Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic MAGnetic nanoparticles with homotypic targeting for combinatorial theraNOSTICS of triple-negative breast cancers (MAGNOSTICS)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Portugal
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-02
End date: 2025-05-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 172618.56
EU funding (EUR): 172618.56
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cancer is a leading cause of death and is a major impediment to increasing life expectancy around the globe. Amongst all breast cancers (BC), triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), are of much concern, as chemotherapy is the only option. However, it is associated with chemoresistance owing to drug efflux. Moreover, since TNBCs are negative for estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER 2), treatment strategies targeting these receptors do not work. Combined strategies for TNBCs have strong potential in treating TNBCs, as compared to singular approaches. Thus, MAGNOSTICS aims to develop biomimetic cancer cell membrane (CCM) coated magnetic nanoparticles for chemotherapy, gene targeting, and magnetic hyperthermia as a triple strategy for TNBC therapy. In addition, MAGNOSTICS proposes multimodal theranostics incorporating MRI enabled by MNPs. To promote cellular uptake and immune escape, MNPs will be loaded with CDDP and siRNA and camouflaged with CCM derived from TNBC cells. CCM coating will utilize the homotypic targeting strategy for self-recognition and uptake of NPs. Thus, the objectives are; i) to synthesize and characterize CCM coated MNPs conjugated with CDDP and siABCB1, ii) to study the biocompatibility/uptake and single therapeutic strategies as proof-of-concept in 2D cell cultures, iii) To develop 3D multicellular tumor spheroids and demonstrate the effectiveness of camouflaged NPs as combined theranostic platform; iv) to ensure further professional development of the ER through training, dissemination and public engagement. MAGNOSTICS thus aims to improve TNBC treatment and impact society with the right term and place.

Keywords: triple negative breast cancer,drug delivery,gene silencing,hyperthermia,magnetic nanoparticles,theranostics,biomimetic nanoparticles,homotypic targeting,3d spheroid culture,combined therapies
The Single-Centre Ambiphile ligand Concept: Cooperative Systems for Waste-free Catalysis (SINGAMBI)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Panel description: New materials and new synthetic approaches, structure -properties relations, solid state chemistry, molecular architecture, organic chemistry
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2028-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499943.75
EU funding (EUR): 1499943.75
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The addition of ammonia to alkenes, which could produce amines in a 100% atom efficient process, has never been achieved by a molecular catalytic system and stands as a modern Holy Grail for the synthetic chemist. Alkyl amines, a major chemical commodity, are typically accessed through stoichiometric methods, even employing toxic N1 feedstocks such as hydrogen cyanide. The fundamental barrier to utilizing ammonia as an N1 feedstock lies in its activation, with a high N-H bond energy and a preference for acting as a neutral donor ligand in organometallic systems. In order to employ ammonia in catalytic transformations, new bond-activation concepts which address these fundamental pitfalls are essential. The SINGAMBI project overcomes these challenges through the Single-Centre Ambiphile (SCA) ligand concept. Drawing inspiration from cooperative activation protocols at play in enzymes and bimetallic complexes, this concept defines non-innocent ligand systems which utilise highly reactive ambiphilic species from the forefront of low-valent main group chemistry. In combination with reactive transition metal (TM) centres, SCA ligands provide a platform for cooperative bond scission via yet unexplored mechanistic pathways. This can drive facile ammonia activation, directing N-H bond cleavage towards the formation of TM hydride complexes, key in overcoming previous shortfalls in the hydroamination of alkenes with this abundant small molecule. Ultimately, we will expand this concept towards universal systems for waste-free alkene functionalisation catalysis, through forming a deep understanding of the unique mechanistic pathways accessible through the SCA ligand concept. In designing, developing and understanding numerous SCA-TM systems, the SINGAMBI project will develop a breadth of unique chemical tools for the promotion of cooperative bond activation and sustainable catalysis, framed by the activation and utilisation of ammonia for waste-free access to commodity amines.

