Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Application of RNA nanotechnology for delivery of mRNA therapeutics (mRNA NanoDeli)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: European SME innovation Associate - pilot (H2020-INNOSUP-2019-02, 2019)
Start date: 2020-02-10
End date: 2021-04-09
Duration (months): 14.0
Total project cost (EUR): 89742.5
EU funding (EUR): 89742.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Sixfold Bioscience is a biotechnology company that conducts preclinical research and development on its patented Programmable Oligonucleotide Delivery System (PODS). Proof-of-concept in vitro and in vivo data has been demonstrated for the delivery of siRNA-PODS to specific cancer cells by ligand-based targeting. Sixfold is now looking to expand the utility of the PODS to include mRNA delivery (mRNA-PODS). The field of mRNA therapeutics is hugely promising area of Cell and Gene therapy, where it has the potential to cure, treat or reprogram any cell in the body. However, there are no effective methods available to deliver these drugs efficiently and safely in the body. Current options in preclinical development have issues with severe toxicity and a lack of specificity. Sixfold’s biocompatible PODS have the potential to be a best-in-class solution for mRNA delivery, however in order to exploit this opportunity the SME is required to overcome an extremely competitive field and the chronic national labour shortages in RNA nanotechnology. Sixfold is applying for an European SME innovation Associate to overcome the challenges faced in hiring. The innovation associate will be given a unique opportunity to work on groundbreaking science with leaders in the field and develop their skills in entrepreneurship/innovation and RNA nanotechnology through tailored training. The associate will bring their experience in computational RNA biology, mRNA Biochemistry or RNA Nanotechnology (minimum PhD) to develop and implement computational and chemical techniques to adapt Sixfold’s proprietary technology for delivery of therapeutic mRNA.

Keywords: mrna,rna nanotechnology,computational rna biology
Megakines - novel tools for structural insight into receptor:chemokine complexes (MEGAKINE)

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: Luxembourg
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2021-09-01
End date: 2023-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 178320.0
EU funding (EUR): 178320.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Chemokines are small, secreted cytokines that activate membrane receptors belonging to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. The chemokine-receptor interactions control crucial physiological processes, but are also implicated in many pathologies, including atherosclerosis, inflammatory diseases, HIV infection or cancer, and hold a great potential for therapeutic intervention. Yet, although GPCRs are the target of about one third of currently marketed drugs, only three of them act on chemokine receptors, essentially due to poor structural understanding of the intricate interactions with their ligands. Indeed, about 50 chemokines and 20 receptors have been identified in humans. Their interactions require precise orchestration, as a chemokine may bind to several receptors, while a single chemokine receptor has multiple ligands. However, the structural determinants dictating ligand specificity and receptor activation remain elusive. Lately, cryo-EM has emerged as a ground-breaking technique for elucidating molecular structures but despite recent advancements, analysis of small proteins like receptor:chemokine complexes (∼50 kDa) is still challenging. In this project, we propose an innovative approach to increase the chemokine size, without altering its functionality, through a rigid insertion into a bulky scaffold protein. Such enlarged chemokines, called Megakines, will facilitate structural analysis of chemokine receptors. To prove this concept, we will first reformat the well-characterized chemokine CCL5 and use it in structural/functional studies with two clinically relevant receptors, CCR5 and ACKR2. The achievement of this project relies on the multidisciplinary combination of the excellent expertise in the chemokine field of the host laboratory and the protein engineering skills of the applicant. The proposed Megakine technology has the potential to revolutionize cryo-EM studies of chemokine receptors and facilitate the therapeutic development.

