Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Soft Wetting (SOFT WETTING)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Condensed Matter Physics
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1782000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1782000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The physics of wetting, where a thin layer of fluid covers a solid substrate, finds numerous applications both in nature and industry. While one usually considers the substrate to be perfectly rigid, in many practically important circumstances the surface exhibits strong elastic deformations. Examples of such “Soft Wetting” phenomena are drops spreading on a gel, or roller bearings under heavy loads. Given the increasing technology to control and tune properties of soft matter, there is a strong need for better understanding of: (i) interaction of surface forces (capillarity) and elasticity, and (ii) coupling between fluid flow and visco-elastic dissipation in the solid. The central objective of the proposed research is to establish the governing principles for Soft Wetting and to develop tools for describing practically relevant situations. The current approach to elastocapillary interactions is almost exclusively based on macroscopic descriptions, leading to contradictory results. I propose to change this by employing truly microscopic methods, namely Molecular Dynamics simulations and (simplified) Density Functional Theory. This will reveal how elastic stresses – induced by liquid interactions on a molecular level – are transmitted in the superficial layers of the solid. From a macroscopic perspective, there is mounting evidence that the visco-elastic rheology of the solid is very important for the dynamics of Soft Wetting: for example, drops spread much more slowly than expected on soft elastomeric surfaces. My goal is to reveal the connection between macroscopic motion and the rheology of the substrate. Experimentally, we combine high-speed visualization of drop spreading with a complete characterization of the substrate rheology. These experiments are complemented by Lattice Boltzmann simulations that account explicitly for visco-elastic substrates. As a whole, the project will provide basic knowledge and methods for a broad class of Soft Wetting phenomena.

Keywords: wetting,interfaces,capillarity,lubrication,elasticity,contact line,contact angle,surface tension
Communication Theoretical Foundations of Nervous System Towards BIO-inspired Nanonetworks and ICT-inspired Neuro-treatment (MINERVA)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Systems and Communication Engineering
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-03-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1757039.0
EU funding (EUR): 1757039.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

“There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, stated by Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, describes the possibility of manipulating individual atoms and molecules to realise nanomachines. Emerging nanoscale applications mandate enabling nanomachines to communicate and form nanonetworks to overcome the limitations of a single one. Thus, our aim is to find the answer to the profound question, i.e., “is the room down there sufficient for a communication network?” Thanks to natural evolution, the affirmative answer is right inside us. Human body is a large- scale communication network of molecular nanonetworks composed of billions of nanomachines, i.e., cells, which use molecules to encode, transmit and receive information. Any communication failure that is beyond the recovery capabilities of this network leads to diseases. In this project, first, (1) we will investigate the communication theoretical foundations of nanoscale neuro-spike communication channels between neurons. Second, (2) we will study multi-terminal, i.e., multiple-access, relay, broadcast, neuro-spike channels and nervous nanonetwork in terms of communication theoretical metrics. Third, (3) we will validate our channel and nanonetwork models with physiological data, and develop a nervous nanonetwork simulator (N4Sim). Finally, (4) we will develop the first nanoscale bio-inspired communication system for ICT-inspired neuro-treatment for spinal cord injury, i.e., nanoscale artificial synapse, which will mimic neuron behaviour by realising both electrical and nanoscale molecular communications.The MINERVA project will pave the way for the realisation of emerging nanonetwork applications with significant societal impact, e.g., intra-body networks for health monitoring, drug delivery, chemical and biological attack prevention systems. The project will help develop the future ICT-inspired treatment techniques for communication related neural disorders.

