Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Interrogating RNA-protein interactions underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and antiviral defense (COVIDecode)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting 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: Germany
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2021-STG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-05-01
End date: 2028-04-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1500000.02
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 3
Project status: SIGNED

The global COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to better understand its causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, and the various other emerging viruses threatening human health. Like many human viruses, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes RNA as its replicated genetic material and its template for translating the virus's proteins. Ongoing research into SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses has largely focused on understanding the function of their encoded proteins, revealing key roles in host cell entry, viral replication, and immune suppression. In contrast, little is known about the set of viral RNAs and how they interact with host machinery as part of a virus's replication cycle in infected cells. My group discovered a large collection of viral and host proteins that bind the genomic and subgenomic RNAs of SARS-CoV-2 during infection. This collection provides an excellent starting point to work toward the goal of my proposed ERC Starting Grant project: decoding how these interactions shape the viral RNA life cycle and contribute to antiviral defense mechanisms. My overarching hypothesis is that SARS-CoV-2 dynamically modulates RNA-protein interactions in the host to facilitate functions of genomic and subgenomic viral RNAs at different stages of the replication cycle. To test this hypothesis, I have devised three research objectives: 1) Decode mechanisms of host-mediated control over the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 RNAs. 2) Map with temporal resolution which host cell proteins engage each SARS-CoV-2 RNA type. 3) Elucidate the role of host proteins that moonlight as RNA binders in SARS-CoV-2 infections. If successful, this project will identify novel pro- and antiviral host factors in SARS-CoV-2 infections and reveal underlying RNA regulatory mechanisms. In turn, these insights will provide an RNA-centric view of viral infections and identify candidate factors and pathways as therapeutic targets to treat viral diseases.

Keywords: rna interactome,sars cov 2,rna binding proteins
Microglia-neuron communication in health and disease (NeuroTalk2Mi)

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: Belgium
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191760.0
EU funding (EUR): 191760.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain, display extensive heterogeneity, and contribute to a wide range of cellular processes in both homeostasis and disease. They play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia and a major cause of mortality worldwide. Microglia closely interact with neurons and modulate their function with high regional specificity, making them potential culprits behind the neuronal damage in AD. However, exactly how microglia and neurons interact and communicate, and how these interactions change in disease is not known. I hypothesize that an early hallmark of AD is the changing interactions between microglia and neighboring cells such as neurons, which contributes to progress of the disease and ultimately results in synaptic and neuronal loss. I will test this in human microglia by using a unique human xenotransplantation model, whereby I transplant human pluripotent stem cell-derived microglial progenitors into the cortex of healthy and AD mice. Using RABID-seq combined with 10X Genomics to barcode microglia and subsequently trace their interactions with single-cell resolution, I will precisely map the interactions of distinct subsets of microglia and neurons, to determine homeostatic molecular networks and how cell-to-cell communication is altered in the early stages of AD. Ultimately, this will allow me to identify specific molecules and molecular pathways which can be manipulated to support a beneficial function in microglia, while blocking detrimental effects, to protect neurons and prevent, slow, or ameliorate the disease. Given that microglia are involved in normal brain development and multiple neurodegenerative diseases, finally dissecting how they interact with other cells of the CNS will be a valuable resource to the greater neuroscience community with implications for development, ageing, and disease.

Keywords: microglia,neurons,communication,single cell interaction tracing,rabid seq,neurodegeneration,alzheimer s
Applying ACOustic streaming to enhance mass transfer in Liquid Chromatography of large molecules (ACO-LC)

