Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Do forests cool the Earth? Reconciling sustained productivity and minimum climate response with portfolios of contrasting forest management strategies (DOFOCO)

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: France
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-02-01
End date: 2015-10-31
Duration (months): 69.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1296125.0
EU funding (EUR): 1296125.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Forests, of which globally 70% are managed, play a particularly important role in the global carbon cycle. Recently, forest management became a top priority on the agenda of the political negotiations to mitigate climate change because forest plantations may remove atmospheric CO2 and if used for energy production, the wood is a substitute for fossil fuel. However, this political imperative is at present running well ahead of the science required to deliver it. Despite the key implications of forest management on: 1) the carbon-energy-water balance, and 2) production, recreation and environmental protection, there are no integrated studies of its effects on the Earth s climate. The overall goal of DOFOCO is to quantify and understand the role of forest management in mitigating climate change. Specifically, I want to challenge the current focus on the carbon cycle and replace it with a total climate impact approach. Hence, the whole forest management spectrum ranging from short rotation coppice to old-growth forests will be analyzed for its effects on the water, energy and carbon cycles. Climate response of forest will be quantified by means of albedo, evapotranspiration, greenhouse gas sources and sinks and their resulting climate feedback mechanisms. The anticipated new quantitative results will be used to lay the foundations for a portfolio of management strategies which will sustain wood production while minimizing climate change impacts. DOFOCO is interdisciplinary and ground breaking because it brings together state-of-the art data and models from applied life and Earth system sciences; it will deliver the first quantitative insights into how forest management strategies can be linked to climate change mitigation.

Keywords: multi-purpose forest management,carbon-energy-water balance,wood and biomass production,climate change mitigation,eddy covariance and forest inventory data,earth system models
Sex-biased genome and transcriptome evolution in mammals (SEXGENTRANSEVOLUTION)

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-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-02-01
End date: 2015-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1901522.0
EU funding (EUR): 1901522.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Mammalian males and females have many phenotypic differences. These differences, collectively referred to as sexual dimorphism, are the consequence of natural and sexual selection for phenotypic traits that affect the fitness of each sex and are encoded in the genome. Part of the underlying genomic differences between the sexes are found on sex specific (the Y) or sex biased chromosomes (the X), while many sexually dimorphic traits probably result from autosomal gene expression differences in sex specific or somatic tissues. However, the origin and evolution of sex-biased genes in mammals has not been studied in detail. I propose to generate the first detailed qualitative and quantitative transcriptome data using next generation sequencing technologies for a unique collection of germline and somatic tissues from representatives of all major mammalian lineages: placental mammals, marsupials, and the egg-laying monotremes. Together with detailed transcriptome data from birds (the evolutionary sister lineage), complementary experiments (e.g. methylome analyses), and available genomic resources from these species, these unprecedented data will allow an integrated analysis of the origin and functional evolution of mammalian sex chromosomes, the emergence of new sex biased genes, and the evolution of gene expression in germline versus somatic tissues in mammals at large. The proposed work will thus substantially increase our power to understand how mammalian genomes evolved the capacity to produce such pronounced sexually dimorphic traits. Beyond research pertaining to sex biased genome evolution, our data will represent a unique resource for future investigations of mammalian gene functions and serve as a basis for exploring the evolution of other mammal specific phenotypes.

Keywords: functional evolutionary genomics,molecular evolution,gene expression evolution
Making Sense of Metagenomes (MASEM)

