Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Neural Circuit Regulation of Adult Brain Stem Cells (NeuroStemCircuit)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Panel description: Nervous system development, homeostasis and ageing, nervous system function and dysfunction, systems neuroscience and modelling, biological basis of cognitive processes and of behaviour, neurological and mental disorders
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2017-ADG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-10-01
End date: 2024-09-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499833.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499833.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

In the adult mammalian brain, neural stem cells (NSCs) residing in the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ), give rise to new olfactory bulb neurons and glia throughout life. Adult V-SVZ NSC are highly heterogeneous. Stem cells co-exist in quiescent and activated states and reside in regionally-distinct V-SVZ domains and produce different subtypes of olfactory bulb neurons and glia. However, whether this heterogeneity is due to intrinsic fate commitment or whether it is dynamically responsive to external changes is still debated. Moreover, the mechanisms that modulate the balance between activation and dormancy are largely unknown. It is emerging that physiological states modulate V-SVZ cell behaviour and impact adult neurogenesis. We propose to investigate whether physiologically distinct states result in the recruitment of regionally distinct pools of adult V-SVZ neural stem cells. In Aim 1, we will map the domains of stem cell activation and cell types generated in different states in male and female mice. In Aim 2, we will perform large-scale single cell sequencing to decode stem cell heterogeneity and develop novel fate mapping strategies to selectively target different stem cell populations. We will also define the connectivity of different populations of interneuron subtypes. In Aim 3, we will define how the choroid plexus and long- range innervation differentially affect V-SVZ stem cell recruitment in different states using approaches to manipulate neural circuit activity. Together these experiments will provide a conceptual breakthrough into illuminating the logic of adult neural stem cell heterogeneity, and how regionally distinct adult neural stem cells integrate long-range signals from remote brain areas to respond to signals for on-demand neurogenesis or gliogenesis.

Keywords: adult neural stem cell,adult neurogenesis,neural circuit,hypothalamus,choroid plexus,stem cell heterogeneity,single cell profiling,fate mapping
Integrated high-resolution on-chip structured illumination microscopy (IROCSIM)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Systems and communication engineering
Panel description: Electrical, electronic, communication, optical and systems engineering
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2018-STG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499625.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499625.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Fluorescent microscopy is an indispensable tool in biology and medicine that has fueled many breakthroughs in a wide set of sub-domains. Recently the world of microscopy has witnessed a true revolution in terms of increased resolution of fluorescent imaging techniques. To break the intrinsic diffraction limit of the conventional microscope, several advanced super-resolution techniques were developed, some of which have even been awarded with the Nobel Prize in 2014. High resolution microscopy is also responsible for the spectacular cost reduction of DNA sequencing during the last decade. Yet, these techniques remain largely locked-up in specialized laboratories as they require bulky, expensive instrumentation and highly skilled operators. The next big push in microscopy with a large societal impact will come from extremely compact and robust optical systems that will make high-resolution (fluorescence) microscopy highly accessible, enabling both cellular diagnostics at the point of care and the development of compact, cost-effective DNA sequencing instruments, facilitating early diagnosis of cancer and other genomic disorders. IROCSIM will facilitate this next breakthrough by introducing a novel high-resolution imaging platform based entirely on an intimate marriage of active on-chip photonics and CMOS image sensors. This concept will completely eliminate the necessity of standard free-space optical components by integrating specially designed structured optical illumination, illumination modulation, an excitation filter and an image sensor in a single chip. The resulting platform will enable high resolution, fast, robust, zero-maintenance, and inexpensive microscopy with applications reaching from cellomics to DNA sequencing, proteomics, and highly parallelized optical biosensors.

