Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Regulation and outcome of immune cell interactions in vivo (LYMPHOCYTECONTACTS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Immunity and infection
Countries involved: France
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2011-02-01
End date: 2016-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1485512.0
EU funding (EUR): 1485512.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The immune system is made up of specialized cells and tissues that act together to fight microbial infections and survey the body for malignant transformation. Immune responses are highly orchestrated and dynamic events that largely rely on the ability of immune cells to migrate in organs and tissues, to interact with each other in order to exchange information and to engage target cells in tissues to fulfill their effector functions. Natural killer and T lymphocytes are two key players of the host responses to pathogens and to some tumors and belong to the innate and adaptive arm of the immune system, respectively. The formation of cell-cell contacts represents a key event for T cell and NK cell to receive activation signal and exert effector functions. Ultimately, the efficiency of immune responses is critically dependent on the regulation and outcome of these contacts. We aim to launch a new generation of intravital microscopy that will allow us to move beyond the descriptive and towards functional imaging studies so we can get the ability to analyze, not only cellular behaviors, but also the signals and outcome of interactions established by T cells and NK cells in vivo. We will link key parameters regulating contact formation during T cell activation by dendritic cells, including calcium elevation, immunological synapse formation and contact stability in order to determine how they act together to influence T cell fate. In addition, we will further develop our projects on disease pathogenesis with the aim of gaining new knowledge on tumor immunity and parasitic infections. Identifying the parameters that regulate lymphocyte contact formation and outcome in these contexts will undoubtedly help delineate basic principles to improve strategies to treat cancer and infectious diseases.

Keywords: intravital imaging
Speciation through fungi? - The role of mycorrhizal associations in orchid diversification (MYCASOR)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Evolutionary, population and environmental biology
Countries involved: Belgium
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2010-12-01
End date: 2015-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499800.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499800.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The Orchidaceae is the most diverse family of angiosperms with an estimated number of over 24,000 species. It has long been believed that co-evolution with pollinating animals has played an instrumental role in the unparalleled diversification of the Orchidaceae. Many orchid species, however, are generalists with respect to their pollinators. Because the availability of a suitable mycorrhizal fungus is crucial to orchid establishment, it has recently been suggested that diversification might also have been driven by irregular fungal distributions, combined with high mycorrhizal specificities. Evidence for this hypothesis is still lacking, and at present, very little is known about the nature and specificity of orchid-mycorrhizae associations. Most studies so far have reported high specificity and single-species associations. However, from an ecological point of view high specificity and single-species associations are puzzling and it is unclear whether the reported results might be biased by methodological issues. The general aim of the proposed study is to reveal the potential role of mycorrhizal associations in orchid diversification. More specifically, I want to elucidate the nature and specificity of orchid-mycorrhizae associations, to investigate the availability of orchid mycorrhizae in natural populations and to study the role of mycorrhizal associations in acting as a post-mating reproductive barrier. To this end, I will apply, for the first time, multiplex assays that can detect several fungi simultaneously. The study will be conducted across the whole distribution area of 21 species of the genus Orchis. I will test for mycorrhizal specificity and investigate evolutionary trajectories of orchid-mycorrhizae associations. Advanced spatial point pattern analyses combined with seed baiting techniques will be used to detect spatial variation in fungal availability in natural populations.

