Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
New Concepts in Bacterial Response to their Surroundings (BACTERIAL RESPONSE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Immunity and infection
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-04-01
End date: 2019-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1497800.0
EU funding (EUR): 1497800.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Bacteria in nature exhibit remarkable capacity to sense their surroundings and rapidly adapt to diverse conditions by gaining new beneficial traits. This extraordinary feature facilitates their survival when facing extreme environments. Utilizing Bacillus subtilis as our primary model organism, we propose to study two facets of this vital bacterial attribute: communication via extracellular nanotubes, and persistence as resilient spores while maintaining the potential to revive. Exploring these fascinating aspects of bacterial physiology is likely to change our view as to how bacteria sense, respond, endure and communicate with their extracellular environment. We have recently discovered a previously uncharacterized mode of bacterial communication, mediated by tubular extensions (nanotubes) that bridge neighboring cells, providing a route for exchange of intracellular molecules. Nanotube-mediated molecular sharing may represent a key form of bacterial communication in nature, allowing for the emergence of new phenotypes and increasing survival in fluctuating environments. Here we propose to develop strategies for observing nanotube formation and molecular exchange in living bacterial cells, and to characterize the molecular composition of nanotubes. We will explore the premise that nanotubes serve as a strategy to expand the cell surface, and will determine whether nanotubes provide a conduit for phage infection and spreading. Furthermore, the formation and functionality of interspecies nanotubes will be explored. An additional mode employed by bacteria to achieve extreme robustness is the ability to reside as long lasting spores. Previously held views considered the spore to be dormant and metabolically inert. However, we have recently shown that at least one week following spore formation, during an adaptive period, the spore senses and responds to environmental cues and undergoes corresponding molecular changes, influencing subsequent emergence from quiescence.

Keywords: bacterial physiology,nanotubes,bacterial spores,bacterial adaptation,bacterial cell biology
Receptors, Channels and Transporters: Development and Application of Novel Technologies for Structure Determination (EMPSI)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Molecular and Structural Biology and Biochemistry
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-02-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2378162.0
EU funding (EUR): 2378162.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Structure determination of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) has been exceedingly successful over the last 5 years due to the development of complimentary generic methodologies that will now allow the structure determination of virtually any GPCR. However, these technologies address only two aspects of the process, namely the stability of the receptors during purification and the ability to form well-diffracting crystals. The strategies also apply only to GPCRs and not transporters or ion channels. The recent successes have been of GPCRs that are expressed in either yeasts or in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system, but many membrane proteins are expressed poorly in these systems or may be expressed in a misfolded non-functional form. A second issue with the future structure determination of GPCRs is the lack of generic technologies to allow the crystallisation of arrestin-GPCR and G protein-GPCR complexes. Although one G protein GPCR complex has been crystallised this was exceedingly diffciult and resulted in poor resolution of the GPCR component of the complex. We believe that it is possible to thermostabilise both arrestin and heterotrimeric G proteins, which will allow a simplified strategy for the crystallisation and structure determination of GPCR complexes. This is based on the development of the strategy of conformational thermostabilisation of GPCRs developed in our lab that has resulted in the structure determination of 3 different GPCRs bound to either antagonists, partial agonists, full agonists and/or biased agonists. The aims are: 1. The development of generic methodology for the production of eukaryotic membrane proteins in mammalian cells. 2. The development of a thermostable functional arrestin mutant 3. Structures of β1-adrenoceptor, adenosine A2A receptor and angiotensin receptor bound to a G protein and arrestin 4. Understanding the role of each amino acid residue in the activation process of GPCRs through saturation mutagenes