Keywords: high resolution imaging,integrated photonics,superresolution,on chip imaging
Nonlinearity of Key Economic and Environmental Variables in Coastal/Marine Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) (NonlinearEBM)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Economic Sciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2017, 2017)
Start date: 2018-09-01
End date: 2020-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Traditional approaches of natural resource management that focus on a single species or sector is widely seen as insufficient/ineffective in protecting coastal/marine systems from human pressures. As a result, ecosystem-based management (EBM) has been proposed as a benefit optimization and decision-making strategy that combines often conflicting human development and ecosystem conservation goals. EBM has recently gained momentum in coastal/marine management initiatives in both United States and European Union. In assessing trade-offs during EBM analysis, due to the lack of data it is frequently assumed that the key ecosystem variables change linearly with the change of key economic variables. If incorrect, such assumptions can lead to a significant overestimation or underestimation of the human impact on coastal/marine ecosystems. Validation of such mathematical relationships/trade-offs would be instrumental in further advancing EBM approach and its practical implication around the world as well as natural resource management in general. This study would focus on mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd), three heavy metals that are of primary concern in European marine environments because of their toxicity, ability to bio-accumulate and bio-concentrate in marine organisms/humans, and its wide presence in industrial wastewater which is discharged into coastal waters. The proposed project would utilize a modeling approach combined with validation of model data with previously published field data. Three models would be applied: Natural Capital Project CWQ, CAESAR Bioconcentration and KABAM Bioaccumulation. This study would contribute to the building of foundation for mainstreaming natural capital into decisions for numerous marine coastal social-ecological systems in Europe and worldwide by providing evidence based, quantitative basis to make informative decisions in optimizing the economic development and sustainability goals.

Keywords: ecosystem based management,ecosystem approach,marine management,coastal management,marine policy,heavy metals,bio concentration,bio accumulation,ecosystem services
Unconventional Superfluids in Quantum Gases with Competing Interactions (SuperComp)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Fundamental constituents of matter
Panel description: Particle, nuclear, plasma, atomic, molecular, gas, and optical physics
Countries involved: Spain
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2020-COG, 2020)
Start date: 2021-06-01
End date: 2026-05-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1997381.0
EU funding (EUR): 1997381.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Unconventional superfluids, where frictionless flow appears combined with features such as topological excitations or crystalline order, are some of the most surprising collective quantum phases of matter. Although the corresponding topological superfluids and supersolids were originally predicted in condensed matter, ultracold quantum gases provide a more controlled experimental approach to these phases, and promise microscopic access to their exotic properties. A key mechanism towards unconventional superfluidity is the competition in the same system of interactions of different origins, a situation naturally addressed by multicomponent gases. When these interactions have opposite signs, new and surprising phases emerge. A prime example is the ultradilute quantum liquid phase recently observed by my group in a mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates, which is most likely only the first item in a long list of new unconventional phases. The goal of SuperComp is to exploit the full potential of quantum gases with competing interactions to unlock the observation of unconventional superfluid phases that have until now defied experimental realization. To this end, I will explore three distinct mechanisms resulting in unconventional superfluid behavior: quantum fluctuations, engineered dispersion relations, and interactions with non-zero orbital angular momentum. Exploiting combinations of bosonic and fermionic potassium atoms, I will realize novel types of ultradilute quantum liquids, supersolid-like gases and liquids, density-dependent artificial gauge fields, elastic multi-body interactions, and investigate a new approach towards the long-sought px+ipy topological superfluid phase of 2D Fermi gases. These experiments will deepen our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for unconventional superfluidity, and impact not only the field of quantum gases, but also the much broader range of disciplines where unconventional superfluids or superconductors play a key role.

Keywords: ultracold quantum mixtures,dilute quantum liquids,spin orbit coupling,p wave interactions,topological superfluids
Noc ima svojo moc (The Night has its Might), Euripean Researchers' Night (NIGHT) (NOCMOC)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: European researchers' Night
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Countries involved: Slovenia
Call: European Researchers' Night (H2020-MSCA-NIGHT-2020bis, 2020)
Start date: 2021-04-01
End date: 2021-11-30
Duration (months): 8.0
Total project cost (EUR): 204687.5
EU funding (EUR): 204062.5
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

