to understand how ligands regulate macromolecular function. This knowledge could be leveraged to develop pharmaceutics utilizing the structure-based drug discovery (SBDD) platform. However, determining experimental structures of such complexes is often difficult using the traditional time-consuming approach of hunting for suitable crystals for X-ray analysis. Recent breakthroughs in single-particle cryo-EM have overcome this limitation and enabled us to obtain atomic resolution structures of complex biomolecular systems. Though cryo-EM can now provide very high-resolution data of the overall system (less than 2 angstroms in many cases), unfortunately, resolutions of ligands are often significantly low to be useful for SBDD. Parallel to developments in cryo-EM, computational methods for modeling and refining structures into EM maps have been developed, but their main focus has been to build accurate protein structures. Here, I propose to exploit the increased computing power of molecular dynamics simulations offered by high-performance computing and algorithm development to develop a cryo-EM data-driven computational modeling approach to fit ligands into low-resolution EM maps. After testing in a large data set, this approach will be applied to identify ligand binding sites in new EM maps of a membrane protein and investigate how binding regulates the functional landscape of proteins. The findings of this proposal could open new avenues in the drug design platform by leveraging the power of cryo-EM and computational chemistry to accurately model ligand-protein complex structures.

Keywords: cryo em,ligand protein interactions,md simulations
Fundamental Study of CO2 Storage through Microbially Enhanced Carbon Mineralization (CO2FOREARM) (CO2FOREARM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Spain,Italy
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2024-10-31
Duration (months): 25.0
Total project cost (EUR): 165312.96
EU funding (EUR): 165312.96
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Large-scale implementation of geological carbon sequestration is considered as a key strategy to limit anthropogenic warming to 1.5 – 2 °C, as set out in the Paris Agreement. I am interested in a viable alternative represented by injecting CO2 into reactive rock formations, e.g. basalts, to facilitate rapid carbon mineralization, and therefore increase storage security. My particular interest lies in microbially enhanced carbon mineralization: biological catalysts are utilized to alter reaction rates and further enhance carbon mineralization. The overarching aim of this project’s research is to provide the fundamental understanding and simulation technology required to assess the large-scale deployment of CO2 storage through microbially enhanced carbon mineralization, and hence contribute to climate change mitigation. The project brings together engineers, biologists and environmental scientists from Spain and Italy to undertake a comprehensive research programme comprising combined experimental, computational and theoretical investigations. I will derive models (both at the conceptual and the numerical level) necessary to understand the dominant processes and develop a suitable simulation framework. The computational studies will employ various numerical techniques, combining multi-scale modelling and conventional CFD to investigate the flow physics and CO2-rock-biomass interactions at sub-pore levels. Complementary experiments on flow and mineral-biomass-fluid interactions will be conducted at POLIMI aiming at characterizing biofilm growth in porous microstructures using microfluidic devices that can capture spatial flow heterogeneities and chemical gradients at the pore-scale. The ultimate aim of the investigations is to use the new experimental and computational data to produce correlations/relationships for use with large scale simulations as well as developing further fundamental understanding of phenomena of CO2/biomass reactive flow in porous media.

