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
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: 2021-03-31
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
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 SPQRel
Project Entanglement distribution via Semiconductor-Piezoelectric Quantum-Dot Relays
Researcher (PI) Rinaldo Trotta
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The development of scalable quantum devices that generate and distribute quantum entanglement over distant parties will bring about a revolution in communication science and technology. Epitaxial quantum dots (QDs) embedded in conventional diodes are arguably the most attractive quantum devices, since they combine the capability of QDs to deliver triggered and high-quality entangled photons with the tools of the mature semiconductor technology. However, it is at present impossible to use remote QDs for the distribution of entangled photons over large distances, mainly due to the lack of control over their electronic structure.
Recently, the PI has grasped that the solution to this problem resides in hybrid technologies. He has conceived and developed a novel class of semiconductor-piezoelectric quantum devices where different external fields are combined to reshape the electronic structure of any arbitrary QD so that single and polarization-entangled photons can be generated with unprecedented quality, efficiency, and speed, a major breakthrough for solid-state-based quantum communication.
In this project the PI will make the next pioneering step and develop the hybrid technology to the limit where advanced quantum communication protocols previously inaccessible to QDs can now be performed. The objective of the proposal is mainly to i) develop the first electrically-controlled wavelength-tunable source of indistinguishable and entangled photons, which can be exploited to ii) teleport entanglement over two distant QD-based qubits (the quantum relay) and to iii) attempt the construction of a quantum network where entangled photons from remote quantum relays are interconnected using warm atomic vapours.
The new hybrid technology that will be developed in this project to achieve i) will open new grounds in research fields well beyond quantum optics and quantum communication, and in particular the whole research area of strain-engineering of semiconductor thin-films.
Summary
The development of scalable quantum devices that generate and distribute quantum entanglement over distant parties will bring about a revolution in communication science and technology. Epitaxial quantum dots (QDs) embedded in conventional diodes are arguably the most attractive quantum devices, since they combine the capability of QDs to deliver triggered and high-quality entangled photons with the tools of the mature semiconductor technology. However, it is at present impossible to use remote QDs for the distribution of entangled photons over large distances, mainly due to the lack of control over their electronic structure.
Recently, the PI has grasped that the solution to this problem resides in hybrid technologies. He has conceived and developed a novel class of semiconductor-piezoelectric quantum devices where different external fields are combined to reshape the electronic structure of any arbitrary QD so that single and polarization-entangled photons can be generated with unprecedented quality, efficiency, and speed, a major breakthrough for solid-state-based quantum communication.
In this project the PI will make the next pioneering step and develop the hybrid technology to the limit where advanced quantum communication protocols previously inaccessible to QDs can now be performed. The objective of the proposal is mainly to i) develop the first electrically-controlled wavelength-tunable source of indistinguishable and entangled photons, which can be exploited to ii) teleport entanglement over two distant QD-based qubits (the quantum relay) and to iii) attempt the construction of a quantum network where entangled photons from remote quantum relays are interconnected using warm atomic vapours.
The new hybrid technology that will be developed in this project to achieve i) will open new grounds in research fields well beyond quantum optics and quantum communication, and in particular the whole research area of strain-engineering of semiconductor thin-films.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 963 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-03-01, End date: 2021-02-28
Project acronym VARIAMOLS
Project VAriable ResolutIon Algorithms for macroMOLecular Simulation
Researcher (PI) Raffaello POTESTIO
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Within the broad spectrum of biological soft matter systems, large proteins and protein assemblies occupy a central role. These molecules are extremely versatile: they can catalyze chemical reactions, transport atoms and molecules across the cellular membrane, bind to foreign bodies to be destroyed, or combine into large molecular machines that perform a variety of different tasks. One of the most prominent problems in the computational study of these macromolecules is that the cost of using accurate atomistic models dramatically increases with system size. Simplified, coarse-grained representations offer an elegant and effective alternative to high-resolution models, and enable the simulation of large systems over extended time scales; the other side of the coin, however, is that the missing chemical detail often represents an insurmountable limitation to the realistic reproduction of the properties of interest. The main goal of the VARIAMOLS project is to develop and apply novel computer-aided methods for the study of large molecular assemblies and their dynamics, thus bridging the existing gap between computational cost and chemical accuracy. Specifically, the research will unfold along two intertwined lines: 1) the development of non-uniform resolution models of the system, which optimize the balance between detail and efficiency; and 2) the study of dynamics-mediated properties of protein assemblies. The working philosophy of VARIAMOLS has two complementary and strictly interconnected aspects: on the one hand, the theoretical and algorithmic advancement of the methods currently employed to represent and simulate biomolecules; on the other hand, the systematic application of the developed methods to real-life case studies of great relevance for medical science and technology, with a particular focus on viruses and antibodies.
