Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
EPIDEMICS in ant societies ON a CHIP (EPIDEMICSonCHIP)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator 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: Austria
Call: ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC-2017-COG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-04-01
End date: 2023-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1991564.0
EU funding (EUR): 1991564.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Living in societies amplifies the risk of getting sick, as pathogens can easily spread along the dense social interaction networks of the hosts. Sanitary care and the organisational structure of societies are expected to limit the risk of epidemics. Yet, how the defences of the individual group members scale-up, combine and synergise towards society-level protection, is poorly understood, as the majority of societies can only be studied via correlational and modeling approaches. Insect societies provide a powerful system for experimental studies, as whole societies are accessible for surveillance and manipulative approaches. We can monitor every behavioural interaction between all members, determine their effects on colony-wide disease spread and replicate experiments arbitrarily. The fitness effects of collective disease defences can be quantified, as they result in a single fitness measure of colony productivity. This is because all members of a social insect colony form a reproductive entity composed of the reproductive queens and males and their sterile workers. I will use an ant host–fungal pathogen system to find out how initial infection develops into an epidemic, and, in turn, how colony-level defence emerges from the interactions between its members. To infer effect from cause, I will not only observe the colony after initial infection of a subset of colony members, but also manipulate the sanitary behaviours and spatiotemporal interaction of host individuals. To this end, I will engineer an automatised platform, following the principles of lab-on-a-chip techniques, to individually target and manipulate colony members, and to quantify their behaviours. Fitness effects will be read out by the quantity and quality of reproductive offspring in the next generation. Such a long-term whole-colony approach is required for understanding the evolution of social immunity, that is, how disease shapes society and how society shapes disease.

Keywords: host pathogen interactions,social immunity,sanitary behaviour,disease transmission,experimental epidemiology
Computational design of proteins binding nucleosomal DNA with specificity for therapeutic applications (DesProtDNA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Reintegration panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-04-01
End date: 2019-04-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 170121.6
EU funding (EUR): 170121.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

DNA compresses in the cell by forming nucleosome particles, which diminish the accessibility of transcription factors to DNA and provide fine regulatory mechanisms for gene expression and replication. Some proteins can still bind the exposed face of nucleosomal DNA and are known to promote cancer or viral infection, and strategies to block such binding events are promising for developing new epigenetic-like therapies. However, structural information on proteins binding nucleosomal DNA is too limited for the rational design of new drugs. The current proposal aims to combine expertise of the researcher (on protein design) and the host group (on DNA and protein-DNA interactions) to computationally design and experimentally test proteins binding nucleosomal DNA with specificity. The researcher will first develop a computational design protocol and subsequently test it against nucleosomes of known structure. After experimental validation, he will design proteins blocking the nucleosomal DNA sites targeted by two proteins (FoxA1 and GATA) known to promote breast and prostate cancer. The proposed project uses computational approaches for designing protein structures and protein-DNA interactions, and experimental approaches to characterize protein-DNA binding and structure of the designed complexes. This multidisciplinary project is devised to expand the design capabilities of the researcher towards protein-DNA interactions, which hold great potential for medical and biotechnological applications, in a research context of high biomedical impact. This project devises a training plan on computational, experimental and transferable skills necessary for an independent research position, and provides an opportunity to bring protein design approaches into the European research. The novelty of this protein-DNA design approach will be of wide interest for the scientific and non-scientific communities, and will be disseminated accordingly.

Keywords: protein design,docking,nucleosome,protein dna,nucleosomal dna,cancer,drug design,rosetta,molecular dynamics,anti cancer protein,binding specificity
Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in doped semiconductor nanocrystals (SONAR)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Research and innovation staff exchange
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Germany,Italy,Italy,New Zealand,Netherlands,United States,Canada
Call: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-01-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 936000.0
EU funding (EUR): 571500.0
Participants: 10
Project status: CLOSED

