Project acronym BioMNP
Project Understanding the interaction between metal nanoparticles and biological membranes
Researcher (PI) Giulia Rossi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The BioMNP objective is the molecular-level understanding of the interactions between surface functionalized metal nanoparticles and biological membranes, by means of cutting-edge computational techniques and new molecular models.
Metal nanoparticles (NP) play more and more important roles in pharmaceutical and medical technology as diagnostic or therapeutic devices. Metal NPs can nowadays be engineered in a multitude of shapes, sizes and compositions, and they can be decorated with an almost infinite variety of functionalities. Despite such technological advances, there is still poor understanding of the molecular processes that drive the interactions of metal NPs with cells. Cell membranes are the first barrier encountered by NPs entering living organisms. The understanding and control of the interaction of nanoparticles with biological membranes is therefore of paramount importance to understand the molecular basis of the NP biological effects.
BioMNP will go beyond the state of the art by rationalizing the complex interplay of NP size, composition, functionalization and aggregation state during the interaction with model biomembranes. Membranes, in turn, will be modelled at an increasing level of complexity in terms of lipid composition and phase. BioMNP will rely on cutting-edge simulation techniques and facilities, and develop new coarse-grained models grounded on finer-level atomistic simulations, to study the NP-membrane interactions on an extremely large range of length and time scales.
BioMNP will benefit from important and complementary experimental collaborations, will propose interpretations of the available experimental data and make predictions to guide the design of functional, non-toxic metal nanoparticles for biomedical applications. BioMNP aims at answering fundamental questions at the crossroads of physics, biology and chemistry. Its results will have an impact on nanomedicine, toxicology, nanotechnology and material sciences.
Summary
The BioMNP objective is the molecular-level understanding of the interactions between surface functionalized metal nanoparticles and biological membranes, by means of cutting-edge computational techniques and new molecular models.
Metal nanoparticles (NP) play more and more important roles in pharmaceutical and medical technology as diagnostic or therapeutic devices. Metal NPs can nowadays be engineered in a multitude of shapes, sizes and compositions, and they can be decorated with an almost infinite variety of functionalities. Despite such technological advances, there is still poor understanding of the molecular processes that drive the interactions of metal NPs with cells. Cell membranes are the first barrier encountered by NPs entering living organisms. The understanding and control of the interaction of nanoparticles with biological membranes is therefore of paramount importance to understand the molecular basis of the NP biological effects.
BioMNP will go beyond the state of the art by rationalizing the complex interplay of NP size, composition, functionalization and aggregation state during the interaction with model biomembranes. Membranes, in turn, will be modelled at an increasing level of complexity in terms of lipid composition and phase. BioMNP will rely on cutting-edge simulation techniques and facilities, and develop new coarse-grained models grounded on finer-level atomistic simulations, to study the NP-membrane interactions on an extremely large range of length and time scales.
BioMNP will benefit from important and complementary experimental collaborations, will propose interpretations of the available experimental data and make predictions to guide the design of functional, non-toxic metal nanoparticles for biomedical applications. BioMNP aims at answering fundamental questions at the crossroads of physics, biology and chemistry. Its results will have an impact on nanomedicine, toxicology, nanotechnology and material sciences.
Max ERC Funding
1 131 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-04-01, End date: 2021-11-30
Project acronym COMPASS
Project Control for Orbit Manoeuvring through Perturbations for Application to Space Systems
Researcher (PI) Camilla Colombo
Host Institution (HI) POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Space benefits mankind through the services it provides to Earth. Future space activities progress thanks to space transfer and are safeguarded by space situation awareness. Natural orbit perturbations are responsible for the trajectory divergence from the nominal two-body problem, increasing the requirements for orbit control; whereas, in space situation awareness, they influence the orbit evolution of space debris that could cause hazard to operational spacecraft and near Earth objects that may intersect the Earth. However, this project proposes to leverage the dynamics of natural orbit perturbations to significantly reduce current extreme high mission cost and create new opportunities for space exploration and exploitation.
