Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Self-assembled virus-like vectors for stem cell phenotyping (SAVVY)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Germany,Switzerland,Spain,United Kingdom,Germany,Spain,Germany
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SMALL-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4857066.37
EU funding (EUR): 3782729.0
Participants: 8
Project status: CLOSED

The Self-Assembled Virus-like Vectors for Stem Cell Phenotyping (SAVVY) project relies on hierarchical, multi-scale assembly of intrinsically dissimilar nanoparticles to develop novel types of multifunctional Raman probes for analysis and phenotyping of heterogeneous stem cell populations. Our project will address a large unmet need, as stem cells have great potential for a broad range of therapeutic and biotechnological applications. Characterization and sorting of heterogeneous stem cell populations has been intrinsically hampered by (1) lack of specific antibodies, (2) need for fluorescence markers, (3) low concentration of stem cells, (4) low efficiencies/high costs. Our technology will use a fundamentally different approach that (1) does not require antibodies, aptamers, or biomarkers, (2) is fluorescence-label free, and (3) is scalable at acceptable cost. The approach uses intrinsic differences in the composition of membranes of cells to distinguish cell populations. These differences will be detect by SERS and analysed through multicomponent analysis. We have combined the necessary expertise to tackle this challenge: Stellacci has developed rippled nanoparticles that specifically interact with and adhere to cell membranes (analogues to cell penetrating peptides). Lahann has developed bicompartmental Janus polymer particles that have already been surface-modified with rippled particles and integrate specifically in the cell membrane (analogues to viruses). Liz-Marzan has developed highly Raman-active nanoparticles and has demonstrated their selectivity and specificity in SERS experiments. These Raman probes will be loaded into the synthetic viruses to enable membrane fingerprinting. Stevens has developed a Bioinformatics platform for fingerprinting of stem cell populations using cluster analysis algorithms. The effort will be joined by two SMEs, ChipShop and OMT, that will be able to develop the necessary microfluidic and Raman detection hardware.

Keywords: janus particle,stem cells,cell membrane,sers (surface enhanced raman scattering),plasmonic nano-particles,raman microspectroscopy,microfluidics
Full biomechanical characterization of the coronary atherosclerotic plaque: biomechanics meets imaging (BIOCCORA)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Diagnostic tools, therapies and public health
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2013-05-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1877000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1877000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Myocardial infarction is responsible for nearly 40% of the mortality in the western world and is mainly triggered by rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries. Biomechanical parameters play a major role in the generation and rupture of vulnerable plaques. I was the first to show the relationship between shear stress – one of the biomechanical parameters - and plaque formation in human coronary arteries in vivo. This accomplishment was achieved by the development of a new 3D reconstruction technique for (human) coronary arteries in vivo. This reconstruction technique allowed assessment of shear stress by computational fluid dynamics and thereby opened new avenues for serial studies on the role of biomechanical parameters in cardiovascular disease. However, these reconstructions lack information on the vessel wall composition, which is essential for stress computations in the vessel wall. Recent developments in intravascular image technologies allow visualization of one or more of the different plaque components. Therefore, advances in image fusion are required to merge the different plaque components into one single 3D vulnerable plaque reconstruction. I will go beyond the state-of-the art in image based modeling by developing novel technology to 3D reconstruct coronary lumen and vessel wall, including plaque composition and assess biomechanical tissue properties allowing for full biomechanical characterization (shear stress and wall stress) of the coronary plaque. The developed technology will be applied to study 1) vulnerable plaque progression, destabilization and rupture, to improve identification of risk on myocardial infarction and 2) predicting treatment outcome of stent implantation by simulating stent deployment, thereby opening a whole new direction in cardiovascular research.