Firmly supported by local, regional and national media, the awareness campaign Waters' Might introduces the project "Noc ima svojo moc" (NOCMOC) to Slovenian and other EU citizens. The core objectives of the NOCMOC project is to raise awareness about the research and its benefits, overcome stereotypes, stimulate curiosity and excite youngsters to take up the research careers. Efficient communication tools, successfully used in previous project editions, TV and radio broadcasts, press-releases in printed and social media tend to reach over 700.000 people. Generated by past experiences, the awareness campaign will explore Waters and include 1.200 groups, families and individuals to participate in Citizens Science project. Citizens' contribution to the research methodology practice will be implemented by the use "hands-on" and/or other research tools in a basic and user-friendly way. Previous NOCMOC editions have developed a strong and sustainable growing network of interested partnering institutions in more than 25 cities in Slovenia, attracting even other EU cities in a year of Slovenian presidency of the European Union Council. The project will bring together over 40 research-related institutions to raise awareness about research and innovation, its relevance to implement the Green Dealgoals, its social and economic benefits, and its variety of careers. We aim for 35.000 visitors from different target groups to participate in the NOCMOC activities spread all over Slovenia. Over 200 activities: science festivals on the main squares of four Slovenian cities, science shows, simulations, research and technical days in primary and secondary schools, lectures and workshops in public spaces (libraries, retirement homes, museums), science espressos, STEAM events, EU corners, on-line events and open doors of science, research and cultural institutions will attract the audience from dawn to late evening on 24th of September 2021.

Keywords: research,innovation,science communication,researchers,participatory events,citizens science project,science careers,research careers,waters might
Behavior-dependent interactions between frontal and somatosensory cortices (AG-GF)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Global Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Israel,Switzerland
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2016-08-01
End date: 2019-07-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 278674.2
EU funding (EUR): 278674.2
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The mammalian brain integrates behaviorally relevant sensory information by recruiting large parts of the neocortex to enable precise perception, apt decisions and adequate actions. The large-scale interactions and the distinct roles of the various neocortical regions, namely frontal motor-related areas and posterior sensory-related regions, remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to characterize how behavior-related activity in higher-order regions (e.g. frontal area) of the mouse is spatiotemporally organized, and how does it relate to lower-order regions (e.g. somatosensory cortex). Mice will be trained on an S1-dependent texture discrimination task under head-fixed conditions, enabling simultaneous imaging of neuronal populations. First, we will use a novel wide-field preparation to map lower and higher-order functions throughout the cortex. Next, we will zoom-in on specific areas of interest using two-photon microscopy to achieve single cell resolution. Finally, we will use an array of labeling techniques to track behavior-dependent activity of neuronal populations that project to a specific area. A special emphasis will be to identify how the activity in subsets of neurons that project ‘top-down’, from frontal areas to the primary sensory area, relates to different behavioral aspects. We expect that our results will provide fundamental insights into the contribution of frontal cortical regions to perception-related and decision-related activity before sensation (anticipation), during sensation (texture touch) and after sensation (holding in memory and 'licking for reward' action). We believe that this multidisciplinary project in behaving animals is a challenging and promising approach bound to generate novel and exciting results which will be of great interest to the scientific community.