Summary
Within the broad spectrum of biological soft matter systems, large proteins and protein assemblies occupy a central role. These molecules are extremely versatile: they can catalyze chemical reactions, transport atoms and molecules across the cellular membrane, bind to foreign bodies to be destroyed, or combine into large molecular machines that perform a variety of different tasks. One of the most prominent problems in the computational study of these macromolecules is that the cost of using accurate atomistic models dramatically increases with system size. Simplified, coarse-grained representations offer an elegant and effective alternative to high-resolution models, and enable the simulation of large systems over extended time scales; the other side of the coin, however, is that the missing chemical detail often represents an insurmountable limitation to the realistic reproduction of the properties of interest. The main goal of the VARIAMOLS project is to develop and apply novel computer-aided methods for the study of large molecular assemblies and their dynamics, thus bridging the existing gap between computational cost and chemical accuracy. Specifically, the research will unfold along two intertwined lines: 1) the development of non-uniform resolution models of the system, which optimize the balance between detail and efficiency; and 2) the study of dynamics-mediated properties of protein assemblies. The working philosophy of VARIAMOLS has two complementary and strictly interconnected aspects: on the one hand, the theoretical and algorithmic advancement of the methods currently employed to represent and simulate biomolecules; on the other hand, the systematic application of the developed methods to real-life case studies of great relevance for medical science and technology, with a particular focus on viruses and antibodies.
Max ERC Funding
1 339 351 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31
Project acronym WIRELESS
Project Motor and cognitive functions of the monkey premotor cortex during free social interactions
Researcher (PI) Luca Bonini
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PARMA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2015-STG
Summary A number of studies demonstrated that the primates’ premotor cortex (PM) plays a crucial role not only in organizing movement, but also in perceptual and socio-cognitive functions. However, these studies have been carried out in laboratory settings, which deeply limit the possibility to understand the neural mechanisms underlying natural behaviours. To solve this problem, I propose a new approach consisting in a two-steps chronic recording of monkey PM neurons: first, single neurons response properties will be characterized in a traditional, head-restrained laboratory setting; then, in the same session, the same neurons activity will be recorded wirelessly during free interactions of the monkey with its physical and social environment. The project will initially focus on neurons belonging to the forelimb representation of the ventral (i.e. areas F4 and F5) and dorsal (area F2vr) PM, putatively well known for their role in sensorimotor transformations, goal coding, representation of space, and recognition of other’s observed actions. The same paradigm will then be applied to the study of the mesial pre-supplementary area F6, a crucial bridge between prefrontal and PM regions whose role in socio-cognitive functions remains still virtually unknown. Finally, by simultaneous, chronic recording of neuronal activity from lateral and mesial PM, we will first assess the functional interactions between these areas in both laboratory and natural settings, and then we will probe causality in these interactions by chemically manipulating neuronal activity of one region (i.e. F6) while recording from the other one (i.e. F5). The project will reveal the role of premotor cortex in motor and social functions during natural behaviours. In addition, it might open up new possibilities for future studies of neural plasticity and reorganization of ethologically-relevant motor, cognitive and social functions following chemical manipulation of neural activity and virtual brain lesions.
Summary
A number of studies demonstrated that the primates’ premotor cortex (PM) plays a crucial role not only in organizing movement, but also in perceptual and socio-cognitive functions. However, these studies have been carried out in laboratory settings, which deeply limit the possibility to understand the neural mechanisms underlying natural behaviours. To solve this problem, I propose a new approach consisting in a two-steps chronic recording of monkey PM neurons: first, single neurons response properties will be characterized in a traditional, head-restrained laboratory setting; then, in the same session, the same neurons activity will be recorded wirelessly during free interactions of the monkey with its physical and social environment. The project will initially focus on neurons belonging to the forelimb representation of the ventral (i.e. areas F4 and F5) and dorsal (area F2vr) PM, putatively well known for their role in sensorimotor transformations, goal coding, representation of space, and recognition of other’s observed actions. The same paradigm will then be applied to the study of the mesial pre-supplementary area F6, a crucial bridge between prefrontal and PM regions whose role in socio-cognitive functions remains still virtually unknown. Finally, by simultaneous, chronic recording of neuronal activity from lateral and mesial PM, we will first assess the functional interactions between these areas in both laboratory and natural settings, and then we will probe causality in these interactions by chemically manipulating neuronal activity of one region (i.e. F6) while recording from the other one (i.e. F5). The project will reveal the role of premotor cortex in motor and social functions during natural behaviours. In addition, it might open up new possibilities for future studies of neural plasticity and reorganization of ethologically-relevant motor, cognitive and social functions following chemical manipulation of neural activity and virtual brain lesions.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 338 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30
