Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Next-Generation Antibody-Drug Conjugates for safer and more effective cancer therapies (ADC)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Treating and managing disease
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Supporting innovative SMEs in the healthcare biotechnology sector (H2020-SMEINST-1-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2016-05-01
End date: 2016-09-30
Duration (months): 5.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Oncolinx has developed a novel molecular platform allowing for non-invasive and highly effective cancer cures. The platform carries a killing drug (Azonafide), linked to an antibody, specifically targeting and destroying only malignant tumour cells. These molecular complexes are called Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) and represent a strong, valid alternative to current chemotherapies. Oncolinx’s innovative linker/payload technology enables the Azonafide platform to perform a sensitive discrimination between healthy and cancer cells, thereby avoiding adverse side-effects of chemotherapy. ADCs enhance the effectiveness of a systemic treatment and have the advantage of targeting only tumour sites within the same therapy. Oncolinx’s drugs are effective against drug resistant cancers, as well as cancer stem cells (CSCs)—cells directly responsible for drug-resistance, metastasis, and relapse. In addition, Oncolinx’s technology activates the immune system against the tumour, which is an integral hallmark of durable responses. Although Oncolinx’s platform is designed to be adopted for drug-resistant breast cancers as first application, the Azonafide payload potency has been validated across all NCI-60 cell lines screening for different tumour types. The NCI-60 Human Tumour Cell Lines Screen also showed that the Azonafide payload, when conjugated with Oncolinx linker technology to specific antibodies, can kill up to 98.2% of cancer cells while remaining non-toxic to cells that do not express the antigen. NCI-60 screening has shown subnanomolar-picomolar potency across cancers (1x10-9M). While a variety of ADCs compound are currently developed and tested, only two ADCs have been approved so far. However, because Azonafide platform has a unique mechanism of action, Oncolinx can exclusively target slow growing cancers, drug resistant cancers, and other cancers that cannot be treated by the technologies of the two competitors (Seattle Genetics and ImmunoGen).

Keywords: cancer,antibody,healthcare,chemotherapy,biotechnology,innovation,clinical trial,citotoxin,immunotherapy,big pharma,targeted therapy
Clock-mediated modulation of growth-defense trade-offs and its potential as a biotechnological tool (CHRONOTRADE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Reintegration panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-04-01
End date: 2022-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 172932.48
EU funding (EUR): 172932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Circadian clocks are conserved time-tracking mechanisms that allow organisms to align endogenous physiological processes with the changing environment. Growing evidence supports a role for these biological clocks, not only as mere timekeepers, but as pivotal regulators of extensive cellular networks. In plants, the influence of the clock on development and physiology is pervasive and many traits of agronomical value are subjected to circadian regulation. Noteworthy, clock gene alleles have been traditionally selected because of their desirable influences on key agricultural traits. An outstanding clock protein that functions at the interface between the clock and its output is GIGANTEA (GI). We propose to investigate this regulatory hub protein, and characterize the molecular mechanism by which it modulates the balance between growth and defense. Knowledge gained from the model plant Arabidopsis will be transferred to a crop species (tomato) in order to establish a framework for targeted biotechnological manipulation. Consequently, an innovative strategy based on edgetic alleles will be deployed to generate new GI alleles that uncouple growth from defense, a key feature for cultivated species. From a training point of view, this fellowship will build on the Experienced Researcher’s (ER) solid expertise on molecular biology and complement it with the skills required to translate basic research to tackle specific agronomical issues. This will undoubtedly boost her opportunities to reach an independent research position with biotechnological orientation. In summary, this proposal aims to (i) advance our understanding on the connections between the clock and its output in model and crop species, (ii) generate novel variants of circadian-clock components as a biotechnological strategy for sustainable agriculture, and (iii) render a well-trained academic researcher with the capacities needed to develop a professional career within biotechnological research.