Doped semiconductor nanocrystals (dSNCs) are an exciting emerging material. Carrier densities in the range of 1020-1021cm-3 lead to localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) in the near infrared (NIR). Prominent examples are copper chalcogenides, where doping occurs via vacancy formation, and metal oxides (MOs) that show plasmonic response due to impurity doping. Excitingly, both materials display post synthetic carrier density and LSPR tunability over a broad spectral range. Combined with layered two dimensional materials exciting manipulation options appear where the plasmon-exciton coupling or ‘hot’ carrier extraction enables local photo luminescence manipulation or tracking of local currents in a graphene based nano device. This active control over the LSPR allows active switching of the strength of coupling, useful also for the study of exciton-plasmon, plasmon-plasmon coupling, or plasmon induced ‘hot’ carrier extraction in nano-heterostructures. Ultralow doping allows the study of quantum plasmonics. Ultrafast photodoping, optical switching, active light manipulation or tunable NIR photon detection are additional exciting applications. While fundamental questions regarding the structure-properties relationship remain open to date the library of materials with such properties is enormous and not yet exhausted. The project combines in a unique way expert scientists with complementary competences covering chemistry, physics, spectroscopy, microscopy, device design and theory among Europe and the US adding with their expert background to address the aforementioned topics of high impact in the field of plasmonic dSNCs. Networking activities, workshops and conferences will facilitate the sharing of knowledge. Long term research exchange will enable the acquisition of new skills. The formation of a large network among the institutes after a successful completion of the SONAR will enable the career development for research and innovation staff members.

Keywords: localized surface plasmon resonance,layered two dimensional materials,doped semiconductor nanocrystals,electro tunable devices
Dynamic bonds and polyion complex (PIC) nanoparticles for targeted intracellular peptide delivery (DynaPIC)

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: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2021-01-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 160932.48
EU funding (EUR): 160932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The therapeutic action of many peptides is limited by their poor stability in biological media and lack of cell specificity. In particular, cationic peptide amphiphiles are promising antimicrobial tools, but their targeted delivery inside infected host cells to kill intracellular pathogens remains challenging. Our goal is to develop a new supramolecular strategy to protect these peptides and provide them with cell specificity towards their safe and efficient intracellular delivery. In this project, we will combine dynamic covalent bonds, supramolecular, peptide and polymer chemistry, together with chemical biology, to develop a conceptually new targeted drug delivery platform: Hybrid polymer/peptide self-assembled nanoparticles combining stimuli-responsive, cell-penetrating and cell-targeting properties will be applied to the intracellular delivery of cationic peptide amphiphiles inside infected cells. We will prepare combinatorial libraries of cationic peptide amphiphiles that will be screened for membrane permeation and antimicrobial activity to find suitable dual-action peptides for intracellular application. These amphiphilic peptides will be self-assembled with anionic stimuli-responsive polymers into organic nanoparticles designed to disassemble and release their cargo upon cellular uptake, in response to pH reduction in the endosome. Under these conditions, the dynamic bonds present in the peptide amphiphiles can be broken to release conjugated molecules of interest (e.g. drugs, fluorescent probes, etc.). Cell targeting will be achieved by controlling nanoparticle size and by decorating the polymers with ligands for specific recognition by cellular receptors. Dual-action peptides will diffuse across cellular compartments to attack pathogens in the cytosol. The biological activity of peptides and nanoparticles will be assessed with advanced chemical biology and imaging techniques in suitable biological models.

Keywords: dynamic covalent bonds,cell penetrating peptides,endosomal escape,antimicrobials,polymer chemistry
Improving equity in access to early diagnosis of cancer: implementation research in different healthcare systems of Latin America (EquityCancer-LA) (EquityCancer-LA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Treating and managing disease
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Spain,Ecuador,Colombia,Denmark,Portugal,Chile
Call: Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) - Prevention and/or early diagnosis of cancer (H2020-SC1-2020-Single-Stage-RTD, 2020)
Start date: 2021-05-01
End date: 2026-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2998688.75
EU funding (EUR): 2998688.75
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