Keywords: biomechanics,imaging
Sky Like Coating Materials for Hypogeal and SkyScrapers Architectures (SKYCOAT)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Integration
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Italy,Austria,Switzerland,Italy,Italy,Spain,Lithuania,Germany,Italy
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SME-6, 2012)
Start date: 2012-12-01
End date: 2015-11-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4170048.2
EU funding (EUR): 3224161.0
Participants: 14
Project status: CLOSED

Building skyscrapers, Real Estate has to constantly deal with social, economical and political issues. Nowadays market calls for a less conflictual and more profitable development niche, until now especially limited by livability and psychological constrains coming from the absence of natural light: underground architecture, including earth-sheltered and earth-covered buildings. Hypogeal spaces can tackle congestion, lack of open public space and aging infrastructures, exponentially increasing urban design opportunities to populate the “volume” contained by an over exploited earth surface. Underground can limit visual impact (zeroing main concerns about skyscrapers)and promote efficient land use in a noise and vibration-free environment, reducing energy costs by heat loss and daily temperature fluctuations control. Until now the discomfort caused by sky and sun deprivation consents hypogeal architecture only where protection from harsh climate conditions and natural disasters count more than above mentioned discomfort. SkyCoat, with a great leap underground, recreates the experience of natural light, obtained by complementary presence of both direct sun and diffused sky lights. Disadvantages of hypogeal architecture, like limited or no natural light and negative psychological reactions, are blown away by the possibility of reproducing the sun and the sky many meters under the earth surface, therefore opening a new and unexplored territory for real estate investors, architecture designers and buildings end-users. SkyCoat technology will also be verified in light design, testing how housing, offices, retail, industry and transport, can benefit from indoor natural light reproduction. At the same time, SkyCoat will be tested as coating material for skyscrapers: a thin layer of a nano-structured dichroic material will reflect warm sun light and scatter complementary cold sky component, allowing a tailor-made silhouette not necessarily corresponding to the building volume

Keywords: nanostructured materials,coating,urban design and planning,hypogean architecture,lighting engineering,artificial illumination,rayleigh scattering,rendering technology,sky light reconstruction
Sustainable fuel production by aqueous phase reforming – understanding catalysis and hydrothermal stability of carbon supported noble metals (SUSFUELCAT)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Germany,Finland,Germany,Russian Federation,Netherlands,Germany,United Kingdom,Spain,Italy
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SMALL-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2016-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4599401.57
EU funding (EUR): 3515845.0
Participants: 11
Project status: CLOSED

Biomass conversion is of high priority for sustainable fuel production, to reduce the reliance of Europe on fossil fuel production and to provide environmentally friendly energy. Aqueous phase reforming (APR) is one of the most promising, competitive ways for the production of liquid and gaseous fuels from biomass, since it is low energy consuming. APR enables processing of wet biomass resources without energy intensive drying and additional hydrogen production from water by the water-gas-shift reaction. Hence, APR is one of the processes that allow fast industrialization of conversion systems suited for wet biomass resources. Catalysis is here the key technology. State-of-the-art catalysts used are a) not optimized and b) can lack hydrothermal stability. Regarding the latter, the paradigm shifts towards carbon supported catalysts, due to its superior hydrothermal stability. Within the project experts for multinational industry, SMEs and academia focus on the optimization of hydrothermally stable carbon supported catalysts for the APR to unleash the potential of catalysts. Methodology employed is not a trial and error optimization. By deduction of fundamental structure-property relationships from highly defined model catalysts a catalyst design capability is build up. This capability will be used for optimization with the objectives to increase catalyst activity, selectivity and hydrothermal stability. Cost efficient routes to produce these catalysts in a technical scale will be evaluated and a demonstration catalysts synthesized and operated in long term tests with technical feedstocks and at a competitive price.

Keywords: sustainable fuel,aqueous phase reforming,catalyst design,structure property relation ships,integral & interdisciplinary approach,nano and macroscopic carbon support materials
Commercial feasibility of triggered liposomal drug delivery by means of MOdulated CHAnnels (MOCHA)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2011-PoC, 2011)
Start date: 2012-06-01
End date: 2013-05-31
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 157420.18
EU funding (EUR): 146433.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The clinical use of most conventional therapies is limited either by insufficient therapeutic drug concentrations at the target tissue or the severe toxic effects of the drug on healthy tissues. The encapsulation of the drug into a liposome as a carrier and its selective delivery to the affected area is one of the solutions. Several liposomal drug formulations have been approved as anticancer therapeutics however, their clinical significance has been limited by slow passive release of the drug at the target site. The idea of ERC-PoC project is to incorporate an engineered ion channel into liposomes as a sensory valve for triggered release of the liposomal content at the target site. The unique advantage of this system is the ability to make liposomes responsive towards a signal with a sensitivity that is not possible to reach with current available systems. This makes the channels excellent candidates for use in drug carriers such as liposomes and exosomes for stimulus-induced drug release. This IP protected technology (two patents) has shown its technological feasibility in the ERC project. Within the ERC-PoC project we want to explore how we are able to enter the market by developing a sound business plan, IPR strategy, market assessment and a product development plan. The outcomes will be consolidated in a sound business plan that will be presented to venture capitalists or other strategic partners.