Keywords: circadian clock,plant signaling networks,edgetic alleles,plant biotechnology
The value of diagnostics to combat antimicrobial resistance by optimising antibiotic use (VALUE-Dx)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Innovative Medicines Initiative 2
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: IMI2 (Art-187)
Countries involved: Austria,Spain,Italy,Ireland,Italy,Israel,Spain,Switzerland,Switzerland,Switzerland,Belgium,Belgium,France,France,Netherlands,Netherlands,United States,Netherlands,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Luxembourg
Call: The value of diagnostics to combat antimicrobial resistance by optimising antibiotic use (H2020-JTI-IMI2-2017-13-two-stage, 2017)
Start date: 2019-04-01
End date: 2024-09-30
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 14125707.75
EU funding (EUR): 6799100.0
Participants: 27
Project status: SIGNED

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of great public health concern, causing numerous losses of lives worldwide and threatening to reverse many of the considerable strides modern medicine has made over the last century. There is a need to stratify antibiotic and alternative treatments in terms of the actual benefit for the patient, improving patient outcome and limit the impact on AMR. High quality, effective and appropriate diagnostic tests to steer appropriate use of antibiotics are available. However, implementation of these tests into daily healthcare practice is hampered due to lack of insight in the medical, technological and health economical value and limited knowledge about psychosocial, ethical, regulatory and organisational barriers to their implementation into clinical practice. VALUE-Dx will define and understand these value indicators and barriers to adoption of diagnostics of Community-Acquired Acute Respiratory Tract Infections (CA-ARTI) in order to develop and improve health economic models to generate insight in the whole value of diagnostics and develop policy and regulatory recommendations. In addition, efficient clinical algorithms and user requirement specifications of tests will be developed fuelling the medical and technological value of CA-ARTI diagnostics. The value of diagnostics will be tested and demonstrated in a unique pan-European clinical and laboratory research infrastructure allowing for innovative adaptive trial designs to evaluate novel CA-ARTI diagnostics. Close and continuous interaction with the VALUE-Dx multi-stakeholder platform provides for optimal alignment of VALUE-Dx activities with stakeholder opinions, expert knowledge and interests. A variety of dissemination and advocacy measures will promote wide-spread adoption of clinical and cost-effective innovative diagnostics to achieve more personalized, evidence-based antibiotic prescription in order to transform clinical practice, improve patient outcomes and combat AMR.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance,health economics
Integrated Spectrometers for Spectral Tissue Sensing (InSPECT)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Information and Communication Technologies
Theme: Micro- and nanoelectronics and photonics: Key enabling technologies related to micro- and nanoelectronics and to photonics, covering also quantum technologies
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: Photonics (cPPP)
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Belgium,Belgium,Netherlands,Netherlands,Netherlands
Call: Photonics KET (H2020-ICT-2014-1, 2014)
Start date: 2015-01-01
End date: 2018-03-31
Duration (months): 39.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4143461.25
EU funding (EUR): 4143460.0
Participants: 11
Project status: CLOSED

Image-guided needle procedures - such as taking biopsies in screening cancerous tumours - are becoming increasingly important in clinical practice. Today, physicians are severely hampered by the lack of precision in positioning the needle tip. Real-time tissue-characterization feedback at the needle tip during these procedures can significantly improve the outcome of diagnosis and treatment, and reduce the cost of oncology treatment. Spectral tissue sensing using photonic needles has the promise to be a valuable diagnostic tool for screening tumours, as shown by several clinical trials. However, for widespread adoption the cost and size of these photonic needle systems - in particular the spectrometer console - needs to be improved dramatically. The realization of a low-cost miniature system is limited by three key challenges: • Broadband (VIS+NIR) illumination • Broadband (VIS+NIR) sensitivity • Integration of the system InSPECT will address these challenges by developing and integrating photonic building blocks for low-cost miniaturized spectral tissue sensing devices. This involves the realization of a miniature broadband (400-1700 nm) solid-state light source, based on phosphor and quantum-dot converted LEDs, and the realization of a miniature low-cost integrated VIS+NIR spectrometer. For the spectrometer integration we will follow 2 approaches: • The micro-spectrometer, a moderate risk approach based on the miniaturisation and monolithic integration of diffractive dispersive elements and VIS+NIR photo-detectors in a small volume (cubic inch) device, and • The nano-spectrometer, a higher risk approach in which the spectrometer function is realized in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) based on transparent SiO/SiN waveguide technology. This is a unique, novel, and timely approach to realize the key photonics building blocks for low-cost miniature spectrometers that will drive the adoption of spectral sensing in applications that were not accessible before.