Healthcare fragmentation is a main cause for delay in cancer diagnosis and treatment, contributing to high and steadily increasing mortality rates in Latin America(LA), particularly among disadvantaged populations. Building on Equity-LA I (GA223123) and II (GA305197), this research focuses on integrated care interventions, which have proven effective at improving early diagnosis of cancer, mostly in HIC, and are also promoted by national cancer plans in LA, but limitedly implemented or evaluated. The objective is to evaluate the contextual effectiveness of scaling-up a multicomponent integrated care intervention to improve early diagnosis of frequent cancers in healthcare networks of Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. Method: This participatory, interdisciplinary and mix-methods implementation research is two-pronged: a) a quasi-experimental design (controlled before and after) with an intervention and a control healthcare network; b) a case study design. Focussing on the most vulnerable socioeconomic population, it develops in four phases: 1) analysis of delays, related factors and contextual barriers to early diagnosis (base-line); 2) adaptation and scaling-up of the intervention (PC training, fast-track referral pathway and patient information, adapting available ICT tools) in real life; 3) intra-country evaluation of intervention; 4) cross-country analysis. ICT tools will be also adopted in research activities as needed in a Covid-19 on-going or post- pandemic context. Relevance: EquityCancer-LA contributes to H2020 call objectives advancing cancer control policies by generating: 1) robust evidence on contextual effectiveness and costs-effectiveness of an affordable, tailored intervention to reduce diagnostic delays; and a validated strategy for its large-scale implementation in LA and LMICs; 2) novel data on delays and key barriers and facilitators to early diagnosis and inequalities in access; 3) e-tools to improve clinical practice and research on early diagnosis.

Keywords: cancer early diagnosis,integrated care,implementation research,equity in access,latin america,vulnerable populations,cancer control,quasi experimental study,primary care training,it tools
Video Livestreaming Has Never Been Easier And Can Help Us Stay Connected During COVID-19 (Contentflow)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Germany
Call: SME instrument (H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020-3, 2020)
Start date: 2020-07-01
End date: 2022-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3317315.0
EU funding (EUR): 2322120.5
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Livestreaming offers many opportunities for marketing and information but its uptake is limited due to time-consuming and expensive systems. Video streaming is the fastest growing way that audiences are consuming content. Challenges associated with video live streaming include bandwidth issues. The global video streaming software market is expected to rocket to over €9 billion by 2023. Contentflow provides a complete livestreaming platform ranging from a single hub for Contentflow is already in the process of assisting in the critical situation with COVID-19. For instance, just in March 14th 2020, Contentflow has helped the Bavarian City Championships to be held virtually instead. Contentflow is the only technology that offers flexibility for different formats, a cloud-based engine that allows exporting and live-clipping of live streams, automated subtitles in all major languages, white label solutions, parallel live-streaming, player functionality, live stream editing, streaming in Full-HD and restreaming to all major social platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and advanced analytics. Contentflow’s advanced analytics allows its users to get access to the vital information on their audience so that they can provide optimum content. Contentflow is helping companies to be able to continue sharing information via live streaming and putting events online during the Corona Virus outbreak. We have received a €2 million seed round investment from Speedinvest, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, Betaworks, and Japanese Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund as well as other angel investors. Our clients will help us make revenues of €694,000 in 2020. Contentflow will help democratize information in Europe by providing a reliable video streaming service that can reach anyone, the ability to prove more transparency to voters, journalists and the public audience and opens political participation to even more target groups due to automated subtitles.

Keywords: livestreaming,democratization of information
Particle-Surface Interactions in Near Field Optics: Spin-orbit Effects of Light and Optical/Casimir Forces (PSINFONI)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Condensed matter physics
Panel description: Structure, electronic properties, fluids, nanosciences, biological physics
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2016-STG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-03-01
End date: 2022-08-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1427361.0
EU funding (EUR): 1427361.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

PSINFONI aims to open new avenues of research in ultrafast routing and polarization synthesis of light in nanophotonics, and in the manipulation, sorting, levitation and trapping of nanoparticles, molecules, or single atoms near novel nanomaterial surfaces. To this end, we will explore the fundamentals and applications of a range of novel nanophotonic phenomena: (i) spin-orbit interactions of light for polarization-controlled optical routing and polarization synthesis at the nanoscale; (ii) repulsive and switchable lateral optical forces on particles near engineered surfaces for optical manipulation and sorting; and (iii) Casimir repulsive and lateral forces for quantum levitation / frictionless nanomaterials. All these diverse phenomena can be studied under the single framework of particle-surface interactions in the near field, greatly diversifying the research outcomes from a single research effort. Knowledge of the full 3D electromagnetic fields in particle-surface systems will form the foundation from which to explore fundamental aspects and limitations of the above mentioned effects, opening new applications in information technologies and new nanomaterials. Proof of principle experimental demonstrations will be performed where possible.
Multi-scale Star Formation Across Nascent Galaxies (MUSTANG)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Universe sciences
Panel description: Astro-physics/-chemistry/-biology; solar system; planetary systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy; cosmology; space sciences; astronomical instrumentation and data
Countries involved: Germany,Germany
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2016-STG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-04-01
End date: 2024-08-31
Duration (months): 89.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499629.0
EU funding (EUR): 226550.19
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