Keywords: orchid biology
Objects in sight: the neural basis of visuomotor transformations for actions towards objects (BRAINSHAPE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Neurosciences and neural disorders
Countries involved: Belgium
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2010-11-01
End date: 2015-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499200.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499200.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Humans and other primates possess an exquisite capacity to grasp and manipulate objects. The seemingly effortless interaction with objects in everyday life is subserved by a number of cortical areas of the visual and the motor system. Recent research has highlighted that dorsal stream areas in the posterior parietal cortex are involved in object processing. Because parietal lesions do not impair object recognition, the encoding of object shape in posterior parietal cortex is considered to be important for the planning of actions towards objects. In order to succesfully grasp an object, the complex pattern of visual information impinging on the retina has to be transformed into a motor plan that can control the muscle contractions. The neural basis of visuomotor transformations necessary for directing actions towards objects, however, has remained largely unknown. This proposal aims to unravel the pathways and mechanisms involved in programming actions towards objects - an essential capacity for our very survival. We envision an integrated approach to study the transformation of visual information into motor commands in the macaque brain, combining functional imaging, single-cell recording, microstimulation and reversible inactivation. Our research efforts will be focussed on parietal area AIP and premotor area F5, two key brain areas for visually-guided grasping. Above all, this proposal will move beyond purely descriptive measurements of neural activity by implementing manipulations of brain activity to reveal behavioral effects and interdependencies of cortical areas. Finally the data obtained in this project will pave the way to use the neural activity recorded in visuomotor areas to act upon the environment by grasping objects by means of a robot hand.

Keywords: grasping,posterior parietal cortex,object
Direct photobiological conversion of solar energy to volatile transport fuels (PHOTOBIOFUEL)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Applied life sciences and biotechnology
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Finland
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2011-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 916119.9
EU funding (EUR): 916119.9
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The aim is to integrate photosynthetic solar energy conversion and synthesis of volatile engine-ready transport fuel in a single photobiological process. The focus is placed on the construction of phototrophic model systems for synthesis of the short-chain alkane propane (C3H8). Propane can be used in existing engines without further chemical conversion and can be easily recovered from the production process without destructive harvesting and extraction. However, no commercial biological production process exists and there is no known metabolic pathway for short-chain alkane biosynthesis. The intention is to construct a synthetic pathway for propane biosynthesis. In order to facilitate the construction, alkane biosynthetic pathways are studied in detail and genes encoding key-enzymes are isolated from diverse organisms. In order to directly capture solar energy to drive fuel biosynthesis, the synthetic pathways are assembled in the photosynthetic model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Native host metabolism is thereafter optimized to maximize the delivery of metabolic precursors and reducing energy to the synthetic pathways. In order to facilitate strain construction, cyanobacterial host strains are optimized for metabolic engineering and hydrocarbon fuel biosynthesis. The project has the ultimate aim to generate cyanobacteria strains that synthesize short-chain alkane using only light, CO2 and H2O as substrate. The project has a clear applied target with high potential for socio-economical impact and a high risk / high gain character.

Keywords: photobiology,microbial biotechnology,metabolic engineering,renewable energy,transport fuel,alkanes,propane,cyanobacteria,synechocystis
Dynamic protein-DNA interactomes and circadian transcription regulatory networks in mammals (DYNACLOCK)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Genetics,Genomics,Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2011-03-01
End date: 2016-02-29
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499999.88
EU funding (EUR): 1499999.88
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The aim of this project is to understand the dynamics of protein-DNA interactomes underlying circadian oscillators in mammals, and how these shape circadian transcriptional output programs. Specifically our goal is to solve a fundamental issue in circadian biology: the phase specificity problem underlying circadian gene expression. We have taken a challenging and original multi-disciplinary approach in which molecular biology experiments will be tightly interlinked with computational analyses and biophysical modeling. The approach will generate time resolved protein-DNA interactomes in mouse liver for several key circadian repressors at unprecedented resolution. These experiments will be complemented with chromosome conformation capture (3C) experiments to monitor how looping interactions and 3D genome structure rearrange during the circadian cycle, which will inform on how circadian transcription networks use long-range gene regulatory mechanisms. Novel computational algorithms based on biophysical principles will be developed and implemented to optimally analyze interactome and 3C datasets. For the latter, statistical models from polymer physics will be used to reconstruct the chromatin networks and interaction maps from the 3C data. At the detailed level of individual cells, we will investigate transcription bursts, and how those are involved in the control of circadian gene expression. In particular we will exploit high temporal resolution bioluminescence reporters using a biophysical model of transcription coupled with a Hidden Markov Model (HMM). Through our innovative approach, we expect that the data generated and state-of-the-art analyses performed will lead novel insight into the role and mechanics of circadian transcription in controlling circadian outputs in mammals.