Keywords: photonic integrated circuit
Dissecting and targeting senescence programs to advance Hematopoietic Stem Cell-based gene therapies (ReviveSTEM)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Panel description: Medical technologies and tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases, therapeutic approaches and interventions, pharmacology, preventative medicine, epidemiology and public health, digital medicine
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2020-COG, 2020)
Start date: 2022-03-01
End date: 2027-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The success of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell (HSPC) gene therapies critically depends on the capacity to genetically engineer HSPCs without compromising their functional properties. Emerging evidence, including our own, indicates that HSPC exposure to currently available gene transfer and gene editing technologies –which require prolonged ex-vivo culture, high viral vector doses and nuclease-induced DNA double strand breaks– unexpectedly converge on the DNA damage response (DDR), a signaling cascade leading to cell cycle arrest. Protracted DDR impairs the hematopoietic reconstitution of gene-modified cells upon transplantation; instead, its transient inhibition significantly improves their functionality. This experimental evidence uncovers a previously unappreciated interplay between viral vector sensing and the host cell DDR machinery in human HSPCs. Yet, we have just scratched the surface of a plethora of still unexplored cellular programs potentially hampering the clonal composition and the dynamics of reconstitution upon transplantation of this primitive cell compartment. This proposal builds on the innovative concept that current gene engineering protocols may inadvertently trigger the activation of a cellular senescence program in HSPCs with both cell-autonomous and paracrine short- and long-term consequences on engineered human hematopoiesis. By employing quantitative imaging and cutting-edge genomic technologies and taking advantage of uniquely available gene therapy platforms and primary patient samples, we will identify the molecular determinants that promote senescence in HSPCs and design innovative hypothesis-driven strategies to mitigate senescence barriers for more effective, safer and clinically broader gene therapy applications. Successful completion of the project will unveil a new set of mechanisms controlling the biology of gene-engineered HSPCs and open novel scientific horizons for the development of innovative gene and cell therapies.

Keywords: senescence,dna damage response,hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells,gene editing,sasp,inflammation,gene transfer
From Micro to Macro: Aggregate Implications of Firm-Level Heterogeneity in International Trade (MIMAT)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Panel description: Economics, finance and management
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2017-ADG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-10-01
End date: 2024-03-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1335693.75
EU funding (EUR): 1335693.75
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

What determines the patterns of international trade and the associated welfare effects? Can individual incentives to trade diverge from societal objectives? Should governments intervene to promote or restrict international transactions? Questions like these have recently gained new salience, in Europe and elsewhere, due to renewed protectionist pressures and resurgent nationalistic tendencies arising from diffuse disenchantment with globalization. The aim of the research project is to highlighting key dimensions along which the answers to these questions obtained from conventional trade models with homogenous firms should be revisited in the light of permanent pervasive firm heterogeneity. In particular, the project will pursue four specific objectives through four integrated work packages providing new insights on how firm heterogeneity affects: (1) the ability of markets to deliver allocative efficiency; (2) The design of optimal multilateral trade policies; (3) The comparative advantages of countries; (4) The capabilities of a country as an exporter. The first work package will investigate whether the allocative inefficiency (“misallocation”) determined by firm heterogeneity in the presence of pricing distortions is quantitatively relevant for a country’s aggregate economic performance, and whether economic integration reduces or exacerbates such misallocation. The second work package will develop the theoretical implications of firm heterogeneity for trade policy, with special emphasis on the cooperative design of optimal multilateral trade agreements aimed at maximizing the joint welfare of all trade partners. The third work package will study how country, sector and firm characteristics interact to determine countries’ responses to trade liberalization. The fourth work package will investigate the distinct role of firm heterogeneity in determining a country’s ability to export through the shape of the productivity distribution of its producers.