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: Germany,Germany
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2009-09-01
End date: 2014-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1700000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1700000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Microorganisms are the greatest chemists of our planet. Almost every chemical reaction that is thermodynamically feasible is exploited by these organisms to sustain growth and survival. Together, the actions of microbes comprise the biogeochemical element cycles, a vastly complicated metabolic network that is the basis of all life. Since a few years the metagenomic exploration of this network has begun. Ten years from now next-generation massive parallel sequencing technology will enable the cost-effective near-complete molecular characterization of microbial communities. This development has great applied and fundamental potential. So far metagenomes were recorded for natural communities with poorly characterized natural history. Consequently, such metagenomes are very difficult to interpret. To move forward, it is essential to record metagenomes of microbial communities at precisely defined selective pressure. That is the key innovation of my ERC application. It is a simple step forwards, and a very challenging one. It will require a combination of skills in engineering, biochemistry, microbial ecology, physiology and bioinformatics. This combination is exactly what has propelled my previous research. My project focuses on communities involved in nitrate respiration. The turnover of nitrate plays a key role in all geochemical element cycling while its natural abundance is severely affected by human activity. The environmental fate of nitrate is currently unpredictable. My project will deliver fundamental molecular understanding over the workings of natural selection for nitrate respiring communities. It will express this understanding into useful, general metagenomic markers. This is a pioneering effort; it will serve as an example to the field and show how to capitalize on the most far-reaching innovation of our time.

Keywords: metagenomics ecology "environmental microbiology" "nitrogen cycle" "thermodynamic modeling" bioreactor applied
Individual differences in Collective Animal Behaviour (ID-CAB)

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: Sweden
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-02-01
End date: 2015-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 977768.0
EU funding (EUR): 977768.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

One of the key challenges in scientific research is to link together our understanding of different levels of biological organisation. This challenge is fundamental to the scientific endeavour: from understand how genes interact to drive the cell, to how cells interact to form organisms, up to how organisms interact to form groups and societies. My own and the research of others has addressed this question in the context of the collective behaviour of animals. Mathematical models of complex systems have been used to successfully predict experimental outcome. Most previous studies are however limited in one important aspect: individuals are treated as identical units. The aim of the proposed research proposed is to investigate features which produce differences within the units. The model systems of our study will be sticklebacks, homing pigeons and house sparrows. Individuals can differ from each other on a range of time scales, from information acquired within the last few minutes, through socially learnt information, to genetically inherited differences. Through a series of experiments on each of the study species, the development of mathematical models which incorporate between individual differences, and novel forms of data analysis, we will begin to understand the role played by individual differences within groups. We will look at the rules of motion for fish and birds; the role of personality in decision-making and how short term information differences improve decision-making accuracy. Achieving the project objectives will greatly enhance our understanding of the relationship between individual animals and the groups they live in, as well as impacting on our understanding of individual differences in other areas of biology.

Keywords: complex systems interdisciplinary
Maturation of functional cortical GABAergic microcircuits (GABA NETWORKS)

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: France
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-02-01
End date: 2015-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1591300.0
EU funding (EUR): 1591300.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cortical network function is strongly modulated by the action of GABA interneurons. Understanding the role of different types of interneurons in the generation of network patterns is thus essential. Developmental neurobiology offers both conceptual and experimental tools to address this question. Our research is centred on the integration of GABAergic microcircuits into a functional network during brain development. To describe cortical networks at the scale of microcircuits, we have developed a multidisciplinary approach that combines fast imaging of network dynamics, online data analysis, targeted electrophysiological recordings and histology (Cossart et al. 2005). Doing so, we found a major general step in the maturation of cortical networks. The first electrical network pattern, SPA (Synchronous Plateau Assemblies) emerges at birth and synchronizes electrically coupled neuronal assemblies (Crépel et al., 2007, Allene et al. 2008). We propose that SPAs are a critical step in the maturation of GABAergic microcircuits. More recently, we showed that developing hippocampal networks follow a scale-free topology and demonstrated the existence of functional hubs driving early network oscillations (Bonifazi et al. 2008). These cells are GABAergic neurons characterized by widespread axonal projections. These two findings provide the experimental foundation and conceptual framework for this project. We will address three objectives. First, we will perform a functional characterization of hub neurons orchestrating synchrony in developing cortical networks in vitro and in vivo. Second, we will address the role of SPA in the maturation GABAergic microcircuits. Last, we will examine circuit disorders related to developmental GABA Interneuropathies .