Keywords: computational geosciences,microfluidic,biofilm growth,reactive flow,subsurface,upscaling
Assessing the efficacy and acceptability of timed exercise to improve glucose variability and metabolic flexibility in adults with prediabetes (REALIGN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2027-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173847.36
EU funding (EUR): 173847.36
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Being more active is an important part of treatment for adults with prediabetes. Exercise is one of the simplest and most effective ways to bring down blood glucose levels. However, lack of time is a common barrier to performing exercise regularly. The high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and timed exercise are two new exercise approaches which require lesser time commitment, but their health benefits are equally similar to the traditional exercise modality. But whether combining both principles (HIIT and timed exercise) could restore metabolic health in adults with prediabetes remains unknown. Using a mixed-methods approach, the REALIGN project aims to investigate whether performing HIIT at a certain time of day is more beneficial than performing it at another time of day to improve glucose excursion profile and fuel switching. Whereas the secondary aim is to explore the views and experiences of adults with prediabetes on timed HIIT program. To achieve these aims, adults with prediabetes will be randomly assigned to a 12-week HIIT program either in the morning or afternoon. A continuous glucose sensor will be used to assess the changes in their blood glucose fluctuation profile. Whereas two types of calorimeters (respiration chamber and ventilated hood system) will be used to assess the body’s ability to switch between carbohydrates and fats as energy sources in response to feeding and fasting conditions. At the end of the program, some of the participants will be interviewed to explore their perceptions of the timed HIIT exercise. This interdisciplinary project will take place at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) which houses cutting-edge infrastructures in exercise and metabolism research. This project is linked to key training aiming to advance the fellow’s competency in experimental and transferable skills to enhance professional maturity and develop independence.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes obesity interventional clinical trial
The Self After Interpersonal Loss (SAIL)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Panel description: Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-05-01
End date: 2029-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1491741.0
EU funding (EUR): 1491741.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Losing someone can feel like losing a part of oneself. Do we need others to be ourselves? What happens to the self when we lose a loved one? How can people be adequately supported in times of grief? ‘SAIL’ combines, for the first time, phenomenological evaluation, computational modeling, neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and behavioral experiments to characterize the grieving self and to develop a novel, mechanism-based intervention with the goal of supporting adaptative processing of the loss. In an aging society, where people might outlive their partner by decades, it becomes crucial to improve support during times of grief, and to develop treatment options for those with prolonged grief disorder who are at a 20% increased mortality risk. Previous psychological research suggests that the loss of a close person affects self-identity, an aspect of the higher cognitive self. If the basis of the self, the bodily self, is also affected is unknown. Here, I combine the perspective of grief as a learning process with my previous work on the bodily self which I argue to be inherently social. In aim 1, I will use behavioral measures, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to characterize the self after interpersonal loss. In aim 2, I will employ a double-blind, active-placebo-controlled, between-subject study to test whether the serotonin-receptor-agonist psilocybin can improve adaptation to the loss experience by supporting the re-establishment of the bodily self. Psilocybin is suggested to cause a transient shift from reliance on prior experiences towards current sensations. I will utilize this shift combined with a self-touch intervention to support re-learning about the bodily self in grieving individuals. With this project, I aim to: • Identify the psychological and neurobiological consequences of grief on the self, and • Develop a novel, mechanism-based intervention to improve adaptation to a ubiquitous cause of human suffering: the death of a close loved one.

Keywords: the bodily self,grief,death,prolonged grief disorder,phenomenology,psychophysics,neuroimaging,computational psychiatry,predictive processing,psychedelics,psilocybin,touch
PANcreatic CAncer Initial Detection via liquid biopsy (PANCAID)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Mission
Theme: Cancer
Destination: Cancer
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Sweden,Spain,Austria,Belgium,France,Israel,United Kingdom
Call: Develop new methods and technologies for cancer screening and early detection (HORIZON-MISS-2021-CANCER-02, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9845090.26
EU funding (EUR): 9838840.0
Participants: 23
Project status: SIGNED

Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) is usually detected at late stages and most patients die within one year after diagnosis. In PANCAID we will therefore develop a blood test for early detection of PDAC. Despite tremendous technological advances in Liquid Biopsy Diagnostics (LBx), this goal is very ambitious because small tumors release only minute amounts of cells or cellular products (e.g., DNA, RNA, protein, metabolites) into the circulation. Thus, tests with a high sensitivity are required but increases in sensitivity are usually achieved on the expenses of reduced specificity which can lead to significant overdiagnosis leading to unnecessary stress for the individuals with a false-positive blood test and high costs for the health system. In PANCAID, we will therefore establish a blood test with high accuracy by analyzing large cohorts of patients with PDAC and its precursor lesions, individuals at risk to develop PDAC and appropriate age-matched control groups (healthy and non-cancer diseases frequent in the targeted population). Ambitious objectives of PANCAID include (1) establishment of a unique resource of blood samples of early PDAC and risk groups (WP1); (2) Establishment of a breakthrough blood test for early diagnosis of PDAC (WP2); (3) Identification of the best composite biomarker panel by integrating multimodal features in an AI-assisted computational analysis; (4) Analysis of the socio-economic impact of early PDAC diagnosis (WP4); and (5) Definition of the ethics parameters relevant to early PDAC detection (WP5). A robust multi-biomarker panel will be determined during the training period (year 1-3) and subsequently validated on bio-banked blood samples (year 4-5). Depending on the outcome of this comprehensive analysis, PANCAID will provide the design of a future prospective study for validation of the developed composite blood test in an international multi-center setting required to introduce LBx into screening programs for high-risk individuals. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on ‘Prevention, including Screening’.