Keywords: gains from trade,imperfect competition,firm heterogeneity,comparative advantage,trade policy,misallocation,marshall s second law of demand,intensive and extensive margins of trade,gravity
Immunological Diagnosis of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF-Dia)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC-Proof of Concept-2016 (ERC-2016-PoC, 2016)
Start date: 2016-10-01
End date: 2018-03-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 148412.5
EU funding (EUR): 148412.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease worldwide. The disease is highly prevalent in countries of the Mediterranean basin, the Caucasus and the Middle East, with 1:1000 up to 1:500 inhabitants being affected in countries like Turkey and Armenia. FMF has further spread to other regions of the world with migrations of these populations in modern history and today. Colchicine therapy is the gold standard for FMF patients, but given the risks involved, correct FMF diagnosis is desired before onset of therapy. Diagnosis of FMF is currently based on clinical presentation, and is further supported by review of ethnic origin, family history and genetic analysis of disease-associated MEFV alleles. However, clinical and genetic diagnosis of FMF are complicated by significant overlap of the clinical picture with other autoinflammatory diseases, and over 280 FMF alleles of MEFV have been described. Common genetic tests focus on the most common mutations in exons 2 and 10 of MEFV, but mutations may also occur in other parts of the MEFV gene. Consequently, genetic analysis of FMF is sometimes inconclusive, and correct diagnosis of FMF may sometimes be delayed for years. Here, we describe an immunological assay that for the first time allows selective identification of FMF patients based on the differential inflammasome activation response of their blood monocytes. The availability of a single robust, affordable and convenient assay that immunologically stratifies FMF patients from other autoinflammatory disease patients will be instrumental for improving timely and correct identification of FMF patients for colchicine therapy, and (where desired) will enable more cost-effective selection of patients for genetic confirmation of MEFV mutations.

Keywords: diagnostics,autoinflammation,disease,inflammasome,cytokine
Numerical modelling of reinforced slender wooden window elements (XtremelY)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Slovenia
Call: European SME innovation Associate - pilot (H2020-INNOSUP-02-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2018-08-31
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 50472.5
EU funding (EUR): 50472.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Oversized window systems with extreme heights are becoming increasingly popular at European and global market. Such sizes can cause problems of bending of slender wooden elements which results in the decrease of main windows properties, quality and functionality. Project XtremelY (Numerical modelling of reinforced slender wooden window elements) will lead to a development of parametric numerical model of reinforced slender wooden window elements, which will lead to future development and production of oversized openable window systems with extreme height (Y). Main goal of XtremelY project is to develop numerical models of reinforced wooden window profiles which will allow the production of window systems with height of over 4 m which means 60 % higher products compared to standard ones. Window profiles will have improved stiffness (compared to wooden beam) for 50 %, improved load bearing capacity for 50 % and thermal conductivity lower than 1.0 W/m2K. The development of numerical model/s of reinforced slender wooden window elements will represent an innovative approach at global scale in wooden window industry and a digitalisation of wooden window profiles. Such approach is a basis for future high-tech solutions in wooden window industry and smart homes. Numerical models will also be a basis for new development approach which will be much quicker, precise and cost effective.

Keywords: wwooden window,numerical model,reinforcement,wood
Aging-related changes in brain activation and deactivation during cognition: novel insights into the physiology of the human mind from simultaneous PET-fMRI imaging (SIMULTAN)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Panel description: Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, theoretical philosophy
Countries involved: Germany,Sweden
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2016-STG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-06-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 67.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499544.0
EU funding (EUR): 376201.5
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

There is no doubt that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has led to a breakthrough in our ability to measure how the complexities of the mind are rooted in biology. However, deactivation of certain brain areas during cognitive control and increased activation of prefrontal areas in aging are two examples of consistently found patterns of fMRI activation that have had a large impact on the study of the human mind, but that prompt major questions of interpretation. The physiological basis of the fMRI signal reflects interplay between hemodynamics and metabolic demands that vary across the brain, as well as between different tasks and individuals, and cannot be resolved by fMRI alone. To be able to use non-invasive imaging to distinguish a normally aging brain from one that is in the pre-clinical stages of disease, it is important to understand the neurobiological basis of these functional brain changes. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a molecular imaging method that is able to monitor brain glucose metabolism, which stems primarily from synaptic activity and is invariant to changes in blood flow. Studies that have made use of the complementary information gained from fMRI and PET to investigate human brain function have had to rely on sequential scans, and correlation of the signals from both modalities between individuals. The investigation of within-person switches between different mental states with complementary modalities is only made possible by the recent development of a hybrid PET-MR system, which, for the first time, allows simultaneous assessment of fMRI signal, blood flow and PET glucose metabolism during cognitive task performance. The proposal is structured in three work packages that include PET-fMRI scans in 30 healthy younger and 40 older adults. The analyses are designed to disentangle the hemodynamic and metabolic contributions to fMRI deactivations and prefrontal over-activation in aging during cognitive task performance.

Keywords: functional magnetic resonance imaging,positron emission tomography,human brain networks