Keywords: membrane protein,g protein-coupled receptors,overexpression,thermostabilisation,protein engineering,structure
Investments in a sustainable workforce in Europe: causes and consequences in comparative perspective (SUSTAINABLEWORKFORCE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Institutions, values, beliefs and behaviour
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-02-01
End date: 2019-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2250949.0
EU funding (EUR): 2250949.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Economic and demographic trends are impelling the need for a sustainable European workforce, consisting of productive, satisfied employees (micro level), profitable organizations and cohesive workplaces (meso level) and a high employment rate and flourishing economy (macro level). So far comparative research has focused on the micro and macro level. Little is known about the role of organizations and their investments in a sustainable workforce. This groundbreaking research program introduces the organizational level and its interaction with the country and employee levels into research on the sustainable workforce. First, it examines organizational investments in (1) human and social capital, (2) work-life policies, (3) work flexibility, (4) long-term employability of older workers, and (5) flexicurity. Second, it explains differences in such investments and their utilization by employees based on micro, meso and macro characteristics, including interactions between the three levels. Third, it analyzes whether organizational investments contribute to better performance by the employee, the organization and the country. Revising theoretical mechanisms, we formulate original hypotheses based on the idea that interdependencies and norms between organizations and employees influence investments and their utilization by employees. A unique feature of this ambitious program is its multi-level design. Data will be gathered on 30 organizations and their employees in nine countries (Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK) representing different types of welfare regime with ample variation in macro-level conditions. The applicant’s longstanding data-gathering experience and cooperation with researchers in these countries makes data collection feasible. The data will permit in-depth examination of all levels and of micro-meso relationships. The European Foundation’s European Company Survey will be used to test meso-macro hypotheses.

Keywords: quality of work,cost-benefits,norms,interdependencies,organizational investments,diversity of employees,work life policies,flexibility,performance,multi-level design,comparative perspective
Metal catalysis in biological habitats: New strategies for optical bio-sensing and targeted therapy (METBIOCAT)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Materials and Synthesis
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-02-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2356276.0
EU funding (EUR): 2356276.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This proposal aims at the discovery of robust transition-metal catalyzed transformations that can take place in aqueous media and cellular lysates, and are susceptible of being exported to living cells. Specifically, we will exploit the special coordination and activation ability of different metal complexes towards pi-systems to induce chemo-selective reactions of designed, abiotic, unsaturated substrates. Moreover, and importantly, the metal catalysts will be conjugated to designed ligands or biopolymers so that the catalytic power of the metal complex can be transferred to specific “in vivo” locations. Initial designs in this latter “high risk” endeavor will be guided by the current knowledge on metal-catalyzed bio-orthogonal chemistry as well as by some precedents on catalysis-based metal-sensing tactics. Ultimately, we want to install catalytic power in specific cellular sites and/or endow catalytic properties to any selected bio-molecular target. The catalytic activity could then be used to trigger the amplified generation of fluorescent signals or boost the production of bioactive drugs from inert, non-toxic precursors. This will set the basis for the development of efficient bio-sensing and imaging tools, and “in cellulo” diagnosis tactics, and of novel target-directed therapeutic strategies. With the crescent identification of disease-related biomarkers, the development of biomarker-associated diagnosis and therapy protocols is becoming one of the more urgent challenges in modern life sciences. Advances in early diagnosis can have a profound impact in public health, and boost new technology developments. The transversal expertise of my group in synthesis, metal catalysis, molecular recognition and chemical biology (see PI profile) places us in a rather unique position to tackle this type of interdisciplinary project.

Keywords: organometallic chemistry and chemical biology -cellular chemistry -organic synthesis
ONCOLYTIC HERPESVIRUSES RETARGETED TO CANCER- SPECIFIC RECEPTORS (ONCOLYTIC-HERPES)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Diagnostic tools, therapies and public health
Countries involved: Italy,Italy
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-03-01
End date: 2020-02-29
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2477346.0
EU funding (EUR): 2477346.0
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