The COMPASS project will bridge over the disciplines of orbital dynamics, dynamical systems theory, optimisation and space mission design by developing novel techniques for orbit manoeuvring by “surfing” through orbit perturbations. The use of semi-analytical techniques and tools of dynamical systems theory will lay the foundation for a new understanding of the dynamics of orbit perturbations. We will develop an optimiser that progressively explores the phase space and, though spacecraft parameters and propulsion manoeuvres, governs the effect of perturbations to reach the desired orbit. It is the ambition of COMPASS to radically change the current space mission design philosophy: from counteracting disturbances, to exploiting natural and artificial perturbations.
COMPASS will benefit from the extensive international network of the PI, including the ESA, NASA, JAXA, CNES, and the UK space agency. Indeed, the proposed idea of optimal navigation through orbit perturbations will address various major engineering challenges in space situation awareness, for application to space debris evolution and mitigation, missions to asteroids for their detection, exploration and deflection, and in space transfers, for perturbation-enhanced trajectory design.
Summary
Space benefits mankind through the services it provides to Earth. Future space activities progress thanks to space transfer and are safeguarded by space situation awareness. Natural orbit perturbations are responsible for the trajectory divergence from the nominal two-body problem, increasing the requirements for orbit control; whereas, in space situation awareness, they influence the orbit evolution of space debris that could cause hazard to operational spacecraft and near Earth objects that may intersect the Earth. However, this project proposes to leverage the dynamics of natural orbit perturbations to significantly reduce current extreme high mission cost and create new opportunities for space exploration and exploitation.
The COMPASS project will bridge over the disciplines of orbital dynamics, dynamical systems theory, optimisation and space mission design by developing novel techniques for orbit manoeuvring by “surfing” through orbit perturbations. The use of semi-analytical techniques and tools of dynamical systems theory will lay the foundation for a new understanding of the dynamics of orbit perturbations. We will develop an optimiser that progressively explores the phase space and, though spacecraft parameters and propulsion manoeuvres, governs the effect of perturbations to reach the desired orbit. It is the ambition of COMPASS to radically change the current space mission design philosophy: from counteracting disturbances, to exploiting natural and artificial perturbations.
COMPASS will benefit from the extensive international network of the PI, including the ESA, NASA, JAXA, CNES, and the UK space agency. Indeed, the proposed idea of optimal navigation through orbit perturbations will address various major engineering challenges in space situation awareness, for application to space debris evolution and mitigation, missions to asteroids for their detection, exploration and deflection, and in space transfers, for perturbation-enhanced trajectory design.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 021 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-08-01, End date: 2021-07-31
Project acronym DMAP
Project Data Mining Algorithms in Practice
Researcher (PI) Flavio Chierichetti
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Data Mining algorithms are a cornerstone of today's Internet-related services and products. We aim to tackle some of the most important problems in Data Mining --- our goal is to develop a systematic theoretical understanding of certain simple algorithms that, in spite of being at the core of today's web industry, are not yet well understood in terms of their properties and performances, and to develop new simple algorithms for fundamental problems in this domain that have so far escaped a satisfactory solution.
Summary
Data Mining algorithms are a cornerstone of today's Internet-related services and products. We aim to tackle some of the most important problems in Data Mining --- our goal is to develop a systematic theoretical understanding of certain simple algorithms that, in spite of being at the core of today's web industry, are not yet well understood in terms of their properties and performances, and to develop new simple algorithms for fundamental problems in this domain that have so far escaped a satisfactory solution.
Max ERC Funding
1 137 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-02-01, End date: 2021-01-31
Project acronym Fornax
Project Galaxy evolution in dense environments
Researcher (PI) Paolo Serra
Host Institution (HI) ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI ASTROFISICA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE9, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The Universe around us is populated with galaxies, each containing from millions to tens of billions of individual stars. Far from being immutable, galaxies undergo profound changes as they age. Their evolution depends on their position in the cosmic web, a network of sheets and filaments of matter that stretches across the entire Universe. The goal of FORNAX is to study the evolution of galaxies in the densest regions of the cosmic web, galaxy clusters. In these regions, a number of physical processes are thought to make galaxies lose their cold gas – the material from which new stars are born – and change their appearance dramatically. I will study these processes in action by observing the flow of cold gas in and out of galaxies living inside an important, nearby cluster of galaxies: Fornax.
I will observe Fornax for 2,450 hours with MeerKAT, a new, state-of-the-art radio telescope precursor of the Square Kilometre Array. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of sensitivity, resolution and sky-coverage of my survey, I will reveal the most subtle signs of the removal of gas from galaxies, I will detect the smallest gas-bearing galaxies in the cluster, and I will hunt the elusive cold gas which, according to cosmological theories, floats in the space between galaxies along the filaments of the cosmic web.