Keywords: network gaba scale-free imaging epilepsy interneuron cortex development oscillation
Uncultivated Microbes In Situ - a Computational Biology Approach to Determine Molecular Capabilities and Ecological Roles (UMICIS)

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-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2010-02-01
End date: 2016-01-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1129800.0
EU funding (EUR): 1129800.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Most of nature s biodiversity, and many potentially useful metabolic capabilities, remain hidden among the vast numbers of uncharacterized environmental microbes. Because cultivation is still not possible for most of these microbes, cultivation-independent molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), or shotgun DNA sequencing have been used in order to study their function and ecology in their natural habitats. However, none of the above techniques have so far been sufficient for any systematic assignment of molecular functions to distinct microbial lineages. Thus, most of the molecular ecology of natural microbes remains elusive. Here, we propose a computational meta-analysis and synthesis of existing and newly generated molecular sequence data sampled directly from the environment combining DNA sequencing data (metagenomics), and proteome expression data (metaproteomics). This analysis will be coupled to computational modelling of genome content evolution at the community level. We will aim to assess how gene repertoires of microbial communities, and their taxonomic compositions, change across distinct environments, in response to changed conditions, and through time. We plan to address fundamental questions in microbial ecology, including the extent of cooperation among members of the communities, stability of community composition at evolutionary timescales, the importance of lateral gene transfers, the extent of functional adaptation/regulation in situ, and whether gene occurrence and expression patterns are diagnostic of community functions and ecological status.

Keywords: metagenomics,metaproteomics,genome content evolution,microbial ecology
DNA repair factories how cells do biochemistry (DEFACT)

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: Denmark
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2009-12-01
End date: 2014-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1700029.5
EU funding (EUR): 1700029.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The integrity of a cell&apos;s genome is constantly challenged by DNA lesions such as base modifications and DNA strand breaks. A single double-strand break is lethal if unrepaired and may lead to loss-of-heterozygosity, mutations, deletions, genomic rearrangements and chromosome loss if repaired improperly. Such genetic alterations are the main cause of cancer and other genetic diseases. Homologous recombination is an error-free pathway for repairing DNA lesions such as single- and double-strand breaks, and for the restart of collapsed replication forks. This pathway is catalyzed by giga-Dalton protein complexes consisting of dozens of different proteins. These DNA repair factories are able to catalyze complex, multi-step biochemical processes, which have so far failed reconstitution in vitro. The aim of this project is to establish an understanding of how cells catalyze complex biochemical processes such as homologous recombination in vivo. To reach this goal, we will seek to define the complete set of RNA and protein components of DNA repair factories using a combination of genetic, cell biological and biochemical approaches in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Further, we will characterize the molecular architecture of DNA repair factories using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and by applying systematic hybrid loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) to physical interactions among DNA repair proteins. Key findings will be extended to metazoans using the chicken DT40 model system. My aim is to determine the fundamental molecular principles that govern protein factories in living cells. As such, our results are likely to be directly relevant to other protein factories such as DNA replication factories, PML bodies, nuclear pore complexes and transcription clusters.

Keywords: homologous recombination,genome integrity,dna repair
Cell and gene therapy based approaches for treatment of Parkinson's disease: from models to clinics (TREATPD)

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: Sweden
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2009-11-01
End date: 2014-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1508940.0
EU funding (EUR): 1508940.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Parkinson s disease is one of the common causes of disability in the aging population, representing a major health problem for the affected individuals and a socioeconomic burden to the society. In the present proposal, the applicant puts forward an ambitious but feasible program to tackle a number of significant issues that remain unsolved in the field. He combines his strong track record in animal models of Parkinson s disease and novel cell and gene therapy-based therapeutic strategies with powerful bio-imaging techniques in order to make bold steps towards translation of new and better treatments to patients suffering from this illness. He does so in a manner that combines, on one hand, the strength of clearly-defined hypotheses and well-established tools for results towards clinical translation, with high-risk high-reward projects that hold the potential to yield ground-breaking discoveries in implementation of novel imaging techniques, on the other.