Keywords: nanonetworks,nanoscale communications,molecular communications,communication theory,nervous nanonetworks neural communications,bio-inspired communication networks
Arctic sea ice, biogeochemistry and impacts on the atmosphere: Past, present, future (ASIBIA)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Earth System Science
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2016-09-30
Duration (months): 29.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1192911.0
EU funding (EUR): 1192911.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The Arctic Ocean is a vast expanse of sea ice. Most of it is snow covered as are large continental regions for about half of the year. However, Global Change is arguably greatest in the Arctic, where temperatures have risen more than anywhere else in the last few decades. New record lows occurred in snow extent in June 2012 and sea ice extent in September 2012. Many observations show that widespread and sustained change is occurring in the Arctic driving this unique environmental system into a new state. This project focuses on the biogeochemical links between sea ice and snow and the composition and chemistry of the troposphere (the lowest ~10km of the atmosphere). This is an important topic because the concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosol particles, which scatter sunlight directly and influence cloud properties, play key roles for our climate. Additionally, changes in the composition of the troposphere also affect the so-called oxidation capacity, the capability of the atmosphere to cleanse itself from pollutants. This project aims to deliver a step change improvement in our quantitative understanding of chemical exchanges between ocean, sea ice, snow and the atmosphere in polar regions, especially the Arctic and of Arctic tropospheric chemistry. Answering these fundamental questions is essential to predict future change in the Arctic and globally. To this end a unique sea ice chamber will be constructed in the laboratory and used to quantify exchange processes in sea ice. Furthermore a hierarchy of numerical models will be used, operating at different spatial and temporal scales and degree of process description from a very detailed 1D to a global Earth System model. This will allow a breakthrough in our understanding of the importance of the changes for the composition and oxidation capacity of the atmosphere and climate and will allow us to calculate adjusted Greenhouse Warming Potentials that include these processes.
The making and breaking of ubiquitin chains in cholesterol metabolism (UNICOM)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Physiology, Pathophysiology and Endocrinology
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-05-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999998.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999998.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Elevated levels of circulating LDL-cholesterol are a major determinant contributing to atherogenesis and coronary artery disease. Therefore, many studies address the central transcriptional pathways that regulate cholesterol metabolism. However, transcriptional regulation does not allow cells to quickly adapt to the cholesterol fluxes that they encounter. For this, rapid and reversible post-transcriptional modifications are used, in conjunction with transcriptional control. Ubiquitylation - the post-transcriptional conjugation of ubiquitin to proteins – is studied in relation to many cellular processes. Much less is known about the contribution of the ubiquitin-proteasomal-system (UPS) to regulation of lipid metabolism and development of cardiovascular disease. I recently identified the E3-ubiquitin ligase IDOL as a novel post-transcriptional regulator of the LDLR pathway. My lab also recently identified two genes, the E3-ubiquitin ligase MARCH6 and the de-ubiquitylase USP2, for which no role in sterol metabolism was known, as important regulators of cellular cholesterol metabolism. With IDOL, these genes control key nodes of cholesterol synthesis and uptake and represent previously unrecognized mechanisms to control cholesterol homeostasis. To study the contribution of these genes to cholesterol metabolism, we will use state-of-the-art mutant mouse models, in vitro assays, and a unique collection of dyslipidemic patient material. Our goal is to characterize the contribution of these genes to cholesterol homeostasis and to examine their involvement in the development of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. Investigating these novel regulatory systems will provide important mechanistic insight into the contribution of the UPS to cholesterol metabolism in health and disease. As components of the UPS are amenable to pharmacological manipulation these studies could potentially lead to novel targets for treatment of hypercholesterolemia and coronary artery disease.

Keywords: cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism e3 ubiquitin ligase lxr idol cholesterol synthesis and uptake ldlr statins squalene monooxygenase dubs lipid synthesis and turnover protein turnover ups
Next Generation Causal Analysis: Inspired by the Induction of Biological Pathways from Cytometry Data (CAUSALPATH)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Computer Science and Informatics
Countries involved: Greece,Sweden
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2015-01-01
End date: 2019-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1724000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1724000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Discovering the causal mechanisms of a complex system of interacting components is necessary in order to control it. Computational Causal Discovery (CD) is a field that offers the potential to discover causal relations under certain conditions from observational data alone or with a limited number of interventions/manipulations. An important, challenging biological problem that may take decades of experimental work is the induction of biological cellular pathways; pathways are informal causal models indispensable in biological research and drug design. Recent exciting advances in flow/mass cytometry biotechnology allow the generation of large-sample datasets containing measurements on single cells, thus setting the problem of pathway learning suitable for CD methods. CAUSALPATH builds upon and further advances recent breakthrough developments in CD methods to enable the induction of biological pathways from cytometry and other omics data. As a testbed problem we focus on the differentiation of human T-cells; these are involved in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, as well as cancer and thus, are targets of new drug development for a range of chronic diseases. The biological problem acts as our campus for general novel formalisms, practical algorithms, and useful tools development, pointing to fundamental CD problems: presence of feedback cycles, presence of latent confounding variables, CD from time-course data, Integrative Causal Analysis (INCA) of heterogeneous datasets and others. Three features complement CAUSALPATH’s approach: (A) methods development will co-evolve with biological wet-lab experiments periodically testing the algorithmic postulates, (B) Open-source tools will be developed for the non-expert, and (C) Commercial exploitation of the results will be sought out. CAUSALPATH brings together an interdisciplinary team, committed to this vision. It builds upon the PI’s group recent important results on INCA algorithms.

