Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
PRE-ACT: Prediction of Radiotherapy side Effects using explainable AI for patient Communication and Treatment modification (PRE-ACT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Health
Theme: Health
Destination: Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Greece,Netherlands,Italy,France,Switzerland,United Kingdom
Call: Clinical validation of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for treatment and care (HORIZON-HLTH-2021-DISEASE-04, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4596615.5
EU funding (EUR): 4592114.75
Participants: 12
Project status: SIGNED

Radiotherapy is a widely used cancer treatment, however some patients suffer side effects. In breast cancer, side effects can include breast atrophy, arm lymphedema, and heart damage. Some factors that increase risk for side effects are known, but current approaches do not use all available complex imaging and genomics data. The time is now ripe to leverage the huge potential of AI towards prediction of side effects. This project will use rich datasets from three patient cohorts to design and implement an AI tool that predicts the risk of side effects, including arm lymphedema in breast cancer patients and provides an easily understood explanation to support shared decision-making between the patient and physician. The PRE-ACT consortium combines the expertise in computing (MDW, AUEB-RC), AI (HES-SO, CENTAI), radiation oncology (MAASTRO, UNICANCER), medical physics (THERA), genetics (ULEIC), psychology (CNR) and health economics (UM) that is necessary to tackle this problem. The project will integrate data from the three cohorts and build AI predictive models with built-in explainability for each of the key side effects of breast cancer radiotherapy. These AI models will be incorporated into an existing commercial radiotherapy software platform to create a world-leading product. The extended platform will be validated in a clinical trial to support treatment decisions regarding the irradiation of lymph nodes. The trial will adopt an innovative design in which the patients and medical team in the test arm will receive the risk prediction, but those in the control arm will not. A communication package built with a co-design methodology will ensure that AI outcomes are tailored to stakeholders effectively. The trial will evaluate whether using the AI platform changed the arm lymphedema rate and impacted treatment decisions and quality-of-life. Generalizability of the AI models for other types of cancer will be sought through transfer learning techniques.

Keywords: breast cancer radiotherapy side effects
Impact of cell shapes on cell behaviour and fate (SHAPINCELLFATE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Synergy grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: France,Italy
Call: ERC Synergy Grants (ERC-2022-SYG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2029-03-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 10834795.0
EU funding (EUR): 10834795.0
Participants: 7
Project status: SIGNED

Cells are often depicted as irregular spherical objects - the shape they adopt in suspension. However, the packed environment of tissues alters this simple shape, causing large cell deformations. This occurs during normal tissue growth and is even more pronounced upon tissue overgrowth, as in the case of solid tumors. Cell shape changes frequently occur in migratory cells, such as immune cells that patrol the organism within interstitial tissues, and cancer metastases that escape from the primary tumor to invade healthy tissues. In all cases, cells adapt and survive even to very large deformations. The mechanisms underlying such response and the long-term consequences that repeated cell shape changes have on physiology and pathology remain largely unknown. We have observed that changes in the shape of cells and organelle(s) induce reversible and irreversible modifications in their behaviour and function(s). We hypothesize that cells use such mechanisms to integrate the successive deformations of distinct amplitudes and durations that they experience during their lifetime. This implies the existence of “shape-induced memory effects” that not only encode the geometrical and mechanical history of the cell but also dictate its fate. Here, we propose to tackle the molecular mechanisms and physical principles accounting for shape-induced memory effects and to evaluate their impact on immunity and cancer. We will focus on two cell types that undergo large shape changes in vivo, and communicate to establish cancer immunity: (1) dendritic cells, which initiate adaptive immune responses, and (2) cancer cells derived from mammary epithelia. Our project will reveal whether boundary conditions imposed by physical confinement are overarching determinants of cellular behaviours at different spatial and temporal scales, and may further establish novel clinical paths for a holistic understanding of early malignancies and their recognition by the immune system.