Cancer remains a major health burden worldwide. The aggressive targeting of metabolic pathways shared by normal and cancer cells results in prolonged survival and cures, but at a tremendous cost to patient life quality. What is missing is a therapeutic agent that clearly differentiates normal and cancer cells. This proposal delineates a process for killing exclusively cancer cells with no interference with normal cells. In the past two decades there has been considerable effort to develop attenuated viruses for killing cancer cells. Of the oncolytic viruses in clinical trials, attenuated herpes simplex viruses (HSV) are among the most promising because of safety, affinity for cancer cells, ability to treat patients multiple times without block by adaptive immunity. The shortcoming is that they do not discriminate between normal and cancer cells, are effective in a limited number of patients. The remarkable accomplishment by my laboratory at the basis of the proposal is the genetic engineering of HSVs that specifically infect and kill cancer cells and cannot infect normal cells. The prototype retargeted HSV targets HER2, a receptor in breast, ovary and other tumors. HER2-HSV ablates human breast and ovary cancers, and glioblastoma after intratumoral or intraperitoneal administration. This proposal addresses basic research issues for the advancement of retargeted oncolytic HSVs. It is organized in 5 AIMS • Engineer a non-cancer cell line for virus production acceptable to Health Authorities and re-engineer the retargeted-HSV accordingly. This will enable production of clinical grade retargeted-HSVs for clinical tests (AIM1) • Engineer retargeted-HSVs suitable for systemic delivery and for boosting anti-tumor immunity (AIM2-3) • Apply our platform to expand the repertoire of oncolytic HSVs that target glioblastomas, prostate, head-and-neck, colon carcinomas (AIM4) • Determine the tumorigenic potential of cancer cells that escape killing by retargeted HSVs (AIM5)
Understanding Auditory Information Processing in Naturalistic Environments (RATLAND)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Neurosciences and neural disorders
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-02-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499800.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499800.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Studies of sensory processing in awake mammals are often limited to simple perceptual decisions, such as detecting the differences between two similar stimuli. However, such sensory tasks are usually limited by peripheral information, and do not tap into the special processing capabilities of the cortex. I hypothesize that neuronal responses in auditory cortex represent ethologically-relevant quantities that optimally summarize knowledge about the current scene and that allow behaviourally-relevant predictions of its future development. In order to study the role of such mechanisms in controlling behaviour, it is necessary to develop new technological and methodological tools. I will develop a semi-natural living environment for rats that will make it possible to train multiple animals to perform behavioural tasks while continuously recording the electrical activity of their brains. Neural activity will be recorded continuously using telemetry inside the environment, or periodically outside it with chronic imaging techniques. Brain activity will be manipulated with optogenetic techniques. This methodology will minimize human intervention, increasing the reproducibility of behavioral and electrophysiological data collection while reducing the number of animals used. Various amount of information about the states of the environment will be communicated to the rats with sounds. I will apply a new theory that rigorously quantifies the balance between information and reward. The theory will make it possible to deduce what the rats believe about the environment from their behavior, and to correlate these beliefs with neural activity. Hearing disorders are a major cause of reduction of quality of life, especially in the elderly population. Better understanding of auditory processing in real-world scenarios is a crucial step for the future development of better tools and therapies.

Keywords: electrophysiology,optogenetics,calcium imaging,behavior,reinforcement learning,information theory
Rethinking Urban Nature (RUN)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Environment and society
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2020-04-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2384238.0
EU funding (EUR): 2384238.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

This ground-breaking project will challenge existing understandings of urban nature using an innovative interdisciplinary framework in a comparative international context. The project provides a new theoretical approach that moves beyond existing approaches to provide a novel synthesis between advances in urban ecology and original insights into cultural and political dimensions to the production of urban space. My core hypothesis is that in order to understand the dynamics of urban nature we must link the independent agency of nature with a renewed urban environmental history that takes full account of changing conceptions of human subjectivity, the ideological dimensions to scientific metaphors, and the need to develop new critical engagements with the global South. Using four cities as case studies — London, Berlin, Tallinn, and Chennai — the project will show that a theoretically nuanced and historically grounded exploration of the intersections between critical urban discourses and recent advances in urban ecology provides a vital counterpoint to narrowly utilitarian approaches to urban nature. In addition to a series of academic outputs the project will also create a documentary film, an exhibition, a website, and a series of workshops and public events.
Experience, Judgement, and Representation of World War II in an Age of Globalization (JUDGINGHISTORIES)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: The study of the human past
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-06-01
End date: 2020-05-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499260.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499260.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