Keywords: main group chemistry low valent chemistry earth abundant catalysis small molecule activation
Decoding neuropeptide function in inhibitory amygdala microcircuits (DecodeNP)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator 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 – In humans and all other organisms
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-08-01
End date: 2030-07-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999621.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999621.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Adaptive behaviour to ever-changing environments is crucial for an animal’s survival in conditions of immediate threat. Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that psychiatric conditions, including anxiety disorders, are at least partly based on maladaptive learning. Neuropeptide signalling plays a key role in regulating synaptic plasticity and hence learning in a state-dependent manner, and dysregulated peptide signalling has been observed in patients suffering from psychiatric disorders. Due to specific expression of peptides and their receptors in distinct cell types and microcircuits, they can contribute to the specificity of neural communication on both temporal and spatial scales. However, the signalling mechanisms and behavioural roles of neuropeptides in individual circuit elements are not well understood. In this proposal, we will use a multimodal approach to determine the role of neuropeptides in innate and learned fear and anxiety states. We will focus on microcircuits of the amygdala, more specifically on distinct interneuron types, which co-release different peptides with their common main transmitter GABA. Using state-of-the-art technology, we will analyse under which conditions neuropeptides are released from interneurons, and probe their causal contribution to fear learning and anxiety states with intersectional genetic interrogations. Large-scale, longitudinal in vivo calcium imaging combined with novel spatial transcriptomics will further reveal peptide impact on circuit computations. As both amygdala circuitry and function as well as neuropeptide expression are evolutionarily conserved, we expect that this proposal will unravel fundamental mechanisms of neural circuit functions for survival. This research will not only provide novel insights into the neural mechanisms of fear and anxiety, but will also hold significant clinical relevance for understanding the underlying pathophysiological processes that contribute to psychiatric disorders.
Deception in Democracy: Political Lying Accusations and Their Effects on Democratic Citizenship (DEMO-LIES)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Panel description: Political science, international relations, law
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-08-01
End date: 2030-07-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

In today’s age of ‘misinformation’, politicians are frequently accused of bending the truth to their advantage. As citizens rely on accurate and accessible information to meaningfully engage with politics, political lying violates the contract between citizens and their elected representatives. Political lying accusations therefore have the potential to erode citizens’ trust in and commitment to representative democracy as a system of governance. While political lying accusations may be as old as politics itself, we know little about when accusations of political lying take root, how accusations of political deception are perceived by citizens, and what their effects are on citizens’ democratic citizenship. To shed light on the issue of political lying accusations and its implications for democratic citizenship this project: (1) describes the historical trends in political lying accusations; (2) identifies the conditions under which politicians accused one another of deception, and characterizes the attributes of both the accused and accusers of political lying; (3) studies citizens’ perceptions of accusations of political deception by exploring the individual and contextual factors that influence these perceptions; (4) investigates the consequences for democratic citizenship by examining how exposure to lying accusations affects citizens’ trust in democracy, their support for liberal democracy as a system of governance, as well as their active engagement with politics. The empirical analyses focus on 20 European countries and rely on an integrated multi-method approach including automated text analysis, qualitative interviews, observational and experimental surveys, and longitudinal survey evidence. By addressing these critical knowledge gaps, this project will provide invaluable insights into the dynamics of political deception and its consequences for democratic citizenship.

Keywords: political lying accusations deception democratic citizenship
Implementation of superior treatment regimen and improved patient pathway for neurocysticercosis in Sub-Saharan Africa (NeuroSolve)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Health
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Global Health EDCTP3
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: EDCTP3 (JU-JTI)
Countries involved: Italy,Tanzania, United Republic of,Zambia,Belgium
Call: Promoting implementation of research results into policy and practice (HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2022-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2027-04-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4234052.0
EU funding (EUR): 4234052.0
Participants: 5
Project status: SIGNED