Summary
The Universe around us is populated with galaxies, each containing from millions to tens of billions of individual stars. Far from being immutable, galaxies undergo profound changes as they age. Their evolution depends on their position in the cosmic web, a network of sheets and filaments of matter that stretches across the entire Universe. The goal of FORNAX is to study the evolution of galaxies in the densest regions of the cosmic web, galaxy clusters. In these regions, a number of physical processes are thought to make galaxies lose their cold gas – the material from which new stars are born – and change their appearance dramatically. I will study these processes in action by observing the flow of cold gas in and out of galaxies living inside an important, nearby cluster of galaxies: Fornax.
I will observe Fornax for 2,450 hours with MeerKAT, a new, state-of-the-art radio telescope precursor of the Square Kilometre Array. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of sensitivity, resolution and sky-coverage of my survey, I will reveal the most subtle signs of the removal of gas from galaxies, I will detect the smallest gas-bearing galaxies in the cluster, and I will hunt the elusive cold gas which, according to cosmological theories, floats in the space between galaxies along the filaments of the cosmic web.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30
Project acronym ICARO
Project Colloidal Inorganic Nanostructures for Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy
Researcher (PI) Teresa Pellegrino
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Radio and chemotherapy are the major clinical treatments for cancer. However these treatments lack cell specificity and can have severe side effects against healthy cells, especially when used in combination. My goal is to develop a nanocrystal (NC) platform to merge radio and chemotherapy into a single entity that is more specific towards tumor cells. To achieve ICARO’s goal, three main objectives will be pursued. The first objective is to introduce post-synthesis reactions, namely cation exchange (CE) and intercalation (INT) reactions, as new protocols to replace or intercalate cations that are useful as radionuclides within the crystal lattice of water-soluble NCs. Our goal is to establish protocols for the preparation of radiolabelled-NCs that will be easily translated to the medical practice for radiotherapy. This requires CE/INT reactions that occur in aqueous media, possibly with NCs prefunctionalized with specific recognition molecules to achieve targeted radiotherapy. To minimize the radio exposure of the operator, CE/INT protocols will be carried out as the last step of NC preparation. The second objective of ICARO will be to explore in situ CE/INT reactions with NCs entrapped in a matrix that simulates the tumor mass. By first located NCs at the tumor and then let the CE/INT to occur, enhance therapeutic effect is expected. The third objective of ICARO will be to develop heterostructures to combine radio and chemotherapy. They will include at least one semiconductor NC on which to perform radiolabelling protocols and one portion made of a superparamagnetic (SP) NC for magnetically triggered drug release. With respect to magnetic hyperthermia, which exploits SP-NCs to produce bulk heat (>46°C) at the tumor, the local heat effect generated at the surface of SP-NCs will enable drug release using a lower dose of magnetic material. Finally, new types of heterostructures combining radio and chemotherapy will be tested, for the first time, in preclinical trials.
Summary
Radio and chemotherapy are the major clinical treatments for cancer. However these treatments lack cell specificity and can have severe side effects against healthy cells, especially when used in combination. My goal is to develop a nanocrystal (NC) platform to merge radio and chemotherapy into a single entity that is more specific towards tumor cells. To achieve ICARO’s goal, three main objectives will be pursued. The first objective is to introduce post-synthesis reactions, namely cation exchange (CE) and intercalation (INT) reactions, as new protocols to replace or intercalate cations that are useful as radionuclides within the crystal lattice of water-soluble NCs. Our goal is to establish protocols for the preparation of radiolabelled-NCs that will be easily translated to the medical practice for radiotherapy. This requires CE/INT reactions that occur in aqueous media, possibly with NCs prefunctionalized with specific recognition molecules to achieve targeted radiotherapy. To minimize the radio exposure of the operator, CE/INT protocols will be carried out as the last step of NC preparation. The second objective of ICARO will be to explore in situ CE/INT reactions with NCs entrapped in a matrix that simulates the tumor mass. By first located NCs at the tumor and then let the CE/INT to occur, enhance therapeutic effect is expected. The third objective of ICARO will be to develop heterostructures to combine radio and chemotherapy. They will include at least one semiconductor NC on which to perform radiolabelling protocols and one portion made of a superparamagnetic (SP) NC for magnetically triggered drug release. With respect to magnetic hyperthermia, which exploits SP-NCs to produce bulk heat (>46°C) at the tumor, the local heat effect generated at the surface of SP-NCs will enable drug release using a lower dose of magnetic material. Finally, new types of heterostructures combining radio and chemotherapy will be tested, for the first time, in preclinical trials.