Keywords: circadian rhythms,transcription regulation,protein-dna interactions,bioinformatics,stochastic processes
Molecular studies of synaptic vesicle recycling in health and disease (SYNAPSEFUNCTION)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Neurosciences and neural disorders
Countries involved: Belgium
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2011-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1498521.6
EU funding (EUR): 1498521.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Synaptic transmission is of paramount importance for neuronal circuit integrity; if synapses fail, circuits fail. Transmission of electrical pulses in our brain is critical for normal but also higher brain functions such as learning, memory formation and thought, and understanding the regulatory processes of synaptic transmission may provide insight into neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson‟s disease, bipolar disorder and drug addiction that arise from defects in specific neuronal circuits in the brain. Here, we propose to study novel regulatory mechanisms that operate at the synapse and have the capacity to be major regulators of synaptic plasticity. Our work will include studies of novel synaptic organelles and alternative pathways of synaptic vesicle endocytosis (e.g. clathrin-dependent or kiss-and-run), with a clear link to human disease (e.g. Parkinson‟s Disease). We will use innovative genetic screen approaches in flies and bacteria and study processes that regulate synaptic vesicle trafficking employing imaging, electrophysiology and electron microscopy with the ultimate hope of elucidating mechanisms of normal but also diseased brain function

Keywords: drosophila synapse endocytosis synaptic vesicle
A Unified Approach to Evaluating Cellular Immunotherapy in Solid Organ Transplantation (THE ONE STUDY)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Health
Destination: Biotechnology, generic tools and medical technologies for human health
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Germany,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Germany,Italy,France,Germany,United States,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Germany
Call:  (FP7-HEALTH-2010-single-stage, 2010)
Start date: 2010-11-01
End date: 2017-10-31
Duration (months): 84.0
Total project cost (EUR): 14629391.35
EU funding (EUR): 10836201.0
Participants: 16
Project status: CLOSED

Preventing immunological rejection of transplanted organs without the need for long-term use of pharmacological immunosuppression is a primary objective in transplantation medicine. Reducing the need for immunosuppression would dramatically improve the outcome for transplant recipients and reduce health costs for society. The means to achieve this goal has not been realised with pharmacological or biological agents yet. Conditioning the immune response of solid organ transplant recipients towards allograft acceptance using cell-based therapies is now becoming technically feasible and clinically promising. The central focus of our proposed cooperative work programme is to produce distinct populations of haematopoietic regulatory cells and comparatively test their safety and efficacy in minimising pharmacological immunosuppression in solid organ transplantation. Preparations of regulatory T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells will be licensed for clinical manufacture in outstanding research facilities across Europe, and subsequently, these different tolerance-promoting cell types will be assessed in a single Phase I/II clinical study for safety, clinical practicality and efficacy. The therapeutic potential of these cells will be directly compared using one, single clinical protocol. In addition, we will study the tolerogenic characteristics of these regulatory cell types at in-depth molecular and functional levels. These integrative, but very focused, research plans are expected to result in the identification of the most promising regulatory cell products for further testing, and commercial exploitation: the final outcome is to identify a cell product which has genuine potential to induce operational tolerance if correctly applied in a Phase IIb clinical trial. This objective can only be accomplished by the cooperation of the most experienced researchers in this field across Europe, in alliance with SMEs devoted to cell therapy.