Keywords: pancreatic cancer,liquid biopsy,circulating dna,circulating tumour and host cells,exosomes,proteins,metabolites,computational analysis,digital technologies,health care models,ethics
RNA Origami Technology in Cell Systems (RIBOTICS)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Panel description: Biotechnology using all organisms , biotechnology for environment  and food applications, applied plant and animal sciences , bioengineering and synthetic biology , biomass and biofuels , biohazards
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2024-ADG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2030-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2829725.0
EU funding (EUR): 2829725.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Biomolecular nanotechnology aims at using the self-assembly principles of nature to create nanostructures and nanomachines for applications in biotechnology, medicine, and materials science. Advanced nanodevices, that sense inputs, do basic computations, and actuate functionality or movement within their nanoscale environment, are referred to as “nanorobots”. With advances in methods for prediction and design of RNA and protein structure, there is now a big opportunity to create complex biomolecular nanorobots. However, it is not clear how to combine multiple functional motifs and how to design the dynamical energy landscapes of molecular machines. In the RIBOTICS research proposal, I will address this challenge by the construction of RNA origami robots that sense, compute, and actuate in cellular environments with the goal of providing components for RNA-based synthetic regulation of living cells. To achieve this goal, we will: (1) Establish a platform for design and characterization of RNA origami robots by developing computer-aided design software and using advanced cryo-electron microscopy and tomography methods, (2) Develop genetically encoded RNA origami robots for control of gene expression and spatial organization of enzymes for metabolic engineering, (3) Develop xenonucleic acid (XNA) origami robots by studying the effects of chemical modifications on structure and function of RNA motifs for applications in controlled gene delivery and biosensing, (4) Develop RNA circuits for control of RNA origami robot systems in cells to develop RNA-based signal transduction pathways for control of metabolism and biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae yeast. If successful, this project will provide a better understanding of the design principles for biomolecular function and provide a general platform for the development of RNA robot and circuit technology in cell systems for broad applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Keywords: rna nanotechnology,rna synthetic biology
Innovative Solutions Responding to the Needs of Cities & Communities (CommuniCity)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Digital, Industry and Space
Theme: Digital
Destination: A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Belgium,Netherlands,Finland,Portugal,Spain,Italy
Call: Testing innovative solutions on local communities’ demand (CSA) (HORIZON-CL4-2021-HUMAN-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4999012.5
EU funding (EUR): 4999012.5
Participants: 12
Project status: SIGNED

CommuniCity conducts a large number of innovation pilots in many local communities, both urban, peri-urban and rural, including two EU capitals, aiming to empower hard-to-reach and marginalized communities. It creates three cycles of increasing size, building on two dynamic networks of local administrations and living labs of all sizes. CommuniCity builds on recent highlighted and awarded European as well as national place-based and locally-driven innovation programmes, methods, living labs and platforms. It brings the learnings of these together, and devises an inclusive, community-driven, agile innovation and experimentation model. With this model it runs a large co-creation process, first involving local communities in the challenge definitions, then developing innovative solutions through open calls promoted at the European level as well as locally. It will create new insights into local community innovation processes as well as principles and models of how to scale these insights in inclusive and sustainably manners. In addition, CommuniCity will produce a large number of novel innovations anchored in the needs of the local communities, and an exemplary approach that is followed throughout Europe. The core partner cities are already leading and copied smart communities globally because of their diverse approach and ambition to co-create and share learnings. The same goes for the additional four cities and the two networks. The aim is to push the frontier of community-driven innovation much deeper in society and to the margins of society so that the development and testing of novel innovations better serves the needs of the whole society, based on European values, in the world.