Max ERC Funding
1 160 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-03-01, End date: 2020-12-31
Project acronym INCEPT
Project INhomogenieties and fluctuations in quantum CohErent matter Phases by ultrafast optical Tomography
Researcher (PI) Daniele Fausti
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Standard time domain experiments measure the time evolution of the reflected/transmitted mean number of photons in the probe pulses. The evolution of the response of a material is typically averaged over the illuminated area as well as over many pump and probe measurements repeated stroboscopically. The aim of this project is to extend time domain optical spectroscopy beyond mean photon number measurements by performing a full Time Resolved Quantum State Reconstruction (TRQSR) of the probe pulses as a function of the pump and probe delay. The nature of the light matter interaction and the transient light-induced states of matter will be imprinted into the probe quantum state after the interaction with the material and can be uncovered with unprecedented detail with this new approach to time domain studies.
TRQSR will be implemented by combining pump and probe experiments resolving single light pulses with balanced homodyne detection quantum tomography in the pulsed regime. We will apply and exploit the unique capabilities of TRQSR to address two different unresolved problems in condensed matter. Firstly, we will investigate the coherent and squeezed nature of low energy photo-induced vibrational states. We will use TRQSR with probe pulses shorter than the phonon timescale to interrogate the time evolution of the vibrational state induced by the pump pulse. Secondly, we will address inhomogeneities in photo-induced phase transformations. With TRQSR we can perform time domain measurements with a very small photon number per pulse which will give information on the interaction between the material (as prepared by the pump pulse) and individual photons. In this limit, TRQSR will allow us to retrieve rich statistics. While the average will deliver the information of a standard pump and probe experiment, higher order moments will give information on the time evolution of spatial inhomogenieties in the transient state.
Summary
Standard time domain experiments measure the time evolution of the reflected/transmitted mean number of photons in the probe pulses. The evolution of the response of a material is typically averaged over the illuminated area as well as over many pump and probe measurements repeated stroboscopically. The aim of this project is to extend time domain optical spectroscopy beyond mean photon number measurements by performing a full Time Resolved Quantum State Reconstruction (TRQSR) of the probe pulses as a function of the pump and probe delay. The nature of the light matter interaction and the transient light-induced states of matter will be imprinted into the probe quantum state after the interaction with the material and can be uncovered with unprecedented detail with this new approach to time domain studies.
TRQSR will be implemented by combining pump and probe experiments resolving single light pulses with balanced homodyne detection quantum tomography in the pulsed regime. We will apply and exploit the unique capabilities of TRQSR to address two different unresolved problems in condensed matter. Firstly, we will investigate the coherent and squeezed nature of low energy photo-induced vibrational states. We will use TRQSR with probe pulses shorter than the phonon timescale to interrogate the time evolution of the vibrational state induced by the pump pulse. Secondly, we will address inhomogeneities in photo-induced phase transformations. With TRQSR we can perform time domain measurements with a very small photon number per pulse which will give information on the interaction between the material (as prepared by the pump pulse) and individual photons. In this limit, TRQSR will allow us to retrieve rich statistics. While the average will deliver the information of a standard pump and probe experiment, higher order moments will give information on the time evolution of spatial inhomogenieties in the transient state.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-06-01, End date: 2021-05-31
Project acronym MODEM
Project Multipoint Optical DEvices for Minimally invasive neural circuits interface
Researcher (PI) Ferruccio Pisanello
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2015-STG
Summary A primary goal of experimental neuroscience is to dissect the neural microcircuitry underlying brain function, ultimately to link specific neural circuits to behavior. There is widespread agreement that innovative new research tools are required to better understand the incredible structural and functional complexity of the brain. To this aim, optical techniques based on genetically encoded neural activity indicators and actuators have represented a revolution for experimental neuroscience, allowing genetic targeting of specific classes of neurons and brain circuits. However, for optical approaches to reach their full potential, we need new generations of devices better able to interface with the extreme complexity and diversity of brain topology and connectivity.