Keywords: immune regulation immune tolerance t regulatory cells,dendritic cells,macrophages,cell therapy,organ transplantation,clinical trial
European Network of HIV/AIDS Cohort Studies to Coordinate at European and International Level Clinical Research on HIV/AIDS (EUROCOORD)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Health
Destination: Translating research for human health
Action type: Network of Excellence
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Italy,Denmark,France,Belarus,France,Germany,Germany,Greece,Netherlands,Poland,Spain,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,United Kingdom,Denmark,Belgium,Romania,Russian Federation,Ukraine,Denmark
Call:  (FP7-HEALTH-2010-single-stage, 2010)
Start date: 2011-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 15955344.45
EU funding (EUR): 11999955.84
Participants: 26
Project status: CLOSED

Over the past 15 years, EU-funded cohorts and collaborations (EuroSIDA, CASCADE and PENTA), have played a central role in developing our understanding of HIV progression and the effects of ART, enabling European expertise to contribute directly to the advances in patient diagnosis and management worldwide, and providing a continued surveillance mechanism for detection of emerging problems at a European level. Furthermore, we also established COHERE (Collaboration Of HIV Epidemiologic Research in Europe), a new European-wide cohort collaboration encompassing virtually all European HIV cohorts which were not included in the EU-funded networks. COHERE provides us with sufficient statistical power to address questions that cannot be addressed by existing cohorts and networks alone. Together, these collaborations form the foundation of a proposed Network of Excellence, which we have named EuroCoord. EuroCoord currently has access to data from over 250,000 HIV-infected individuals across the European continent, and beyond, both male and female, from neonates to geriatric populations, infected through sex between men, sex between men and women, injecting drug use, nosocomially and from mother to child, with and without co-infection with hepatitis viruses, of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, from indigenous and migrant populations, in settings with varying levels of access to care and laboratory techniques. Our multidisciplinary research will thus allow us to address key areas of HIV research aimed at improving the management and life of HIV-infected individuals, whilst allowing us to explore differences within sub-groups. EuroCoord is in a position to mobilise European HIV cohort research, bringing it within one truly pan-European network of cohort studies with a strong and increasing presence in the Central- and Eastern European region. The structure of our network, maintaining autonomy within each individual network but within one common research platform, ensures that the most competitive science is performed whilst allowing us to pool our expertise and resources to undertake new initiatives within an integrated collaborative structure.

Keywords: network,hiv-cohort studies,joint activity,common goals/methods,durable structure,epidemiology,improve diagnose,prevent,treat,health impact
Mechanisms underlying lateral polarity establishment in plant cells (GREENLATPOL)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Cellular and Developmental Biology
Countries involved: Germany,Sweden
Call:  (ERC-2010-StG_20091118, 2010)
Start date: 2010-12-01
End date: 2016-11-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1363452.0
EU funding (EUR): 1363452.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Higher plants and animals establish elaborate body plans with one end of the organism being different from another. Polar organisation is also of fundamental importance at the single-cell level, because mutations affecting cell polarity may cause severe body deformations. Hence, cell polarity is a central theme of biological research and much progress has been made towards our understanding of cellular polarisation along the shoot-root (apical-basal) axis of plants. By contrast, how polarity is established towards inner and outer lateral membranes of plant cells remains unresolved. Here, I propose to identify components controlling lateral cell polarity, employing the root epidermis of the genetic model plant Arabidopsis as an excellent system readily accessible for cell biological analyses. Root epidermal cells display polar nuclear movement towards the inner lateral membrane and proteins located at the outer lateral membrane. We will employ tools for visualization of these polar events that will enable us to A) perform forward genetic screens to discover signals and requirements for polar nuclear movement and outer lateral membrane polarity, B) apply forward and reverse genetics to unravel cytoskeletal requirements of lateral polarisation, C) employ live-cell imaging to reveal the dynamics of polarising events and D) combine genetic and cellular analyses with regulators of apical-basal polarity. Our work will uncover how a single cell separates and integrates polarising events along diverse axes. The proposed research is groundbreaking, as it will lay foundations for an understanding of lateral polarity establishment in plants. Finally, it will aid our understanding of how mechanisms underlying polarising events evolved differently in diverse multicellular organisms.

Keywords: cell polarity,nuclear migration,lateral membrane,plant,arabidopsis