Keywords: cell shape,cell deformation,organelle deformation,signaling pathways,dendritic cells,cancer cells,physical modeling
A metagenomic-based precision-medicine tool for personalized diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of oral diseases (PreBiomicsPMT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Transition
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Italy
Call: EIC Transition Open 2022 (HORIZON-EIC-2022-TRANSITION-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2026-04-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2461900.5
EU funding (EUR): 2461900.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

About 20M dental implants are performed globally per year. Implant market, valued at €3.6B in 2020, is growing at a CAGR of 11%. Unfortunately, microbiome-biofilm-associated diseases can affect dental implants, compromising oral and systemic health. More than 50% of implant patients develop mucositis, an inflammation of the soft tissues, which may lead to peri-implantitis, a severe infection affecting soft and hard tissues that can lead to implant loss. Currently, there are no reliable tools to assess disease severity and risk of disease progression; and the dentist can only prescribe empirical therapies without knowing the composition of the triggering peri-implant plaque microbiome. At PreBiomics, we developed a precision-medicine test that characterises the microbial composition of the plaque biofilm collected in the area surrounding the implant. In 10 years of research, we have shown that specific bacteria's presence is key to predicting the infection's severity and progression. PreBiomicsPMT will develop a test using metagenomics, and an AI algorithm, which will enable the implementation of monitoring and diagnosis and provide treatment recommendations for each patient based on the bacterial composition of their plaque microbiome. Based on the results of the ERC POCs PB3P, this EIC-Transition project aims at automating the workflow using a robotic solution to reduce the costs of the service and speed up the results, building an extensive database that will be used to create an antibiotic resistance panel and further develop our decision support system (DSS) for dentists, finally, conducting a validation study to prove the predictive power of our DSS. Alongside the technical development, we will define the IPR management plan to protect the knowledge we continuously generate, study in-depth the dental implants market and the needs and expectations of our customers and investors and elaborate a robust business plan to allow proper exploitation of our product.

Keywords: oral health oral diseases implant dentistry metagenomics precision medicine diagnostic tools
OPTIMALMINE: slope optimal design for a paradigm shift in mining efficiency, environmental friendliness and resilience (OPTIMALMINE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Staff Exchanges
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Spain,Serbia,United States,Canada,Bulgaria,Colombia,Australia,China,Brazil
Call: MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-SE-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2029-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1072140.0
EU funding (EUR): 1072140.0
Participants: 13
Project status: SIGNED

The European Union is currently addressing challenges related to the supply of essential raw materials that are used for clean technologies (e.g. lithium for EV batteries, copper for electrification) and everyday life (e.g. metals for iPhones). This includes policy initiatives such as the raw materials list and the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Commission, 2019) which sets 10% of the EU's annual needs for extraction as a benchmark to be reached by 2030. Reaching this target will require an increase in mining efficiency to make currently unprofitable mine deposits economically viable. Mining is responsible for around 8% of the global carbon footprint with a very large part of carbon footprint due to mining activities, hence innovations that reduce the amount of waste rock to be excavated in turn lead to substantial reductions of the overall mine carbon footprint. Topological slope optimisation solves the problem by introducing two paradigm shifts: 1. Overall steeper, hence more efficient, pit walls without compromising safety. 2. Automated pit wall design. The proposed solution focuses on a highly innovative approach for open-pit mines: excavating pit wall slopes according to their topological optimal shape instead of the established current practice of designing pit walls of constant inclination within each rock layer. The methodology developed by Prof. Utili (UNEW) finds the optimal non-planar slope geometry for a specified target Factor of Safety (FoS), which is significantly steeper than any planar one (see Figure 1). Topological slope optimisation has the potential to change the open pit mining industry: if this methodology was adopted by 50% of >5,000 mines worldwide and considering the average financial and environmental gains obtained from five mine case studies published in peer-reviewed mining journals leads to the following financial estimates: €6.5B/year of direct savings from less rock volume excavated and 200M tonnes/year of CO2eq emi