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a fatal zoonotic disease following ingestion of eggs of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium. The eggs develop to larval forms (cysticerci) in various tissues, including those of the central nervous system, leading to NCC, mainly characterized by epileptic seizures. NCC management guidelines have been published by the WHO, however, their uptake in national policies is very limited. In NeuroSolve, we will demonstrate and promote a methodological approach for conducting health research that leads to improved adoption into policy and clinical practise. We will validate the approach by investigating evaluation- and implementation of an antiparasitic combination treatment and a serological test. Two health innovations that can make a major positive contribution to NCC management. The proposed approach includes (1) strengthening of clinical and research capacity through training and mentoring of early career researchers, clinicians and frontline healthcare workers as well as upgrading infrastructure for surveillance and control, (2) demonstrating the improved pragmatic effectiveness of the combined treatment on quality of life (3) evaluating the potential impact of serological testing on the patient outcomes and the wider health system through a simulation study, (4) demonstrating the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of the proposed health technologies, (5) developing and validating an implementation strategy that addresses identified barriers for uptake using the robust implementation frameworks and 6) enhance research results uptake into national and international guidelines and health policy through engagement of relevant policy makers throughout the project period and beyond. If the intended impacts are reached, NeuroSolve will improve health outcomes of NCC patients, provide a blueprint for meaningful implementation research and demonstrate to policy makers how research can strengthen healthcare systems.

Keywords: combination therapy,guidelines,ncc
Advancing Reaction Platforms for Drug Discovery (AiRPaDD)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Doctoral Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain,Sweden,Germany,United Kingdom
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-02-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1015819.54
EU funding (EUR): 799263.6
Participants: 5
Project status: SIGNED

This Action will contribute to the sustainable development of European chemical industries in the coming decades by delivering an ambitious doctoral training programme that draws on expertise from industry and academia across 4 European countries. The research agenda and experiential training will grow the skills base beyond approaches that have relied upon a limited set of molecular scaffolds and a relatively small sub-set of reactions to exploit new reaction paradigms and platforms (e.g. high throughput experimentation, photoredox & electrochemistry) that meet the needs of modern drug discovery science.
Universal Cardiac Mesoangioblasts for treating DMD Dilated Cardiomyopathy (UniCardioMab)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2026-10-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 214285.71
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the second most common cause of heart failure, currently treated with drugs that delay progress towards heart transplantation. There are currently many attempts to treat DC with stem cells or their extracellular vesicles or AAV vectors: none reached efficacy so far. The applicant has a long track record in cell and gene therapy for muscular dystrophy. He pioneered systemic intra-arterial transplantation of mesoangioblasts (blood vessel-derived progenitors) and, thanks to a previous ERC grant, succeeded in creating immortal, universal donor mesoangioblasts. Edited cells do not activate an immune response in vitro or in vivo. Muscular dystrophy also affects the heart causing a DCM, but a simple extension of this strategy is problematic since the existence of resident cardiac stem cells is controversial and cardiac mesoangioblasts do not spontaneously differ-entiate into cardiomyocytes. iPS cell-derived cardiac progenitors are promising but until now for lo-calised lesions such as myocardial infarcts. To address this problem we will produce immortal, im-mune privileged cardiac mesoangioblasts and will convert them to cardioblasts, in vitro expression of cardiac transcription factors. Since conversion takes about two weeks, we will test different settings to allow cells so that they would home and differentiate in vivo in the areas of damage, characterized by inflammation. The applicant is in the unique position to test feasibility of this project for future translation into a novel clinical protocol.
Disability, Discrimination and Linguistic Justice: A Human Variation Perspective (HUMVAR)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Denmark,Belgium
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 214934.4
EU funding (EUR): 214934.4
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

