Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Synergistic growth factor microenvironments for veterinary bone regeneration. (HEALIGRAFT)

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: United Kingdom
Call: ERC-Proof of Concept (ERC-2017-PoC, 2017)
Start date: 2018-08-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 149973.0
EU funding (EUR): 149973.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

We propose a system that allows a safer delivery of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP2) for bone tissue engineering and have planned a veterinary trial in relevant conditions. We have teamed up with a team of veterinary surgeons and several industry and clinical partners for the appraisal of the proposal from a translational standpoint. rhBMP2 is a powerful growth factor (GF) essential in tissue morphogenesis and used to promote bone growth in clinical applications. Current clinical delivery has encountered serious complications associated with the high doses used. We have developed a system that allows the effective presentation of GFs in combination with the integrin binding domain of fibronectin (FN), promoting simultaneous and co-localised signalling between GF receptors and integrins. We have shown the ability of Poly(ethyl acrylate) PEA to organize FN and sequester rhBMP2 in synergy with the integrin binding region to direct stem cell differentiation. This technology enhances bone regeneration and vascularisation with lower rhBMP-2 doses. With this understanding we have engineered systems to regenerate a bone critical size defect in a murine model. Results were comparable to the higher doses used in the clinic, which makes the systems safe, effective and more competitive than current commercial products. The pathway to human applications requires strong financial commitments. We will explore the veterinary application of our technology and also, because of the conditions treated, as a demonstration towards application in humans. Overall, we will develop a safe and versatile bone system for clinical use in joint arthodesis and non- union bone defects, and we will set a route towards commercialization.

Keywords: bone graft,chips,bmp 2,fibronectin,stem cells,plasma coating,veterinary
Cutting-edge insoles with advanced characteristics for medical and sports applications (InsoFeet)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Cyprus
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2019)
Start date: 2019-06-01
End date: 2019-11-30
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Gait dynamics’ monitoring and Energy Expenditure (EE) calculation is of high importance for patients with chronic diseases affecting normal walking, for individuals after injuries & surgery, as well as for older adults, in order to early detect and correct gait problems or accelerate rehabilitation. The need extends to the multibillion industry of professional athletes for a) load management (injury prevention, performance optimisation), b) accelerated recovery from a lower limb injury, c) running efficiency optimization and precise body control. Due to the significant drawbacks of market available systems (high price, difficult to use software, necessity to operate under expert supervision, intrusiveness), gait analysis is used less often than would actually be required. For patients & clinics, this has an impact on rehabilitation time & cost, as well as on the timely detection of certain medical conditions. For athletes, this has an impact on costs related to delayed rehabilitation, but also on increased cost for injuries that could have been avoided. insofeet is a completely non-intrusive insole for measuring accurately key gait dynamics’ parameters and EE. The insofeet insoles are capable of fitting in different shoe types. The insofeet insole integrates highly accurate miniature force sensors in a customisable design, adaptable to the application. Sensor measurements are collected in real-time, processed through validated algorithms and presented through a friendly interface. What differentiates insofeet from the competition is its unparalleled accuracy, comparable to hi-end professional solutions at a price 15 times lower. An EU/WO patent application was submitted by CyRIC. Our goal is to bring the insofeet solution to market, after preparing an elaborate business plan. According to our initial plan, within 5 years from insofeet commercialisation, revenues will reach an annual total of approximately 7.8 M and 25 new jobs for CyRIC will be created.