Keywords: texture discrimination task,behaving mice,wide field imaging,two photon microscopy,long range projections,top down interactions
Imaging of c-Met aberrant cancers with Gallium-68 chelators for positron emission tomography (ICG68-PROG)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-05-01
End date: 2022-05-06
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 212933.76
EU funding (EUR): 212933.76
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Aberrant hepatocyte growth factor/hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR or c-Met) signalling is involved in the development of several tumor types. Monitoring of c-Met expression in real time will assist in the diagnosis and in the monitoring of response to therapy. The overall objective of the ICG68-PROG is to create a library of novel molecular agents able to effectively target c-Met and to efficiently bind gallium-68, and therefore to be exploited as c-Met PET imaging tracers. The expected results of the ICG68-PROG are to select the most promising and effective tracers among the library of synthesized compounds for further preclinical development. The objective of the ICG68-PROG will be achieved thanks to a rational design and synthesis of the novel peptide-chelator bioconjugates. Firstly, the gallium binding units will be developed, then c-Met binding peptides will be synthesized. The two chemical moieties will then be conjugated and the gallium chelating capabilities, as well as the c-Met binding capabilities, will be evaluated. It is logical to believe that, in future clinical practice, non-invasive PET imaging with the developed tracers will support not only the diagnosis of c-Met overexpressed cancers but also the selection of patients for c-Met–targeting drugs (Met inhibitors and anti-Met antibodies), as well as identifying responding and nonresponding patients for such therapeutic agents. According to the European Cancer Information System, the most common estimated and lethal causes of cancer are breast, prostate, lung and bronchus, and colon & rectum. In these tumors, the c-Met receptor is often overexpressed. In this context the products derived from the development of the ICG68-PROG will create powerful tools for the detection and monitoring of the most common and lethal cancers among Europe and worldwide, making the ICG68-PROG at the forefront for the fighting of a major public health problem and of primary interest for the European citizens.

Keywords: organic chemistry,hepatocyte growth factor receptor cmet,68ga,hydroxypyridinone,positron emission tomography pet,cancer
Metabolic characterization of ILCs under homeostatic or stress conditions. (ILMET)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: France
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173076.0
EU funding (EUR): 173076.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the most recently identified components of the innate immune system. ILCs colonize mainly mucosa-associated tissues and they have a crucial role in metabolic homeostasis, and defense against infections and cancer. ILCs are highly plastic and they rapidly shape their functional output in response to local environmental cues. Two ILC subsets (ILC2 and NK cells) have been respectively implicated in the maintenance of adipose tissue homeostasis and in the development of chronic inflammation in obese patients. It has been shown that cellular metabolism affects the development and function of adaptive lymphocytes. In contrast, very little is known about innate lymphocytes metabolic requirements under homeostatic conditions and how they metabolically adapt to environmental perturbations. This project will study metabolic profiles in human ILC subsets isolated from the bloodstream, lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues under healthy conditions and inflammatory disease states. Whole-genome transcriptomes, proteomes and metabolomes will be compared in order to decipher the pathways that regulate ILCs. A better understanding of the metabolic network that govern ILCs in steady state and how these cells “switch” their metabolism to exert their function, may ultimately reveal novel targets for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders, like obesity.

Keywords: innate lymphoid cells,adipose tissue,obesity
Statistical Modelling for relating multimodal neuroimaging to clinical outcomes in order to predict patient response to depression therapy. (NEUROMODEL)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-06-01
End date: 2019-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 200194.8
EU funding (EUR): 200194.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Every year, 1 out of 15 Europeans suffer from major depression (MDD) and MDD is the third cause of Disability-adjusted life-years. Today, the available treatments are clearly insufficient; only about 50% of MDD patients respond to drug intervention. We here posit that identification of biomarkers that can predict treatment response is needed to adapt a personalized medicine approach, and most likely this will involve not a single outcome but a combination of multimodal brain imaging outcomes, psychological, genetic, and environmental data. The complexity of such data requires a complex statistical model that currently does not exist. Thus, my aim is to develop a new flexible statistical method that can take into account heterogeneous types of data. More specifically, I will develop a fully flexible Latent Variable Model (LVM) that can deal with high dimensional measurements (e.g. images), non-Gaussian variables, and non-linear relationships. I will apply this flexible LVM on existing data from depressed and healthy individuals and later expand the application to predict treatment outcomes. The latter data are currently acquired and includes a cohort of MDD patients treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), followed in a longitudinal design. The chosen host institution is perfectly situated to this project, as they have an established unique database including, e.g., functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and neuropsychological test outcomes. This research project uniquely combines advanced statistical modelling of rich data sets with the ultimate aim to establish individualized depression therapy. Moreover, it forms a foundation for a more general approach to integrate brain neurobiology in terms of imaging outcomes with other patient-specific data.

Keywords: depression,statistical modeling,neuroimaging,personalized medicine,latent variable model,high dimensional statistics