HUMVAR is a project in applied ethics, and it adopts the framework of a particular disability model, the human variation model (HVM). The goal of HUMVAR is to advance research on the HVM, and it has three objectives: first, to provide a philosophical defense of the HVM. HUMVAR’s interpretation of the HVM shows that an important aspect of disability disadvantage is caused by exclusive environments. This causation story grounds societal responsibility and justifies the provision of more accommodating environments —the favored policy response of social models of disability. The first objective defends this interpretation against the challenge that social models of disability cannot justify the policy of environmental reconstruction. HUMVAR’s second objective is to redefine the problem of disability that the model articulates as a special case of discrimination (discrimination-as-human-variation). Discrimination-as-human-variation is a revisionary account of the HVM, as the original version of the model aims to be an alternative to discrimination-based approaches to disability. This revisionary interpretation explores that disability-as-human-variation is a form of ableism. The third objective is to expand the idea of human variation to the case of linguistic diversity and justice, showing that the logic of the HVM is present in other spheres of social life beyond disability. HUMVAR makes the case that minority languages are also disadvantaged by their social environment and vulnerable to discrimination-as-human-variation. It also examines the case of sign language through the lens of linguistic justice to find a novel answer to why changing individual impairments is problematic from a moral point of view. HUMVAR's answer is that society’s insistence on changing individual impairments instead of providing accommodating environments is a case of wrongful assimilation.

Keywords: disability non discrimination linguistic justice accommodation social inclusion
Unraveling the Epigenetic Arms Race Between Plants and Pathogens (EPIPAT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Panel description: For all organis ms: Genetics, epigenetics, genomics  and other ‘omics studies , bioinformatics, systems biology , genetic diseases , gene editing, innovative methods and modelling,  ‘omics for personalised  medicine
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2030-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2124895.0
EU funding (EUR): 2124895.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Plant-pathogen interactions are complex processes involving molecular and physiological changes in both the host and the pathogen. An increasing number of reports are pointing towards the role of epigenetics in plant defense against pathogens. However, several gaps currently prevent us from fully understanding the extent of chromatin changes as well as their functions during infection. We recently showed that a bacterial virulence factor induces global changes in DNA methylation. My research group also discovered that genes encoding epigenetic factors typically expressed solely during the reproductive phase of the plant life cycle are induced by pathogen infection (abbreviated “RePat” genes). Surprisingly, mutations affecting RePat genes reduce infection suggesting that RePat genes enhance susceptibility to the pathogens. Here, I hypothesize that pathogens hijack the expression of RePat genes to counter-act the innate plant epigenetic defense. In EPIPAT, I will determine the precise spatial and temporal changes in epigenetic marks during infection. We will investigate how RePat genes are induced during infection as well as characterize their function in regulating the epigenome during infection. In EPIPAT, I aim to shed light on a neglected battlefield of host/pathogen interactions, the epigenetic arms race between plants and pathogens. EPIPAT will generate essential data and insights that will open the field's understanding of how epigenetic changes contribute to the plant's defense. The induction of reproduction-specific epigenetic factors during infection suggests that similar nuclear reprogramming mechanisms might be at play in both situations. Exploring their role during infection is bound to provide invaluable insights into their role during reproduction and help us establish evolutionary parallels between reproduction and defense.

Keywords: epigenetic reprogramming,bacterial infection,small rna,dna methylation,plant
Laboratory-based Imaging of Microstructure in Polymers (LIMP)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS2 (ERC-2022-POC2, 2022)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2024-09-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Polymers are increasingly used as a lightweight and more sustainable alternative to traditional materials like steel. However product developers are not using the polymer materials to their full potential since they don’t fully trust the models of strength and longevity. Having information about the material properties in the bulk of the components during the product development stage will provide this trust. Based on decades of experience from x-ray characterization and instrumentation, our team has developed an x-ray diffraction method to generate this bulk data for semicrystalline polymers. Through the ERC PoC project we will improve the technology by extending the measurement to 3D maps of the sample from the current 2D capability. The increased time in 3D scans will be alleviated through the use of focusing optics to improve the effective opening angle from the x-ray generator and with energy resolving 2D detectors with optimized absorption efficiency in the used energy range. In the project we will furthermore implement the technology in the development process of already selected companies through proto sales of a minimum viable product. The sales will be based on a business model of providing the information from diffraction measurement to the customer as a service rather than through a sale of hardware. This business model lowers the barrier of entry both for the customers and for us as a startup. The lower barrier will help us reach a broader market of SME producers of polymers and aid in the establishing the technology as a generally recognized technique.