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: Chemistry
Countries involved: 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): 175920.0
EU funding (EUR): 175920.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Liquid chromatography (LC) is a prominent analytical technique serving life-sciences, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences, which plays a key role in virtually all research and development concerned with liquid phase (bio)chemistry. The performance of pressure-driven LC has continuously increased during the past century, with improvements realized by ordering the packing and reducing the particle size. Now that the point is reached where sub-micron ordered packings can be reliably produced, the performance limitation of LC lies in the principle itself, more precisely in the slow mass transport of analytes between the field lines with varying cross-sectional Poiseuille velocity vectors. Distribution of analytes in the sample bands over different local velocities results in Taylor-Aris dispersion, an effect that becomes increasingly important at high velocities, or at low diffusion coefficients. ACO-LC addresses this lateral diffusion limitation by inducing acoustically generated lateral flows obtained in resonance mode. The resulting vortices in this so-called acoustic streaming regime carry the analytes much faster than purely diffusive processes, therewith reducing the dispersion dependency on size and mobile phase velocity. While the efficacy of this acoustic vortex LC methodology has been recently shown in microfluidic channels in the host group, the channel dimensions need to be scaled to the micron-scale range, with the resonance condition maintained. In ACO-LC, innovative geometrical approaches will be pursued to overcome frequency limitations of commercial piezoceramic actuators. Improved separations of glycosylated hemoglobin variants are aimed for in glass substrates, which are compatible with integrated UV-VIS absorption. This improved separation application is of interest to millions of diabetes patients for routine separations and tackles an additional separation challenge encountered in multi-ethnic groups.

Keywords: chip chromatography,microfluidics,acoustofluidics,liquid chromatography,lab on a chip
Development of an efficient and robust wireless inductive charging system for material handling electric vehicles (MagCharge)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Challenges
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Green Deal innovations for the Economic Recovery (HORIZON-EIC-2021-ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-03-01
End date: 2024-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3546405.0
EU funding (EUR): 2482483.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the EU, transportation of goods generates about 28% of total CO2-emissions and consumes 37.5% of total EU energy production. Current intra logistics systems include internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and EVs. However, the incorporation of charging infrastructure for EVs in logistics comes with cost and challenges. Within this context, the MagCharge is a unique solution that offers a combination of inductive wireless charging technology with the robustness of concrete, which is vital for industrial applications. The MagCharge core element is the MagPad, a wireless power transmitter pad made using Magment's patented magnetizable concrete material, which consists of a coil for inductive transmission whose efficiency is >95%. It is also perfectly suitable for inductive charging roads as it works with any cover layer (both concrete and asphalt).
RUral Revival: A Life In The Inspirational Countryside (RURALITIC)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: France,Spain,Austria,Poland,Belgium,United Kingdom,Netherlands,Portugal,Sweden,Denmark
Call: Societal perceptions and benefits of rural life and jobs: will COVID 19 generate a long-lasting shift? (HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7264795.96
EU funding (EUR): 6494227.21
Participants: 17
Project status: SIGNED

Over the past few decades, rural areas have experienced profound socio-demographic transformations, driven by their roles in ecological, digital, and bio-economic transitions. These transformations, further accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to significant diversification, rendering rural regions complex and unequal—similar in many ways to major cities. Thus a key problem concerns our knowledge about- and perception of these places because the tools, concepts, and above all the public policies traditionally applied are no longer suited to address the increasing diversity of contemporary rural areas. Our consortium, RURALITIC, is academically armed and well-prepared and to tackle these challenges. The first step, involves rethinking ’the rural’ and examining the intricate relationship between social groups and geographical spaces. This conceptual requalification of what rural areas are, and can be, will enable the production of new scientific concepts and tools, including new data, surveys, indicators, knowledge and typologies, enabling a new and synthesized view of the current dynamics and processes of change and aid in foresight for public authorities. Secondly these new concepts and typologies will then be deployed to analyze the drivers of attractiveness, existing public policies, and innovative initiatives within rural areas. By implementing pilot projects and creating an initiative library, we’ll tailor recommendations to diverse social and rural contexts. Finally, RURALITIC aims to envision and produce various scenarios for Europe’s rural future. The main outcome will be a reorientation of public policies, from general policies to policies tailored to different rural areas, while maintaining the main orientations of European policies, focusing on sustainable prosperity, resilience, connectivity, and infrastructure.