This project aspires to develop innovative technologies for multipoint optical neural interfacing with the mammalian brain in vivo. The limitations of the current state-of-the-art will be surmounted by developing a radically new approach for modal multiplexing and de-multiplexing of light into a single, thin, minimally invasive tapered optical fiber serving as a carrier for multipoint signals to and from the brain. This will be achieved through nano- and micro-structuring of the taper edge, capitalizing on the photonic properties of the tapered waveguide to precisely control light delivery and collection in vivo. This general approach will propel the development of innovative new nano- and micro-photonic devices for studying the living brain.
The main objectives of the proposals are: 1) Development of minimally invasive technologies for versatile, user-defined optogenetic control over deep brain regions; 2) Development of fully integrated high signal-to- noise-ratio optrodes; 3) Development of minimally invasive technologies for multi-point in vivo all-optical “electrophysiology” through a single waveguide; 4) Development of new optical methodologies for dissecting brain circuitry at small and large scale
Summary
A primary goal of experimental neuroscience is to dissect the neural microcircuitry underlying brain function, ultimately to link specific neural circuits to behavior. There is widespread agreement that innovative new research tools are required to better understand the incredible structural and functional complexity of the brain. To this aim, optical techniques based on genetically encoded neural activity indicators and actuators have represented a revolution for experimental neuroscience, allowing genetic targeting of specific classes of neurons and brain circuits. However, for optical approaches to reach their full potential, we need new generations of devices better able to interface with the extreme complexity and diversity of brain topology and connectivity.
This project aspires to develop innovative technologies for multipoint optical neural interfacing with the mammalian brain in vivo. The limitations of the current state-of-the-art will be surmounted by developing a radically new approach for modal multiplexing and de-multiplexing of light into a single, thin, minimally invasive tapered optical fiber serving as a carrier for multipoint signals to and from the brain. This will be achieved through nano- and micro-structuring of the taper edge, capitalizing on the photonic properties of the tapered waveguide to precisely control light delivery and collection in vivo. This general approach will propel the development of innovative new nano- and micro-photonic devices for studying the living brain.
The main objectives of the proposals are: 1) Development of minimally invasive technologies for versatile, user-defined optogenetic control over deep brain regions; 2) Development of fully integrated high signal-to- noise-ratio optrodes; 3) Development of minimally invasive technologies for multi-point in vivo all-optical “electrophysiology” through a single waveguide; 4) Development of new optical methodologies for dissecting brain circuitry at small and large scale
Max ERC Funding
1 996 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2022-03-31
Project acronym MYKI
Project A Bidirectional MyoKinetic Implanted Interface for Natural Control of Artificial Limbs
Researcher (PI) Christian Cipriani
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2015-STG
Summary MYKI aims at developing and clinically evaluating a dexterous hand prosthesis with tactile sensing which is naturally controlled and perceived by the amputee. This will be possible by overcoming the conventional approaches based on recording electrical signals from the peripheral nervous system (nerves or skeletal muscles) through the development of a radically new Human-Machine Interface (HMI) based on magnetic field principles, both able to decode voluntary motor commands and to convey sensory feedback to the individual. Core of this system is a multitude of magnets implanted in independent muscles and external magnetic readers/drivers (MRDs) able to (i) continuously localize the movements of the magnets and, at specific times, (ii) induce subtle movements in specific magnets. In fact, as a magnet is implanted it will travel with the muscle it is located in, and its localization will provide a direct measure of the contraction/elongation of that muscle, which is voluntarily controlled by the central nervous system. In this way it will be possible to decode the efferent signals sent by the brain by observing a by-product of the muscle fibres recruitment. On the other hand, a movement induced in the implanted magnet by the external MRD, could provide a perceivable stimulus, conveyed to the brain by means of the peripheral sensory receptors present in the muscle (e.g. muscle spindles or Golgi tendon organ) or in the neighbouring skin (tactile mechanoreceptors). In this way we aim to provide tactile and/or proprioceptive sensory information to the brain, thus restoring the physiological sensorimotor control loop. Remarkably, with passive magnetic tags (that do not require to be powered-on) and wearable readers/drivers, it will be possible to implement a wireless, bidirectional HMI with dramatically enhanced capabilities with respect to the state of the art interfaces, as illustrated in this proposal.