Keywords: chemokines,gpcrs,cryo em,pharmacology,next generation structural chaperones,structural biology
Ultra high resolution Single Photon Computed Emission Tomography for the molecular imaging of brain disease (BRAINSPECT)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Treating and managing disease
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: Clinical research for the validation of biomarkers and/or diagnostic medical devices (H2020-SMEINST-1-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-05-01
End date: 2015-10-31
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

MILabs’ radically new proprietary approaches for ultra-high resolution and ultra-sensitive brain SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) enable the measuring of disturbed regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) perfusion, and characterising plaques and neurotransmitter imbalance - all important hallmarks of brain disorders - at unprecedented spatial resolutions. This new approach has the potential to disrupt the complete field of molecular imaging (MI), a multibillion market worldwide. Current techniques can only measure the mentioned effects in the brain either at late stages of disease progression (at which point the patients have already been diagnosed) or at insufficient resolution to isolate processes in small parts of the brain. Current SPECT results in low resolution images, are highly sensitive to patient movement and are time consuming and costly. MILabs has developed a clinical SPECT prototype, G-SPECT, which has proven its potential to reposition SPECT as the major clinical MI modality. G-SPECT uses a high bandwidth photon detection ring with multiple pinholes, and advanced reconstruction software that compensates for patient movement artefacts. This enables 35-fold higher resolution images, more accurate imaging and lower radiation dose due to shorter scan times (Figure 1). The application of MILabs SPECT technology in small animals has sparked enthusiasm amongst clinicians and brain researchers worldwide. In this Stage 1 SME Instrument, MILabs will investigate the commercial feasibility of this exciting technology by (i) identifying and assessing those indications to which the clinical utility yield the best initial market value, (ii) developing a sound clinical validation strategy and (iii) defining the route-to-market.

Keywords: molecular imaging,spect,brain disease
Evolution of regulatory landscapes at multiple timescales (Evoland)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Panel description: Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change, evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, microbial ecology, marine biology, ecophysiology, theoretical developments and modelling
Countries involved: Spain,Spain
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2016-ADG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2021-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1928091.19
EU funding (EUR): 1928091.19
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Evolution of animal morphology relies on changes in developmental programs that control body plans and organ shape. Such changes are thought to arise form alteration of the expression of functionally conserved developmental genes and their vast downstream networks. Although this hypothesis has a profound impact on the way we view animal evolution, final proof is still lacking. The hypothesis calls for evolution to take place mainly through modifications of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) controlling gene expression. However, these genomic regions are precisely those that we understand the least and, until recently, basic knowledge on how regulatory information is organized in the 3D genome or how to spatio-temporally assign CREs to their target genes was unknown. The advent of next generation sequencing-based tools has made possible to identify genome-wide CREs and reveal how they are organized in the 3D genome. But this new knowledge has been largely ignored by most hypotheses on the evolution of gene expression, development and animal morphology. These new high-throughput methods have been mainly restricted to selected model organisms, and due to the lack of sequence conservation of CREs across lineages, we still have very limited information about the impact of CREs on animal morphology evolution. By integrating in a systematic and phylogenetically driven manner the contribution of CREs and their 3D organization to animal morphology at different evolutionary scales, we will for the first time link evolution, regulatory information, genome 3D architecture and morphology. We will apply this strategy to study animal morphology along the evolution of deuterostome body plans, the generation of fin morphological diversity in vertebrates, and the recent phenotypic changes in fish adapted to cave environments. Our proposal will make ground-breaking advances in our understanding of the global principles underlying the evolution of cis-regulatory DNA and animal form.

Keywords: evolution,regulatory landscapes,regulatory regions,genetics,genomics,deuterostomes,sea urchin,amphioxus,zebrafish,skates,cavefish
Structural differences in mRNA translation machineries between eukaryotic pathogens and their mammalian hosts (transtryp)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Panel description: Molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biophysics, synthetic and chemical biology, drug design, innovative methods and modelling
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2017-STG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-01-01
End date: 2023-06-30
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1787400.0
EU funding (EUR): 1787400.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