Keywords: causal discovery,causal models,bayesian networks,maximal ancestral graphs,integrative causal analysis,biological pathways,mass-cytometry,flow-cytometry,t cell differentiation
Phylogeography and somatic evolution of cancer tumor cells (PHYLOCANCER)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Evolutionary, Population and Environmental Biology
Countries involved: Spain,Spain,Spain
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-10-01
End date: 2020-09-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999899.6
EU funding (EUR): 1999899.6
Participants: 4
Project status: CLOSED

By far, most evolutionary research has focused on the changes that occur in the germline of individuals across generations, within and between species. For different reasons, much less attention has been given to the process of change within the somatic line of a multicellular individual. The formation of cancer tumors due to uncontrolled cell proliferation is one of the most prominent forms of somatic evolution. The evolution of cancer tumors in a body can be likened with the evolution of populations in more or less fragmented habitats. The tumor is usually a expanding population of clonal cells, which may differentiate to a bigger or lesser extent (population structure) and disperse to contiguous (range expansion) or more distant tissues (long distance colonization). During tumor progression, this population of cells is subject to distinct somatic evolutionary processes like mutation, drift, selection or migration, which can act at different points in time and geographical space. Very recently, the discovery of extensive intratumor heterogeneity, together with the rise of single cell genomics, has created an unique opportunity to study the phylogeography of cancer tumor cells. So far evolutionary inferences drawn from cancer genomes have been mostly qualitative. Here we propose to study a thousand single cell genomes from different regions in primary tumors and matched metastases. We will develop and apply state-of-the-art statistical and computational techniques from phylogenetics, phylogeography and population genomics to understand the tempo and mode of evolution of cell lineages within and between cancer tumors. By doing so we aim to construct a robust theoretical and methodological evolutionary framework that can contribute to a better understanding of the process of somatic evolution and shed light into the biology of cancer.

Keywords: phylogeography,phylogenetics,population genomics,tumor genealogy,cancer biology,singe-cell genomics,bioinformatics
Cellular Hypoxia Alters DNA MEthylation through Loss of Epigenome OxidatioN (CHAMELEON)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
Countries involved: Belgium
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1920000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1920000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

DNA methylation was originally described in the 1970s as an epigenetic mark involved in transcriptional silencing, but the existence of DNA demethylation and the enzymes involved in this process were only recently discovered. In particular, it was established that TET hydroxylases catalyze the conversion of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) through a reaction requiring oxygen (O2) and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG). DNA demethylation as mediated by TET hydroxylases has so far predominantly been studied in the context of stem cells, but its precise contribution to carcinogenesis remains largely enigmatic. Nevertheless, somatic mutations in TETs have been identified in numerous cancers. Tumor hypoxia is linked to increased malignancy, poor prognosis and resistance to cancer therapies. In this proposal, we aim to assess how hypoxia directly impacts on the cancer epigenome through the dependence of TET-mediated DNA demethylation on O2. First of all, we will study the effect of O2 and 2OG concentration on TET hydroxylase activity, as well as the overall and locus-specific changes of their product (5hmC). Secondly, because much of the hypoxic response is executed through HIFs, we will investigate how HIF binding is influenced by DNA methylation and if so, whether TET hydroxylases are targeted to HIF (or other) binding sites to maintain them transcriptionally active. Thirdly, we will assess to what extent 5hmC profiles differ between tumor types and construct a comprehensive panel of (tumor-specific) 5hmC sites to assess the global and locus-specific relevance of 5hmC in various cancers. Finally, since hypoxia is a key regulator of the cancer stem cell (CSC) niche and within the tumor microenvironment also promotes metastasis, we will establish the in vivo relevance of DNA demethylation, as imposed by tumor hypoxia, in the CSC niche and during metastasis. Overall, we thus aim to establish the interplay between tumor hypoxia and the DNA methylome.