Summary
MYKI aims at developing and clinically evaluating a dexterous hand prosthesis with tactile sensing which is naturally controlled and perceived by the amputee. This will be possible by overcoming the conventional approaches based on recording electrical signals from the peripheral nervous system (nerves or skeletal muscles) through the development of a radically new Human-Machine Interface (HMI) based on magnetic field principles, both able to decode voluntary motor commands and to convey sensory feedback to the individual. Core of this system is a multitude of magnets implanted in independent muscles and external magnetic readers/drivers (MRDs) able to (i) continuously localize the movements of the magnets and, at specific times, (ii) induce subtle movements in specific magnets. In fact, as a magnet is implanted it will travel with the muscle it is located in, and its localization will provide a direct measure of the contraction/elongation of that muscle, which is voluntarily controlled by the central nervous system. In this way it will be possible to decode the efferent signals sent by the brain by observing a by-product of the muscle fibres recruitment. On the other hand, a movement induced in the implanted magnet by the external MRD, could provide a perceivable stimulus, conveyed to the brain by means of the peripheral sensory receptors present in the muscle (e.g. muscle spindles or Golgi tendon organ) or in the neighbouring skin (tactile mechanoreceptors). In this way we aim to provide tactile and/or proprioceptive sensory information to the brain, thus restoring the physiological sensorimotor control loop. Remarkably, with passive magnetic tags (that do not require to be powered-on) and wearable readers/drivers, it will be possible to implement a wireless, bidirectional HMI with dramatically enhanced capabilities with respect to the state of the art interfaces, as illustrated in this proposal.
Max ERC Funding
1 475 269 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2022-04-30
Project acronym RESHAPE
Project REstoring the Self with embodiable HAnd ProsthesEs
Researcher (PI) Giovanni Di Pino
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA CAMPUS BIO MEDICO DI ROMA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Amputation distorts the body representation, a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. Hand prostheses counteract sensorimotor impairment, but poor attention has been posed to target the alteration of body-image.
RESHAPE aims to study prosthesis embodiment, identify what makes a hand prosthesis easily embodiable, and test non-invasive brain stimulation to facilitate the embodiment.
Amputees claim to perceive prostheses as tools; RESHAPE enables amputees to project their self into the prosthesis, improving in parallel their dexterity.
The first of three phases develops the enabling technology and defines the embodiment protocol.
The following phase evaluates thirty myoelectric-prosthesis users and the first of two amputees implanted with peripheral neural electrodes, for functional ability, prosthesis embodiment and acceptability and for phantom limb pain (PLP), before and after neuromodulation.
In the last phase, a neuro-controlled prosthesis is optimized in line with the specifications defined in the previous phase and tested in the second implanted amputee.
An embodiment and a sensory/manipulation platform, integrating a discrimination setup with sensorized wearable systems, induce and weigh the embodiment and its impact on prosthesis performance.
Embodiment neural correlates are investigated with EEG and fMRI-based techniques, thanks to a prosthesis virtual model controllable inside the scanner.
Patients are stimulated with a homeostatic plasticity-based rTMS either on premotor cortex or on intraparietal sulcus. A robot-aided TMS compensates head-coil relative displacement, allowing the subject to operate the prosthesis during the stimulation.
RESHAPE is a paradigm shift in Prosthetics. It offers the guidelines for highly-embodiable prostheses, four technological platforms beyond the state-of-the-art, novel insights on how tools shape the body-image, the proof of a TMS-induced embodiment and a new strategy to readdress amputees’ aberrant plasticity and PLP.
Summary
Amputation distorts the body representation, a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. Hand prostheses counteract sensorimotor impairment, but poor attention has been posed to target the alteration of body-image.
RESHAPE aims to study prosthesis embodiment, identify what makes a hand prosthesis easily embodiable, and test non-invasive brain stimulation to facilitate the embodiment.
Amputees claim to perceive prostheses as tools; RESHAPE enables amputees to project their self into the prosthesis, improving in parallel their dexterity.
The first of three phases develops the enabling technology and defines the embodiment protocol.
The following phase evaluates thirty myoelectric-prosthesis users and the first of two amputees implanted with peripheral neural electrodes, for functional ability, prosthesis embodiment and acceptability and for phantom limb pain (PLP), before and after neuromodulation.