mRNA translation consists on translating the genetic code to proteins by the ribosome that is universally conserved in all cells. However, its structure presents significant differences between bacteria and eukaryotes. Partly because of these differences, the bacterial ribosome can be targeted specifically by a number of antibiotics without affecting the eukaryotic host cells. However, the conservation of the ribosome among eukaryotes complicates the search for specific drugs against eukaryotic pathogens such as certain protozoa like plasmodium and kinetoplastids. Our work along with other studies demonstrates the existence of significant structural differences between ribosomes of protozoa and mammals. Using Cryogenic electron microscopy, we endeavor to investigate such structural differences that are anticipated to affect some of the vital steps of mRNA translation, especially the initiation process, because of their position on the ribosome. 1. Thus we will focus on the structural differences in translation initiation between kinetoplastids and their mammalian hosts (i) by characterizing initiation complexes from several plasmodium and kinetoplastids species and compare them to their mammalian counterparts. (ii) We will also follow up on our previous works in solving the structures of various conventional, but also unconventional mammalian initiation complexes, in interaction with special mRNAs. 2. We will focus on the structure of protozoa-specific features characterized from elongating ribosomal complexes and (i) attempt to fish for regulators that they interact with from cell extracts. In addition, (ii) we will investigate the ribosomal structures from plasmodium at different stages of the parasite life cycle, as they vary according to the latter. Our results will significantly advance our understanding of protein synthesis regulation in protozoa and will represent a promising step in the search for more efficient treatments against these eukaryotic pathogens

Keywords: ribosome,mrna translation initiation,trypanosomes,plasmodium,kinetoplastids,protozoa
Logics and Games for Imperfect Information in Multi-Agent Systems (LoGIcInMAS)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Italy
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2016-04-01
End date: 2018-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 168277.2
EU funding (EUR): 168277.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project aims at developing formal methods based on logics and game theory to model, specify and analyse multi-agent systems (MAS). Such systems, in which autonomous agents interact and strategize to achieve private and/or common objectives, are central in many endeavours of high potential societal impact, such as the development of smart cities or robotic rescue teams for nuclear accidents. Because of the criticality of many application areas, there has been over the recent years an important and rising effort to bring together the formal methods community and the MAS community in order to develop theoretical paradigms and practical tools to help design provably correct multi-agent systems. The logical approach has until now been particularly successful. The most recent and promising proposal was made by Chatterjee, Henzinger and Piterman, who in 2010 introduced Strategy Logic, a logic tailored to reason about rich game-theoretic notions in multi-agent systems. This logic enjoys very interesting properties and has been well studied, but much remains to be done. In most real-life applications, agents only have imperfect information about their environment. Typically, rescue robots each have only a local, partial view of their environment. Their sensors may even get damaged during the mission, due to radiations for example. Considering imperfect information deeply impacts the strategizing process, and it also calls for a modelling of agents' uncertainty. In this project we propose to extend Strategy Logic to account for imperfect information and to allow for reasoning about agents' knowledge.
Highly and Widely Effective, Water Stable, and Non Toxic Titanium-Phenolato-based Anticancer Chemotherapy (safenolaTiCancerDrug)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC-Proof of Concept (ERC-2017-PoC, 2017)
Start date: 2017-11-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Chemotherapy is the most common line of treatment for various cancer types, but it generally suffers from severe side effects. Cisplatin is a highly effective metallodrug employed in the clinic, limited by severe and irreversible nephro- and neurotoxicities and resistance development. Therefore, developing highly and widely effective chemotherapy that is non- or substantially less- toxic should impact immediately and significantly the welfare of society. The titanium metal is an attractive Pt alternative, as it is bio-friendly and non-toxic. Titanium dioxide, the final decomposition product of Ti complexes in water, is a safe material often found in food and cosmetics. Nevertheless, the rapid dissociation of past Ti complexes in water has hampered their development into drugs. Under an ERC-StG grant followed by an ERC-CoG grant, the PI has developed Ti(IV) complexes that are stable for weeks in water, with high in vitro activity toward numerous cells (also established on the NCI-60 panel of the NIH) and in vivo toward murine and human models with no clinical sights of toxicity in treated mice at effective doses, where mortality occurred in control animals treated with cisplatin at similar doses. Pharmaceutical entities have shown specific interest in taking the proposed compound 1 into clinical trials phase I. Some experiments are still required before an agreement can be made, as proposed herein. Through the parent ERC-CoG, mechanistic analyses are ongoing, but no animal studies are permitted. Thus, through the proposed study: (a) pharmacokinetic studies on compound 1 by ICP-MS will determine absorption, bio-distribution, and excretion; (b) In vivo studies of different models and with varying concentrations and formulation types will determine the therapeutic potential; (c) iv vivo combination studies will identify possible lines of treatments. These studies should promote the interaction with pharmaceutical companies to enable compound 1 to enter clinical trials.