One of the fundamental questions in modern astrophysics is how gas is converted into stars during galaxy formation, and how this may have changed with galactic environment and cosmic time. It is widely accepted that the unknown physics of star formation (SF) in molecular clouds and feedback from massive stars represent the main uncertainties in our understanding of galaxy formation. The key open questions are: which physical mechanisms govern the time-evolution of gas towards SF and its subsequent expulsion by feedback? How do these physics change with environment or cosmic time? How did the most extreme stellar systems in the Universe (i.e. globular clusters) form at high redshift? How do the cloud-scale physics of SF and feedback connect cold dark matter cosmology to the observable galaxy population? It is now possible to answer these questions thanks to two crucial developments. (1) The latest generation of billion-euro observatories allow the necessary observational data to be taken. (2) The techniques needed to solve the problem have been developed, tested, and validated, through major theoretical efforts that I have led. These developments position me ideally to answer the above questions with a unique combination of world-leading observational data, fundamental theory, innovative analysis techniques, and state-of-the-art simulations. I will use these to formulate a multi-scale description of SF and feedback, focussing on the cloud-scale physics and advancing the field beyond the phenomenology of galactic scaling relations. I will introduce an empirically-motivated, physical model for cloud-scale SF and feedback in galaxy formation simulations, thereby overcoming their main limitation and making the crucial step of linking the observable galaxy population to cold dark matter cosmology. This ambitious programme bridges observations, theory, and simulations, and can only be realised with the human resources provided by an ERC Starting Grant.

Keywords: star formation,galaxy formation and evolution,globular cluster formation and evolution,galactic archaeology,interstellar medium,cloud formation and evolution,observations,numerical simulations
Novel insights into the sensing of salt stress in plants: understanding the relationship between salt stress response and cytosolic pH changes. (sigNal)

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: Germany
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): 171460.8
EU funding (EUR): 171460.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) pathway is one of the main regulatory systems responsible for Na homeostasis in plants. The SOS pathway is activated by salt stress and comprises three core components: SOS1, SOS2 and SOS3. SOS3 is a calcium (Ca) sensor that perceives the increase of intracellular Ca triggered by salt stress and recruits SOS2, a Ser/Thr protein kinase, to the PM. The complex activates protein SOS1 by phosphorylation, a PM-localized Na/H antiporter that prevents the accumulation of Na to toxic levels and regulates Na partition between roots and shoots. Cytosolic free Ca is a common second messenger in the signalling of a variety of abiotic stresses. The wide range of Ca-activated responses lead us to posit the existence of additional mechanisms relaying input signals that, together with this Ca signature, would initiate the specific response for a particular stress. The hypothesis of my proposal is that the increase in intracellular Na concentration provokes the alkalinisation of the intracellular pH, what would be sensed by SOS3. SOS3 would work as pH and Ca sensor, which would integrate this pH shift and the Ca signature to activate SOS pathway. To support the hypothesis of cytosolic alkalinisation as a salt stress signal and SOS3 as a Ca and pH sensor, two experimental criteria must be meet: (1) salinity should induce an alkaline pH shift in plant cells, and (2) structural determinants of pH-sensing should be demonstrated in SOS3. To achieve my goal: (1) I will use a system, improved by Prof. Schumacher’s group, which allows the visualisation of pH changes in selected subcellular localisations through fluorescence ratio imaging experiments; and (2) I will use the technics learned and used duiring my postdoct stage to study whether SOS3 interactions and/or activity are pH dependent. This research will provide a new paradigm of how sodicity is sensed by plant cells.

Keywords: abiotic stress,salt stress,ph sensing,ph sensor,sos3,sos pathway