Keywords: smart insole,wearable
Titin can govern epigenetic remodelling (TiGER)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2022-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 174806.4
EU funding (EUR): 174806.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Heart disease is a staggering clinical and public health problem and the leading cause of death for both men and women in Western countries. The underlying pathomechanism of nearly all aetiologies relates to altered contractility and cardiac tissue tension but also gene expression changes and epigenomic remodelling. Within the sarcomere, the fundamental contractile unit in striated muscle, the giant protein titin is the major source of cardiac passive tension. Since sarcomeres are connected to the nucleus, I hypothesise that titin passive tension is transmitted to the nucleus and sensed by the mechano-sensitive nuclear lamina, affecting chromatin structure and gene expression, similar to cytoskeleton passive tension in nonmuscle cells. I will test this hypothesis in human cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs) with either a low or high titin-derived passive tension by editing the titin gene locus. I will also investigate whether changes of titin tension affect sarcomere-resident chromatin remodellers: Smyd1, Smyd2, and HP1γ. Combining fluorescence and super-resolution imaging with chromatin-immunoprecipitation sequencing and RNA sequencing, I will delineate a comprehensive map of titin-derived epigenetic remodelling in hiPSC-CMs. The TiGER project will dissect a complex biophysical mechanism leveraging on hiPSC-CMs as they represent an exceptional platform to unveil human cardiac-specific phenomena that require extensive gene editing, culture, and imaging. As titin-derived passive tension changes during development, physiology, and disease, TiGER’s results could have major implications for cardiac pathophysiology and could unlock future compelling research avenues. I will explore this novel role for titin as an epigenetic remodeller under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gotthardt, a world-leading expert of cardiac mechanotransduction and titin at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) in Berlin.

Keywords: mechanotransduction,titin,sarcomere
Revealing Unseen Text with THz Waves (RUTE)

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: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2022-01-16
End date: 2024-06-15
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 183473.28
EU funding (EUR): 183473.28
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Safely stored in archives’ storages across the world, ancient handwritten books (codices) that are too fragile to be opened, page-turned, or unfolded, are not open to consultation nor accessible, their content hidden from both experts and public. The main goal of the proposed project is to uncover their content and Reveal Unseen Text (RUTE) by reading through them without opening them. Current approaches for facilitating this task are mostly based on techniques that expose fragile manuscripts to ionizing radiation (e.g., X-ray computed tomography) potentially causing damage to ancient inks or support. To prevent damage of valuable manuscripts or written text, RUTE will exploit a non-ionizing technique, terahertz (THz) time-domain imaging, that can penetrate highly absorbing materials (e.g., paper, papyrus, or parchment) and detect paper-air gaps in the sample. Detected paper-air gaps lead to retrieving images that represent a single page of closed books often corrupted by severe system-induced blurring and noise effects. Until now, only limited attempts have been made to reduce these degradation effects (i.e., blur and noise) with none of them tailored to THz images that contain text. To fill this gap, RUTE will facilitate a unique approach to data creation and collection and introduce a highly interdisciplinary methodological process for reading through closed books. The proposed methodology will facilitate detection of paper-air gaps and pages separation, text enhancement, and document images restoration. RUTE will have a tremendous impact on analysis, preservation, and digitisation of valuable European and World cultural heritage assets by enabling the possibility to access knowledge that would otherwise remain undiscovered.

Keywords: ancient document analysis,manuscripts,thz imaging,document image restoration,hyperspectral image restoration,image enhancement,image deblurring
The Impact of Cosmic Rays on Galaxy and Cluster Formation (CRAGSMAN)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator 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 Consolidator Grant (ERC-2014-CoG, 2014)
Start date: 2016-04-01
End date: 2021-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1783464.07
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Understanding the physics of galaxy formation is arguably among the greatest problems in modern astrophysics. Recent cosmological simulations have demonstrated that "feedback" by star formation, supernovae and active galactic nuclei appears to be critical in obtaining realistic disk galaxies, to slow down star formation to the small observed rates, to move gas and metals out of galaxies into the intergalactic medium, and to balance radiative cooling of the low-entropy gas at the centers of galaxy clusters. This progress still has the caveat that "feedback" was modeled empirically and involved tuning to observed global relations, substantially weakening the predictive power of hydrodynamic simulations. More problematic, these simulations neglected cosmic rays and magnetic fields, which provide a comparable pressure support in comparison to turbulence in our Galaxy, and are known to couple dynamically and thermally to the gas. Building on our previous successes in investigating these high-energy processes, we propose a comprehensive research program for studying the impact of cosmic rays on the formation of galaxies and clusters. To this end, we will study cosmic-ray propagation in magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence and improve the modeling of the plasma physics. This will enable us to perform the first consistent magneto-hydrodynamical and cosmic-ray simulations in a cosmological framework, something that has just now become technically feasible. Through the use of an advanced numerical technique that employs a moving mesh for calculating hydrodynamics, we will achieve an unprecedented combination of accuracy, resolution and physical completeness. We complement our theoretical efforts with a focused observational program on the non-thermal emission of galaxies and clusters, taking advantage of new capabilities at radio to gamma-ray wavelengths and neutrinos. This promises important and potentially transformative changes of our understanding of galaxy formation.
How neuronal activity patterns drive behavior: novel all-optical control and monitoring of brain neuronal networks with high spatiotemporal resolution (NEURO-PATTERNS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Condensed matter physics
Panel description: Structure, electronic properties, fluids, nanosciences, biological physics
Countries involved: Italy,United States
Call: ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC-2014-CoG, 2014)
Start date: 2015-10-01
End date: 2021-03-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1974000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1637500.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