Keywords: 208814
Closing in on missing heritability and immune dysregulation in macular degeneration (MACULA)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1498150.0
EU funding (EUR): 1498150.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in the Western world. AMD has a strong genetic component, and it has been estimated that 50% of the heritability of AMD is explained by common variants in the complement system. Currently the first genetic tests based on a small number of common variants are being marketed, and new treatment modalities are being developed targeted to inhibit complement activation in AMD. However, genetic tests are not likely to be reliable since 50% of the heritability is still unexplained. In addition, studies by my group indicate that complement activation does not play a role in all AMD patients, so they will likely not benefit from treatments inhibiting the complement system. The goal of this proposal is to explain the “missing heritability” in AMD, and to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the disease. So far the role of rare variants in AMD has been neglected. Based on recent results from my group I hypothesize that a large proportion of the “missing heritability” in AMD is explained by rare, highly penetrant variants in genes that have not yet been associated with AMD. The first key objective of this proposal is to define the role of rare, highly penetrant variants in AMD. I also hypothesize that not only the complement system, but instead a generalized dysregulation of the immune system underlies the pathogenesis of AMD in certain subgroups of patients. The second key objective of this proposal is to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of immune system defects in AMD patients. The detection of rare genetic variants in the pathogenesis of AMD will allow a more accurate genetic risk assessment, enabling preventive measures in individuals at high risk. It will also provide more insight into the mechanisms that are involved in the pathogenesis of AMD, and will enable us to develop new therapeutic options for the diseases.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration,amd,exome sequencing,immune system,complement cascade,cfh,cfi,tlr1
UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF THE RNA GAIN OF FUNCTION DISEASES (RNA DISEASES)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Molecular and Structural Biology and Biochemistry
Countries involved: France
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2018-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499920.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499920.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

It is now increasingly clear that most of our genome is transcribed, but that only a small portion is associated with protein coding gene. Indeed, recent analysis indicate that long non-coding RNA outnumbered by five fold the coding RNA sequences. Despite this abundance, very little is known on the function of these long non-coding RNA. The aim of this proposal is to understand the function of pathological long non-coding RNA. We will first focus our studies on the RNA gain-of-function diseases. These genetic diseases are caused by the pathogenic expansion of nucleotide repeats, which are transcribed into long non-coding RNA that titrate and sequester specific RNA-binding proteins, leading to molecular changes ultimately resulting in the symptoms of these pathologies. The RNA gain-of-function diseases include the most common muscular dystrophies in adult: the Myotonic Dystrophies of type 1 and type 2 (DM), the common neurodegenerative Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS) and the rare, but deleterious, Spinocerebellar Ataxia 10, 31 and 36 (SCA10, SCA31 and SC36). We propose to : 1 – Identify the proteins sequestered by theses expanded RNA repeats. 2 – Identify the molecular causes of DM, FXTAS and SCA diseases in iPS neuronal cell model and mouse models. 3 – Identify pharmacological compounds able to reverse the toxic effects of these RNA. Importantly, these RNA gain of function diseases present identical symptoms to other pathologies that are much more common and tremendously challenging to our society (for example the tremor in FXTAS is similar to the one observed in Parkinson; the cognitive impairment, the demence and the neurodegeneration found in FXTAS are present in Alzheimer Disease; the heart failure, which is a leading cause of morbidity in Europe is a cardinal symptom of DM; etc.). THUS, ELUCIDATING THE MOLECULAR CAUSES OF THESE RNA DISEASES MAY HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE PATHOLOGY OF OTHER COMMON AND CHALLENGING DISEASES.