Keywords: covid,circulations,social morphology,statistical survey,ethnography,econometrics,cluster,rural social spaces,perception,attractiveness,public policies,library of initiatives,typology
Nizubaglustat oral dispersible tablets for treating the neurological manifestations of GM1 & GM2 gangliosidoses and Niemann Pick disease type C (EIC_Azafaros)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: EIC Accelerator 2024 - Short application (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-01, 2024)
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2030000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2030000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Azafaros, a clinical-stage Dutch Biotech, is developing nizubaglustat, a novel small molecule for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases. Nizubaglustat is a unique medicine in this field due to its dual mode of action, ability to cross the brain barrier and high selectivity. LSDs are rare genetic metabolic disorders with systemic and neurological manifestations. The central nervous system is particularly vulnerable to lysosomal dysfunctions and approximately 70% of LSDs display neurological signs and symptoms causing significant impairment in motor and cognitive functions and severely affecting the quality of life of young patients and caregivers. Current drugs mainly address the systemic manifestations of diseases, whilst the neurological manifestations represent the highest unmet medical need. Target diseases for nizubaglustat either do not have any approved treatment (GM1 and GM2 gangliosidoses) or have only suboptimal treatment (Niemann Pick disease type C). Nizubaglustat inhibits two key enzymes involved in glycosphingolipid metabolism: glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) and non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase (GbA2). Due to its high selectivity, the compound does not cause any significant side effects. Nizubaglustat demonstrated the ability to reduce the accumulation of complex gangliosides and offer neuroprotection. The anticipated effect of nizubaglustat is supported by a robust preclinical pharmacology package and clinical data of completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies, demonstrating excellent safety and suggesting clinical benefit for patients. Nizubaglustat formulation as an oral dispersible tablet offers significant advantages to improve patients’ compliance and convenience of administration, enabling the treatment of young paediatric patients and adults affected by dysphagia.

Keywords: paediatric neurodegenerative diseases,lysosomal storage diseases,rare genetic diseases
Precision Synthesis and Catalysis using Solid-State Molecular Organometallic Chemistry. Single-Crystal Reactivity in 3D and 2D (PRECISION SMOM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced 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: United Kingdom
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2024-ADG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2030-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Fast and efficient solution-based homogeneous catalysis, or the synthesis of complexes with weakly bound ligands (e.g. methane), often requires the formation of a highly active, coordinatively unsaturated, metal centre. However, the vast excess of solvent can play a detrimental role by competitive coordination, or reaction itself, at the metal centre. Even if solvent does not impede the formation of reactive species, dimerisation can form inactive complexes. These factors quench reactivity and obstruct the formation of reactive complexes that are on the brink of stability, but at the cutting-edge of synthesis and catalysis. If the problem is the solution, then the solution is to remove the solution! PRECISION SMOM directly addresses this problem, redefining what is possible in the molecular synthesis of, and catalysis with, highly active organometallic complexes, by offering opportunities in chemical space that extend far beyond what is possible using solution-based methods. It does this by exploiting the Solid-state Molecular OrganoMetallic (SMOM) methods pioneered by Weller; where synthesis, reactivity and catalysis occur in crystallo using precisely-defined molecular single-crystals in solid/gas processes, as shown by the synthesis and reactivity of stable σ-alkane complexes, solving a 40-yr-old challenge in organometallic chemistry. PRECISION SMOM will use a suite of synergistic studies to understand, and control, the influence of metal site and microenvironment on in crystallo reactivity. Such holistic, fundamental, understanding will promote the translation of SMOM systems into precisely-defined heterogeneous molecular catalysis, focussing on selective and efficient processes for a range of challenging but widely applicable transformations. PRECISION SMOM will change the way we think about reactivity in molecular single-crystals: breaking new ground, embracing wider challenges, and exploiting new opportunities for in crystallo synthesis and catalysis.