In the last phase, a neuro-controlled prosthesis is optimized in line with the specifications defined in the previous phase and tested in the second implanted amputee.
An embodiment and a sensory/manipulation platform, integrating a discrimination setup with sensorized wearable systems, induce and weigh the embodiment and its impact on prosthesis performance.
Embodiment neural correlates are investigated with EEG and fMRI-based techniques, thanks to a prosthesis virtual model controllable inside the scanner.
Patients are stimulated with a homeostatic plasticity-based rTMS either on premotor cortex or on intraparietal sulcus. A robot-aided TMS compensates head-coil relative displacement, allowing the subject to operate the prosthesis during the stimulation.
RESHAPE is a paradigm shift in Prosthetics. It offers the guidelines for highly-embodiable prostheses, four technological platforms beyond the state-of-the-art, novel insights on how tools shape the body-image, the proof of a TMS-induced embodiment and a new strategy to readdress amputees’ aberrant plasticity and PLP.
Max ERC Funding
1 490 750 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym SHAPE
Project Structure-dependent microkinetic modelling of heterogeneous catalytic processes
Researcher (PI) Matteo Maestri
Host Institution (HI) POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Despite the fact that the catalyst structure has been an important factor in catalysis science since the discovery of structure sensitive reactions in single crystal studies, its effect on reactivity is neglected in state-of-the-art microkinetic modelling. In reality, the catalyst is dynamic by changing its structure, shape and size in response to the different conditions in the reactor. Thus, the inclusion of such effects within the framework of microkinetic modelling, albeit extremely complex, is of outmost importance in the quest of engineering the chemical transformation at the molecular level. This proposal aims to approach this grand challenge by developing a hierarchical multiscale methodology for the structure-dependent microkinetic modelling of catalytic processes in applied catalysis. In particular this challenging objective will be achieved by acting on two main fronts:
i. development of a hierarchical multiscale methodology for the prediction of the structural changes of the catalyst material as a function of the operating conditions in the reactor and the analysis of the structure-activity relations through the development of structure-dependent microkinetic models;
ii. show the applicability of the methodology by the assessment of the structure-activity relation in the context of relevant processes in energy applications such as the short-contact-time CH4 reforming with H2O and CO2 on supported-metal catalysts.
The inherent complexity of the problem will be tackled by hierarchically combining novel methods at different levels of accuracy in a dual feed-back loop between theory and experiments. This will require interdisciplinary efforts in bridging among surface science, physical-chemistry and chemical engineering. The fundamental nature and impact of the methodology will be unprecedented and will pave the way toward the detailed analysis and design of the structure-activity relation by tuning shape and size to tailoring activity and selectivity.
Summary
Despite the fact that the catalyst structure has been an important factor in catalysis science since the discovery of structure sensitive reactions in single crystal studies, its effect on reactivity is neglected in state-of-the-art microkinetic modelling. In reality, the catalyst is dynamic by changing its structure, shape and size in response to the different conditions in the reactor. Thus, the inclusion of such effects within the framework of microkinetic modelling, albeit extremely complex, is of outmost importance in the quest of engineering the chemical transformation at the molecular level. This proposal aims to approach this grand challenge by developing a hierarchical multiscale methodology for the structure-dependent microkinetic modelling of catalytic processes in applied catalysis. In particular this challenging objective will be achieved by acting on two main fronts:
i. development of a hierarchical multiscale methodology for the prediction of the structural changes of the catalyst material as a function of the operating conditions in the reactor and the analysis of the structure-activity relations through the development of structure-dependent microkinetic models;
ii. show the applicability of the methodology by the assessment of the structure-activity relation in the context of relevant processes in energy applications such as the short-contact-time CH4 reforming with H2O and CO2 on supported-metal catalysts.
The inherent complexity of the problem will be tackled by hierarchically combining novel methods at different levels of accuracy in a dual feed-back loop between theory and experiments. This will require interdisciplinary efforts in bridging among surface science, physical-chemistry and chemical engineering. The fundamental nature and impact of the methodology will be unprecedented and will pave the way toward the detailed analysis and design of the structure-activity relation by tuning shape and size to tailoring activity and selectivity.
Max ERC Funding
1 496 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-05-01, End date: 2021-10-31