Keywords: mine optimisation rock slope engineering optimal slope design machine learning applied to topological optimal slope design
Opposites attract: Crosstalk between vimentin and microtubules - mechanical stability vs. dynamic adaptability (CROSSTALK)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
Panel description: For all organisms : Structure and function of the cell, cell -cell communication, embryogenesis, tissue differentiation, organogenesis, growth, development, evolution of development, organoids, stem cells, regeneration, therapeutic approaches
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499990.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499990.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The cytoskeleton is mainly composed of actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. It is fundamentally important for many cellular processes, which is reflected in its morphological and functional diversity. In the past, in-depth analysis of actin and microtubule networks made it possible to reconstitute their diversity in vitro with astonishing precision. This enabled a detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying actin and microtubule network formation, which are the basis for many cellular processes. In contrast, our knowledge of intermediate filaments is still in its infancy, and we are far from rebuilding complex intermediate filament networks and their interactions with other cytoskeletal elements in vitro. As intermediate filaments are a major determinant of cellular resilience against mechanical stress and their mutations associate with diseases, detailed insight into intermediate filament network formation and properties will represent a milestone in cytoskeletal research. The proposed project will be a major step in this direction. We focus on vimentin, the most ubiquitous member of the intermediate filament family. We will investigate the role of vimentin-microtubule crosstalk as well as the relation between network morphology and mechanical stress. How do these networks provide cells with mechanical stability, while being able to rapidly change their morphology? Through a combination of biochemical, structuring, and mechanical methods we will address this question, which is relevant in many biological systems – from subcellular structures to tissues and organisms. In this way, CROSSTALK will pave the way towards a clearer picture of this heavily understudied cytoskeletal filament. It aims at integrated, mechanistic insight into the organization and (mechanical) functions of vimentin and its interactions with microtubules, which form the basis for understanding its role in many higher-order physiological and pathological processes.

Keywords: cytoskeleton,microtubules,intermediate filaments,vimentin
Unlocking the secrets of remote memories: dissecting the cortico-hippocampal engram (REMGRAM)

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: France
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-05-01
End date: 2026-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195914.88
EU funding (EUR): 195914.88
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Every day we form memories based on experience. These memories undergo a selective process, during which some become long-lasting memories while others fade away.Memory age can be distinguished based on the neuronal systems engaged during different stages: recently acquired detailed memories rely on the hippocampus (especially CA1),while remotely acquired, more generalised memories depend on cortical activation(specifically the anterior cingulate cortex, aCC). However, our understanding of how certain information from the original event is selected to migrate from one region to the other, while other is lost, remains limited. We aim to explore whether these two regions attend to different information during memory acquisition. To accomplish this, we will employ FliCRE, an innovative optogenetic tool that offers precise temporal control over the tagging and manipulation of cells through both calcium signalling and light activation. This groundbreaking technology allows us to attain an unprecedented level of temporal precision, enabling differential labelling of cells that encode distinct information, such as when a mouse is exploring an environment versus experiencing a footshock or freezing. By tagging and manipulating these diverse populations in CA1 and aCC, we will track their recruitment at different time points. This investigation seeks to shed light on why memory age influences our perception of the original experience differently. By understanding the underlying neuronal mechanisms, we may find ways to reverse this effect, offering a potential approach to help treat maladaptive memories. Our research holds promise in unravelling the complexities of consolidation and its implications for memory therapies.

Keywords: remote memory engrams flicre circuits information hippocampus cortex
The external dimension of the failed democratic transitions in the MENA region. The impact of interstate rivalries on national politics (RIVALMENA)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Italy,United States
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2026-05-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 288859.2
EU funding (EUR): 288859.2
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

RIVALMENA proposes new research exploring the impact of interstate rivalries on the negotiation of political change after the fall of dictators in three countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Tunisia, Libya and Egypt,. Analysing the influence rivalries have on political transitions in the MENA is timely and important for understanding regional politics. The region is experiencing an unprecedented fall of long-serving authoritarian rulers, most of whom were ousted by national revolts. Yet, democratization rarely follows the fall of dictators and countries rapidly descend into civil wars or return to some form of authoritarian rule. RIVALMENA aims at showing the crucial role that interstate rivalries play in thwarting processes of political change toward democracy, thereby refining the dominant scholarly interpretation that points almost exclusively to national factors to understand the shortage of successful democratization processes in the MENA region. To attain the research objectives, RIVALMENA relies on a mixed methodological approach, including triangulation between qualitative and quantitative data. In addition to contribute to the advancement of academic knowledge, research outputs include the creation of databases and maps that will be useful to EU institutions for implementing its common foreign and security policy. The author has already conducted extensive research on the international relations of the MENA (both in the field and remotely) and can rely on a wide network of contacts that will facilitate the accomplishment of the research objectives and tasks.