When we see an object, hear a sound or smell an odor, precise spatial and temporal patterns of electrical activity are generated within neuronal networks located in specialized brain areas. This electrical representation of the external stimulus mediates perception and sensory experience. However, this process is highly variable, and repetition of the very same sensory experience results in distinct network activity patterns. What does this variability mean for perception? Do distinct activity patterns carry different information about the stimulus? Or rather, does the brain code the same information coming from the outside world in multiple and equivalent ways? Answering these questions and determining how patterns of activity in neuronal populations are used for behavior has not been possible because of the inability to change the activity of neurons with single cell precision over large networks in an intact mammalian brain. In this ambitious proposal we will take a multidisciplinary approach to causally address these questions and decipher the computational principles of brain networks. To achieve this goal we will develop innovative optical technologies for manipulating and monitoring brain circuits with single cell resolution in the intact mouse brain. We will combine these new techniques with novel genetic manipulations and psychophysical behavioral methods that allow precise quantification of animals’ perceptual performance. Using this unique set of tools, we will unravel how the spatial (across neurons) and temporal (across time) aspects of neuronal electrical activity patterns encode information that guides behavior. In achieving our goals we will produce a new technology for stimulating and monitoring neurons in the brains of behaving animals with single-cell specificity that can be adapted to explore cellular dynamics in highly scattering biological media.

Keywords: neurophotonics,wavefront engineering,circuit neuroscience,systems neuroscience,cortical networks
Advanced Humidity to Electricity Converter (HUNTER)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Ukraine,Finland,Belarus,France,France,United States,Portugal
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2015-12-01
End date: 2019-11-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 873000.0
EU funding (EUR): 873000.0
Participants: 11
Project status: CLOSED

The HUNTER project will develop revolutionary power devices that convert humidity into electrical charge (hygroelectricity), thereby contributing to the European technology and creativity through joint R&D and R&I multisectorial and international cooperation activities supported by knowledge sharing. The devices will harvest electricity from atmospheric humidity and supply a current, such as solar cells capture sunlight and generate electrical power. The successful realization of the project is assured by implementing a coordinated network of knowledge sharing in materials science, physics and chemistry; by solidifying the state-of-the-art understanding in nanoelectronics and by applying bottom-up nanoengineering approaches via an international and inter-sector collaboration of highly qualified researchers from Portugal, France, Finland, Ukraine and Belarus. Both technological (nanoelectronic device fabrication) and fundamental (charge transport mechanisms) issues will be assessed by this multidisciplinary consortium. The successful realization of this project will lead to scientifically substantiated principles for the development of a new generation of functional materials and, consequently, to the creation of advanced nanoelectronic devices. Within the HUNTER project, the consortium will implement research/innovation activities by means of functional secondments and organizing training courses, workshops and summer schools aimed at sharing knowledge, acquiring new skills and developing the careers of the consortium members. Sharing the culture of research and innovation, the HUNTER project will allow applying recent advancements in nanotechnology and materials science to the realization of the creative idea of Nikola Tesla (1932) of “capturing electricity from the air”. This vision will be performed in practice by innovative “humidity-to-electricity” devices, which will enhance the range of known renewable energy sources by a new atmospheric humidity source.