Keywords: non-coding rna,neurological diseases,neurodegeneration,muscle dystrophy,heart dysfunction,tri-nucleotides repeats
Crystalline Mirror Solutions (CMS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Countries involved: Austria
Call:  (ERC-2011-PoC, 2011)
Start date: 2012-04-01
End date: 2013-03-31
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 151657.76
EU funding (EUR): 135499.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The precise measurement of time and frequency is a critical technology in many different areas from fundamental sciences to sensing and communications applications. This project aims to explore and to secure the innovation potential of a new mirror technology that is targeted to improve on current standards of time- and frequency measurement.

Keywords: 239844
Drastically reduced use of rare earths in applications of magnetocalorics (DRREAM)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Integration
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Germany,France,Italy,Germany,Italy,Germany,United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SMALL-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5158862.71
EU funding (EUR): 3707143.0
Participants: 8
Project status: CLOSED

We will examine the life cycle of rare earth metals used in magnetic phase change technologies. Our primary focus is on room temperature magnetic cooling, a near-market solid state alternative to gas compression in which a phase change “magnetocaloric” material is magnetised by a permanent magnet. We will address the fabrication, manufacture and use of the magnetocaloric material, aiming: (1) to reduce consumption and eliminate wastage of rare earths during the scalable manufacture of magnetocaloric parts; and (2) to drastically reduce the volume of rare earth permament magnet through a step-change improvement in the performance of low-rare earth or rare earth-free magnetocaloric materials. Such developments will reduce both raw material use and future technology cost, providing the necessary bridge between state-of-the art prototyping activity and industrially scalable production of magnetic cooling engines. The project consortium includes materials physicists, researchers active in the industrial scale-up of parts manufacture, a magnet and magnetocaloric material supplier and an SME. This combination will provide feedback between fundamental magnetocaloric material properties, material performance under test, and potential impact on product design. A large-scale end-user partner will provide analyses of the life cycle, environmental and cost benefits of our research to the domestic refrigeration sector. The knowledge gained from our activities will be used in parallel for the development of magnetocaloric materials for a longer-term application: thermomagnetic power generation.

Keywords: magnetic cooling,magnetocaloric materials,thermomagnetic power generation,rare earth,magnet
The origin of the fittest: canalization, plasticity and selection as a consequence of provisioning during development (BALDWINIAN_BEETLES)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2018-10-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499914.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499914.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

A major outstanding challenge for evolutionary biology is to explain how novel adaptations arise. We propose to test whether developmental plasticity initiates evolutionary change in morphological, behavioural and social traits, using laboratory experiments, fieldwork and comparative analyses. Using burying beetles Nicrophorus spp as our model experimental system, we shall: 1) Test whether variation in parental provisioning during development induces correlated phenotypic change in adult body size and a suite of life history traits; whether these phenotypic changes can be genetically accommodated under experimental evolution (the Baldwin Effect); and whether changes induced by experimental evolution mimic natural variation in adult body size and life history strategy among Nicrophorus species; 2) Test whether parental provisioning has a canalizing effect on the developmental environment, potentially storing up cryptic genetic variation which might then be released as random new phenotypes, if offspring are exposed to a new developmental environment; 3) Investigate whether developmental trade-offs, induced by under-provisioning from parents, provide the first step towards the evolution of a novel interspecific mutualism. Is a second species recruited in adulthood to carry out the function of a structure that was under-nourished during development? 4) Using comparative analyses of data from the literature on insects, frogs, birds and mammals, we shall test whether the evolution of parental provisioning in a given lineage is positively correlated with the number of species in the lineage. Our proposal is original in focusing on developmental plasticity induced by variation in parental provisioning. Given the diverse and numerous species that provision their young, including several whose genomes have now been sequenced, this potentially opens up a rich new area for future work on the developmental mechanisms underlying evolutionary innovations.

Keywords: parental care,baldwin effect,mutualism,developmental plasticity,genetic accommodation,developmental trade-off