Keywords: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine,5-methylcytosine,tet hydroxylase,hypoxia,alpha-ketoglutarate,whole-genome sequencing,chip-seq,tumor metastasis,cancer stem cell niche
A New Paradigm for Public Health Surveillance: Unlocking the Potential of Data to Empower Women and Health Systems (HEALTHMPOWR)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Diagnostic Tools, Therapies and Public Health
Countries involved: Norway
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-09-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2212136.0
EU funding (EUR): 2212136.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Rationale: State of the art health registries, cornerstones of public health surveillance, have hardly capitalized on the information and communication technology revolution. Many continue to be static, fragmented, and passive data repositories disseminating outdated reports only to a closed loop of public health officials. Aim: In a radical departure from traditional science, this proposal introduces a new paradigm for public health surveillance: Maximizing the potential of data by disseminating data-driven individualized real-time information directly to women and providers to empower self-care in pregnancy and better healthcare delivery. Research question: Is routine, data-driven and automated feedback from a reproductive health registry (RHR) effective in improving health behaviour and quality of care? Plan: Based on the roll-out of a RHR in the Palestinian West Bank, four stepped wedged cluster randomized controlled trials will be undertaken to investigate the comparative effectiveness of a series of feedback modules to women and care providers. Main outcomes include adherence to evidence-based guidelines for providers, and self-care and care seeking among women. Impact: Coalescing with WHO/NIPH’s dissemination of the harmonized Reproductive Health Registries (hRHR) Initiative, the scientific horizons emerging from this proposal have potential for exceptional impact. Radically transforming public health surveillance by empowering women and health care providers with information can translate into better health care and behaviours thus saving lives.

Keywords: reproductive health,public health surveillance,maternal,newborn and child health
Theories and Models of the Dark Sector: Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Gravity. (THEMODS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Universe Sciences
Countries involved: Cyprus
Call:  (ERC-2013-CoG, 2013)
Start date: 2014-08-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1150691.0
EU funding (EUR): 1150691.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Modern cosmology assumes that General Relativity (GR) is the correct description of gravity on large scales. With this assumption and according to current data, the cosmological model needs in addition the existence of a Dark Sector: Dark Matter (DM) and Dark Energy (DE). We know very little about the nature of DM and it is yet to be detected experimentally. The simplest form of DE compatible with the data, a cosmological constant, has a value incompatible with our understanding of Quantum Field Theory. Given that the extrapolation of GR to cosmological scales has not been tested it is possible that the inference of the Dark Sector also needs to be revised. I propose to (i) determine the nature of DM and DE to a level not achieved before, (ii) test gravity on cosmological scales and (iii) test the screening of new gravitational degrees of freedom in the solar system. The first two goals will require the use of my general framework to parameterize field equations [Skordis, PRD 79, 123527 (2008); Baker, Ferreira & Skordis, PRD 87, 024015 (2013)]. My team will use this framework to construct simple models and observations to place limits on their parameters. We will employ the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations from ESA's Planck Surveyor and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. We will determine the sensitivity of the CMB lensing to the properties of DM and theories of gravity. To break possible degeneracies these data will be supplemented with large-scale structure data, weak lensing and red-shift space distortions. We will also perform forecasting for ESA's EUCLID mission which will give us a handle on how well we will constrain GR with cosmology in the future. For the final goal (iii) we will employ the method of [Padilla & Saffin, JHEP 1207, 122 (2012)] to construct a perturbative expansion of theories that exhibit screening, inside the screening radius. We will determine the compatibility of such theories with solar system and other strong-field data.

Keywords: modified gravity,cosmological tests of gravity,cosmic microwave background