Keywords: parkinson's disease,viral vectors,animal models,restorative therapies
Mechanisms of Wnt Signaling Initiation (MECHWNTSIGNALS)

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: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2009-12-01
End date: 2014-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1513800.0
EU funding (EUR): 1513800.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Wnt proteins dictate critical cell growth and lineage decisions during development and in adult tissue homeostasis. Inappropriate activation of Wnt signalling is a frequent cause of cancer. The earliest events that occur after Wnts bind their receptors at the cell surface, such as receptor endocytosis and recruitment of cytoplasmic effectors, are decisive for downstream gene activation but the underlying mechanisms by which these events process and tune the Wnt signal remain poorly understood. The key objective of this proposal is to resolve critical molecular events that drive initiation of the Wnt cascade by focusing on two central questions: How does protein trafficking control Wnt signalling initiation? What molecular mechanisms underlie Wnt-induced formation and activation of multiprotein complexes? I will take a unique approach combining advanced live cell imaging and high resolution immuno-electron microscopy with sophisticated peptide chemistry, gene silencing and biochemistry to dissect early Wnt signalling events at the level of isolated molecules, in cultured cells and in complex tissues of living animals. With the proposed interdisciplinary work I expect to uncover where key Wnt signalling steps occur, which proteins are involved, how they direct protein complex assembly, trafficking and turnover and how these events control transmission of the Wnt signal. Mechanistic insight in how Wnt signals are transmitted is vital to understand how pathway specificity and sensitivity is controlled. Basic insight in these processes will be of utmost importance for the design of strategies to interfere with Wnt signalling in cancer.

Keywords: wnt pathway,protein interaction dynamics,ubiquitination,imaging,peptide chemistry,biochemistry
Optical Platform for Therapy and diagnostic Imaging in Minimally Invasive Surgical Endoscopy (OPTIMISE)

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: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2009-StG, 2009)
Start date: 2009-12-01
End date: 2015-09-30
Duration (months): 70.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1616146.21
EU funding (EUR): 1616146.21
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

With the clinical drive for earlier detection of disease and minimally invasive treatment, there is a paradigm shift of imaging and therapy towards in vivo, in situ surgery. One major effort towards this goal is the translation of emerging optical diagnostic imaging and therapy techniques into minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and cancer screening. This proposal will develop a novel multimodal platform that can be deployed in flexible endoscopy and robotic assisted MIS devices. This is timely in that recently there have been advances in the optical detection of diseased tissue states and also in nanotechnology that allows photothermal therapies based on focused optical energy delivery to gold nanoparticles. The clinical integration of these two strands of research offers significant promise for optical adjuvant cancer therapies and for image-guided tissue fusion, but the study of the therapeutic effect of these techniques has been limited due to the lack of a common platform for image-guided optical follow-up of the therapy. The purpose of this proposal is to develop a programmable light source for simultaneous multimodal screening and image-guided nanoparticle-mediated thermal therapy. The platform will be validated by studying of diseases of the colon to enable detection and treatment of flat polyps that may develop into invasive cancers. As a young lecturer, Dr Elson has extensive multidisciplinary experience in laser technology, biophotonics, optical imaging, microscope technique development, minimally invasive surgery and robotic-assisted surgery. He will bring together new technology with a mix of engineering, biochemistry and biophotonics skills. The proposed work will be carried out in state-of-the-art facilities with access to the clinic for translation.

Keywords: multispectral optical imaging,multispectral thermal therapy,fluorescence,diffuse reflectance,nanoparticles,tissue fusion,endoscopy,colorectal screening