“JudgingHistories” sets out to examine the epistemic premises innate to universalizing historical experience, by scrutinizing the quest for historical understanding and moral judgment against the backdrop of an emerging global cultural environment, fraught with multiple recollections, while using memories of World War II as the empirical core of the study. The pivotal constellation of research emerges by interfacing a horizontal (West-East) alignment traditionally significant for continental European history with a vertically oriented alignment (North-South) that sheds a colonial and post-colonial perspective on World War II. This constellation tends to lead a posteriori to a realm of conflicting, morally permeated discourses of comparison and analogy, revealing the Holocaust to function as the central event of continental narration, on the one hand, while genocidal atrocities highlight the colonial or post-colonial comprehension, perception and narration, on the other. Methodologically, and in order to offer a fresh and innovative view of the emergence of the specifics of knowledge and meaning in the domain of historical understanding in a globalizing world, while placing the signifying event of the Nazis’ systematic annihilation of the Jews at the heart of the question of universal historical judgment, the project proceeds from the colonial periphery of events, however. This “peripheral”, colonial perspective will in a further seemingly paradoxical turn find itself extended into continental European affairs where it functions to help us comprehend the multiplicity of experiences and the diversity of attendant memories unfolding there. Such a research perspective may epistemologically enable us to reconstruct a universally convincing and valid understanding of a foundational event in European and global history, namely the recollection of World War II, and thus render possible common judgment while re-determining the meaning of “History”.

Keywords: history and judgement,world war ii memory,entangling continental and colonial histories,representing world war ii,historical icons,historical memory
The Grammar of the Body: Revealing the Foundations of Compositionality in Human Language (GRAMBY)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: The Human Mind and its complexity
Countries involved: Israel,Germany
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-07-01
End date: 2019-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2448318.4
EU funding (EUR): 2448318.4
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The pioneering framework I propose for the analysis of the foundations of human language – the Grammar of the Body – is inspired by sign language. My main aim is to create a body-based model of linguistic compositionality and to provide clues of its evolutionary origins. Instead of analysing sign language (and language generally) from the perspective of mental categories, the radical approach I introduce here analyses language from the outside in, from the physical articulators of the face, hands, and body in sign language, to the grammatical structures they manifest. This new approach capitalizes on the discovery that gestures of each articulator make a meaningful contribution to the whole corporeal display, and yield a hierarchy from small to large in both body and grammar domains: hands/words > head and face/phrasal intonation > torso/discourse perspective. I hypothesize that the corporeal base of compositionality has deeper evolutionary roots in the emotional face and body displays of humans and our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. The multi-disciplinary methodology I adopt will incorporate linguistic analysis of established and newly emerging sign languages with artistic manipulation of language form, and allow us to trace the origins of the system in emotional displays of both humans and apes. My central goal – determining the basis and structure of compositionality in human language – and the unconventional methodological approaches it exploits combine to make this an extremely ambitious proposal with potentially wide-reaching ramifications in the humanities and social sciences.

Keywords: sign language,compositionality,language evolution
Role of long non coding RNA in muscle differentiation and disease (MUNCODD)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Molecular and Structural Biology and Biochemistry
Countries involved: Italy
Call:  (ERC-2013-ADG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-07-01
End date: 2019-12-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The field of interest applies to the study of muscle differentiation and disease. The main objective of this project is to deepen our knowledge on the molecular networks controlling normal muscle differentiation, and to identify their alteration in pathology. The state of art in this field is thoroughly advanced since well-established master regulators (transcriptional factors and miRNAs) have been deeply characterized and integrated in regulatory circuitries controlling muscle development and differentiation. However, recent discoveries point to the hierarchically relevant role of a previously disregarded class of transcripts, named long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), in the control of gene expression. Therefore, a major objective of this project is to re-evaluate and re-design established molecular circuitries known to control muscle differentiation in the light of the contribution of this complex class of transcripts. In more general terms, the project will shed light on the biogenesis and function of lncRNAs and how they contribute to cellular and organismal biology. This is a very new and innovative field of research that holds promise for a significant increase in our understanding of basic molecular processes and should constitute a vast and largely unexplored territory for the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics.

Keywords: long non coding rna microrna mucle differentiation