Keywords: community based innovation,ethics,inclusion,scale,mature facilitation,networks,living lab,testbed,social innovation,co creation,ai,innovation challenges
Roll out Systemic Change to evolve the Furniture Industry towards CE through the Implementation of innovative Circular Business Models, Material & Design Strategies, and the Digital Product Passport (R-evolve)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Other Bio-environnement destinations
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Austria,Italy,Germany,Slovenia,Spain,Denmark,Belgium
Call: Innovative circular solutions for furniture (HORIZON-CL6-2024-CIRCBIO-01, 2024)
Start date: 2024-11-01
End date: 2028-10-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5627307.5
EU funding (EUR): 4998582.0
Participants: 25
Project status: SIGNED

R-evolve aims aims to systematically support the industry's transition to a Circular Economy and the adoption of the ESPR, emphasizing Circular Economy (CE)-oriented Product-System Innovations. These include CE-oriented business models, circular material and product design strategies, and the use of the Digital Product Passport (DPP). The consortium ensures broad industry involvement, with over a third of its partners being European, national, and regional furniture associations that maintain strong connections to the industry. Other partners include seven companies from the furniture sector (four of which are SMEs) and seven research organizations. Recognizing the diversity of the European furniture industry, R-evolve will collaborate with stakeholders to develop Product-System Innovations. Private consumers and (public) procurers will actively participate in this process. The developed innovations, along with supporting solutions for implementation, will be tested in nine pilot projects. Their sustainability impacts will be assessed. To catalyze a broader industry transition, R-evolve will develop training materials based on the Product-System Innovations and piloting results. In a large-scale implementation phase, 50 companies will use these training materials, supported by the project consortium, to implement CE-oriented business models, circular material and design strategies, and DPP systems tailored to their specific framework conditions. Additionally, R-evolve will bring together relevant stakeholders to initiate a Community of Practice for a circular furniture industry. This collaborative effort aims to foster knowledge exchange and further advance sustainability within the sector.

Keywords: digital product passport
60-Hz light entrainment to unlock mental health conditions (SYNTROPIC)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Austria
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2024-03-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Mental health problems are a critical and ever-increasing burden to society. Psychiatric medications aim to adjust imbalances in synapse signaling, but often have only moderate-to-weak efficacy. Psychiatric medications aim to adjust imbalance in synapse signaling but often have only moderate-to-weak efficacy. The main challenge is that certain neuronal infrastructures for cognitive and emotional skills are secured with a rigid extracellular matrix known as the perineuronal net (PNN) that forms around neurons and locks the brain in a function state. Enzymatic interventions that can release the lock have been evaluated in mice, but they are not appropriate for translating into human therapeutics because they are invasive and prevent the reformation of PNN making the brain vulnerable. In the context of the ERC StG, we discovered that non-invasive external light entrainment at highly-selective 60-Hz enables microglia localized within the neuronal network to transiently remove PNN in a controlled and brain region-specific manner in both sexes with improved cognitive performances in mice. Thus, our discovery solves the urgent need for a targeted, non-invasive, non-pharmacological, therefore environmental-friendly therapeutic intervention. This ERC Proof-of-Concept will allow us to expand on our discovery and evaluate the therapeutic potential in a preclinical mouse model of anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our objectives are to identify at which stage of the fear memory formation 60-Hz entrainment shows the highest benefit, adjust treatment length and repetition frequency, and validate physiological parameters as a therapeutic success criterium. These insights will refine the first prototype development and set the therapeutic frame, which will both be critical to smoothen the transition into a clinical study post-ERC PoC, and will set the foundation for a spin-off company.