Keywords: humidity to electricity converter,ionic atmosphere,heterojunction,electrical current,oxide nanoparticles
Cosmic Shear Analysis of the Kilo Degree Survey: Cosmological Constraints (COSMIC SHEAR)

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: Physics
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2016-01-20
End date: 2018-01-19
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Weak gravitational lensing is one of the most promising techniques for probing and mapping the dark matter distribution within our Universe. Using lensing, we can simultaneously measure the total mass, the number of neutrino species and the global acceleration of the cosmic expansion, offering a direct handle on the mysterious dark energy. This Marie Sklodowska-Curie action will carry out one of the most competitive cosmological analyses to date by measuring cosmic shear from the weak lensing data acquired by the state-of-the-art European Southern Observatory Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS). We will place tight constraints on the theoretical parameters that describe the dark Universe. In addition, this analysis has the potential to reveal which galactic baryonic processes, between active galactic nuclei, sustained stellar winds or supernovae bursts, effectively feedback on the total matter density field. This scientific programme is central to an international collaboration that brings together the Fellow's expertise in theoretical and numerical modelling with world class experts on image processing, galaxy shape and distance estimation, weak lensing calibration and interpretation. The Fellow will analyze the KiDS data to its full potential by employing new methodology and including key ingredients to the analysis, for which his numerical simulations and mock galaxy catalogues are critical. Combined with innovative approaches in the treatment of the astrophysical and systematic uncertainties in weak lensing analyses, the project will guarantee a high level of precision and robustness in the resulting cosmological parameter constraints.

Keywords: dark energy,dark matter,neutrino mass,gravitational lensing,data,simulations
Mechanisms of Myelination – Elucidating the Diversity of Oligodendroglial Precursors and their Local Axon-Glia Interactions (MecMy)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Panel description: Nervous system development, homeostasis and ageing, nervous system function and dysfunction, systems neuroscience and modelling, biological basis of cognitive processes and of behaviour, neurological and mental disorders
Countries involved: Germany,United Kingdom
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2016-STG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-02-01
End date: 2022-08-31
Duration (months): 67.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1485000.0
EU funding (EUR): 723155.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Nervous system function requires precise communication between myriads of neurons and glia to generate and maintain a functional organ. Most axons are eventually surrounded with myelin, an insulating structure produced by specialized oligodendroglia. This cellular interaction enables fast signal transmission, ensures long-term axon survival, and is involved in regulating learning and memory formation. The formation of new myelin during lifelong development and after myelin damage requires differentiation of oligodendroglial precursors. Although these cells are an abundant population, myelin repair is often inefficient and eventually fails. It is known that oligodendroglial precursors have diverse properties, but whether this diversity is at any level a regulatory factor for normal myelination, or causal to failure of myelin repair is unclear. Here, I will elucidate the diversity of oligodendroglial precursors by carrying out the first global analysis of their population dynamics in the whole animal from specification to myelination. I will investigate how differentiation properties change over time, reveal whether this is due to intrinsic or extrinsic factors, and identify the underlying molecular mechanisms. To achieve these goals I will use zebrafish, an ideally suited model organism for in vivo live cell imaging and genetic manipulation. I will carry out a clonal analysis of oligodendroglial precursor population dynamics during myelinated tract formation and after myelin damage. I will analyse the molecular signature of cells with different properties to identify crucial mediators. Lastly, I will investigate whether individual cells can show diversity at the subcellular mechanistic level of local axon-glial interactions. My work will provide fundamentally new insights into the principles of the heterogeneity of oligodendroglial precursors and may help to device new strategies of how to employ these cells to form new myelin in development and disease.