Keywords: interstate rivalries foreign influence democratization authoritarianism middle east and north africa mena
STANDARDISED, AUTOMATED, SAFE AND COST-EFFICIENT PROCESSING OF END-OF-LIFE BATTERIES FOR SECOND AND THIRD LIFE RE-USE AND RECYCLING (REINFORCE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Energy
Destination: Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: Batteries (co-programmed)
Countries involved: Portugal,France,Belgium,Spain,Italy,Finland,Germany,Netherlands,Türkiye,Ireland
Call: Streamlined collection and reversed logistics, fully automated, safe and cost-efficient sorting, dismantling and second use before recycling (Batteries Partnership) (HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2027-05-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4999993.75
EU funding (EUR): 4999993.75
Participants: 15
Project status: SIGNED

One of the main challenges of EU battery sector to achieve the net-zero emissions objectives for 2050 consists of keeping the added value of EoL batteries, enabling their 2nd life, and improving recycling and recovery of critical materials. REINFORCE aims at designing, developing and deploying a novel sustainable, and highly efficient circular value chain serving as a reference for automated, safe and cost-efficient logistics and processing of EoL batteries from EV and stationary applications for repurposing and recycling. REINFORCE will demonstrate all technological solutions and processes in a real environment at TRL6, and the viability of the new circular value chain and business model innovations for EoL battery repurposing. This will be achieved by: (i) an optimisation of collection and reversed logistics focussed on efficient diagnostics for early battery status cut-off decision-making and safe and smart transportation solutions; (ii) safe and improved battery diagnostics and speed-up discharge and energy recovery systems adapted to the current batteries stream; (iii) adaptable and safe dismantling and sorting of EoL batteries and components based on robotics, Machine Learning and Industry 4.0, including fully automated pack-to-module disassembly and advanced module-to-cell-to-electrode disassembly; (iv) an innovative traceability system along the battery value chain based on a battery passport for the 2nd and 3rd life battery user; (v) the definition of standardisation guidelines in line with current and upcoming regulations; all revolving around (vi) robust sustainable circular business models demonstrating the application of REINFORCE proposition in a circular economy strategy and implement actions towards full market maturity. For this, REINFORCE is bringing together a wide experienced consortium led by INE, involving a team of leading industrial technology developers and providers, R&D centres and academic institutions, and end-users, at European level.

Keywords: end of life batteries,2nd and 3rd life,safe transportation container,automated diagnostics,pack to electrode disassembly,material recycling,battery passport,industry 4 0,circular value chain
Reprogramming of Tumor Stroma to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy (REACT)

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: France
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2024-06-01
End date: 2025-11-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Cancer immunotherapies have shown impressive success in cancer treatment. However, these therapies are limited to certain type of cancers, and success rate is still low. In particular, certain types of solid tumors containing an abundant stroma, which represent a majority of epithelial derived cancer, respond very poorly to immunotherapies. In these tumors, a major challenge for the development of novel cancer immunotherapies is represented by the tumor microenvironment (TME), a highly hypoxic and immunosuppressive environment which prevents proper tumor infiltration and functioning of effector immune cells. Recent discoveries identified tumor-activated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) developing within the TME, and showed that they represent a major brake for efficient antitumor immunity in solid tumors. In this project, we will investigate the potential of a novel approach and therapeutic avenue to target specific populations of MSCs within the TME, and determine the synergistic effect with immunotherapies to improve treatment efficacy in solid tumors. In the long term, this project aims at overcoming a major barrier in utilizing cancer immunotherapies in solid tumors.