Keywords: single crystal to single crystal molecular synthesis and catalysis
Emissions mitigatioN tHrough cArboN CapturE froM bioENergy and its application in hard to abaTe industry (ENHANCEMENT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Energy
Destination: Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Norway,Italy,United Kingdom,Germany,Belgium,Sweden
Call: DACCS and BECCS for CO2 removal/negative emissions (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02, 2024)
Start date: 2025-11-01
End date: 2029-04-30
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7770030.01
EU funding (EUR): 6989207.26
Participants: 13
Project status: SIGNED

BECCS technologies are a valuable option to reach Net Zero Emissions by 2050, applicable to different sectors (energy, hard-to-abate, biofuel production). High costs, environmental concerns related to solvent emissions, biomass source, permanent CO2 storage hubs availability, and uncertainties in the policy framework represent challenges for their large-scale deployment. ENHANCEMENT will address all these through i) the characterization and modelling of a green, non-volatile, amino acid-based solvent, with 50% reduced harmful compounds emissions and 3-8% reduced make-up cost; ii) integration of a BECCS technology using the green solvent with a Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE) condensing water and acidic pollutants (NOX, SOX) from the flue gas entering the CC unit, to prevent its corrosion while recovering heat (12% energy savings), hence lowering OPEX by 6%; iii) study and model of the BECCS value chain, focusing on biomass availability and development of EU storage hubs at EU level; iv) assessment of the policy scenario, accessible incentives, and carbon credits, delivering policy briefs to guide policymakers towards sustainable development of BECCS technologies. ENHANCEMENT will validate the technology to TRL7 in two pilots: the semi-industrial plant at SINTEF’s CO2Lab and DABO’s mobile testing unit CC+HPCE at SOSVAV’s CHP plant (Italy). The sustainability of the ENHANCEMENT technology will be evaluated through techno-economic analysis, LCA, and s-LCA. Moreover, the replicability of the technology to the hard-to-abate sector (steel industry) will be assessed through the same assessments. ENHANCEMENT technology will target >90% CO2 capture rate and up to 15% total cost reduction down to <70 €/tavoidedCO2 (<80 €/t for the steel plant). Scaled-up ENHANCEMENT technology can prevent >18,000 tCO2/y emissions in the CHP demo and ~80,000 tCO2/y for the steel replicability demo case, with a global economic benefit of > 5 M€/y from carbon credits and ETS savings.

Keywords: beccs,green solvent,bioenergy,hard to abate sector,chp,hpce
Protein-regulated artificial cell populations and tissues (PRO-ARTIS)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced 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: Netherlands
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2023-ADG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-05-01
End date: 2029-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499668.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499668.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Artificial cells are soft matter, micron-sized compartments that display features which are normally associated with living cells only. These include aspects such as metabolism, growth and communication. Artificial cell research is motivated by the fact that the creation of synthetic compartments with lifelike features leads to a better understanding of the complexity of living cells and to the ability to design systems with interactive behavior. Research has until now been mostly focused on the development of individual artificial cells. However, in biology living cells don’t act fully independently; their behavior is much affected by the proximity of other cells. Cells therefore display interdependence for both single cell populations of bacteria and for more strongly integrated multicellular systems such as tissues. With PRO-ARTIS I aim to explore a new direction in artificial cell research, by creating artificial cell populations with interdependent and autonomous function. To achieve this goal I will optimally benefit from our recently developed artificial cell platform that allows the dynamic uptake and release of proteins. This is a powerful method for the exchange of active components that can be employed in process regulation. This investigation is of great interest as it allows me to take the functional integration of different artificial cells to an advanced level. From a fundamental point of view, this will shed more light on how natural multicellular processes are governed. It furthermore provides exciting opportunities to develop concepts that can be translated to a next generation of dynamic soft matter systems. I furthermore aim to functionally integrate artificial and living cells. This ambitious objective addresses an underexplored area in synthetic biology with much potential in biomedicine. If the challenging task of integration succeeds, I have developed a technology that directs and modulates biological processes with unprecedented precision.