Keywords: anticancer metallodrugs,metal based chemotherapy,cisplatin
An Archaeology of Exchange Networks in Central Africa. The Cases of the Copperbelt and Niari Basin Copper Deposits (ArCAN)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-10-01
End date: 2022-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 224933.76
EU funding (EUR): 224933.76
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Exchange networks have played a major role in the history of Central Africa, but their exact location and how they operated remain largely unknown. This project aims at investigating the history of these networks by studying the exchange from and to the copper deposits in the Niari Basin (southern Republic of Congo) and in the Copperbelt (south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo). Both areas were part of large scale and extensive economic spaces during the 2nd millennium AD. An interdisciplinary approach – including archaeology, materials science, historical geography and history – will be used for unravelling the course of the trade routes and their regional interconnectivity. The late 19th century networks are historically well documented, and will serve as a starting point for tracing their earlier configurations, origins and precursors, using material culture as the main source of evidence. Copper and ceramic artefacts will be studied in order to provide information on trade networks as well as on exchange of knowledge and ideas through the examination of their style and manufacturing processes. The investigation – including laboratory analyses – will result in the reconstruction through time of the exchange networks, and of the socio-economical spaces of which they were a part. This will allow reconstruction of the history of regional and long-distance connections and interactions, and assessment of the respective roles of geographical features and the socio-political context in shaping and maintaining exchange networks through time. Besides improving our knowledge on the ancient economic history of the area, the project results will provide empirical grounds for the development of more robust analytical and theoretical frameworks for interpreting ancient interaction and exchange networks in Africa using material culture. The Researcher will receive training in archaeological theory, archaeometry, GIS and spatial analysis, and pottery analysis (secondment).

Keywords: central africa,exchange networks,social spaces,manufacturing process,copper metallurgy,pottery,archaeometry,spatial analyses,provenance studies
Advanced Technologies for future European Satellite Applications (TESLA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Innovative Training Networks (ITN)-European Training Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Austria,Germany,Spain,Spain,Italy,Sweden,France,United Kingdom
Call: Innovative Training Networks (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-01-01
End date: 2023-06-30
Duration (months): 54.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3977352.72
EU funding (EUR): 3977352.72
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

Space is key asset for Europe. Europe’s citizens enjoy the benefits, from jobs and economic growth, to public services, efficient communications and security. To respond to global challenges, Europe must continue to have a prominent role in space at a time when other world powers are rapidly developing their space capabilities. Since satellite payload RF components and systems are essential for delivering mission objectives and supporting ground equipment and telecommunication systems, new technologies and techniques are required to respond to emerging satellite applications and technology challenges. To this end, TESLA ETN will create a vibrant, multidisciplinary training-through-research environment uniquely equipped to develop the Advanced Technologies for future European Satellite Applications. It will recruit, train and supervise 15 ESRs, who will collaborate with senior staff in academic and industrial sectors to conduct top-notch research into new and enabling technologies for satellite flexible payloads, big constellation systems and Internet of Space, satellite high-speed communications and remote sensing, as well as large satellite platforms. TESLA will also implement a unique cross-disciplinary and cross-sectorial training program, underpinned by the recent vision for Europe on open innovation, open science and open to the world, with the objectives to train the next generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative satellite communication developers, to provide all network ESRs broad training in transferable skills to enhance career perspectives in both the academic and non-academic sectors, to ensure that all network ESRs have the opportunity to complete a full PhD degree program, to enhance the European space economy and business through the provision of highly skilled and mobile researchers, to expose young researchers in extensive public engagement and outreach activities for a wider economic and social impact.

Keywords: radio frequency,microwave and millimeter wave,satellite flexible payloads,big constellation systems,internet of space,satellite communications and remote sensing,large satellite platforms