Project acronym 3DBIOLUNG
Project Bioengineering lung tissue using extracellular matrix based 3D bioprinting
Researcher (PI) Darcy WAGNER
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS9, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Chronic lung diseases are increasing in prevalence with over 65 million patients worldwide. Lung transplantation remains the only potential option at end-stage disease. Around 4000 patients receive lung transplants annually with more awaiting transplantation, including 1000 patients in Europe. New options to increase available tissue for lung transplantation are desperately needed.
An exciting new research area focuses on generating lung tissue ex vivo using bioengineering approaches. Scaffolds can be generated from synthetic or biologically-derived (acellular) materials, seeded with cells and grown in a bioreactor prior to transplantation. Ideally, scaffolds would be seeded with cells derived from the transplant recipient, thus obviating the need for long-term immunosuppression. However, functional regeneration has yet to be achieved. New advances in 3D printing and 3D bioprinting (when cells are printed) indicate that this once thought of science-fiction concept might finally be mature enough for complex tissues, including lung. 3D bioprinting addresses a number of concerns identified in previous approaches, such as a) patient heterogeneity in acellular human scaffolds, b) anatomical differences in xenogeneic sources, c) lack of biological cues on synthetic materials and d) difficulty in manufacturing the complex lung architecture. 3D bioprinting could be a reproducible, scalable, and controllable approach for generating functional lung tissue.
The aim of this proposal is to use custom 3D bioprinters to generate constructs mimicking lung tissue using an innovative approach combining primary cells, the engineering reproducibility of synthetic materials, and the biologically conductive properties of acellular lung (hybrid). We will 3D bioprint hybrid murine and human lung tissue models and test gas exchange, angiogenesis and in vivo immune responses. This proposal will be a critical first step in demonstrating feasibility of 3D bioprinting lung tissue.
Summary
Chronic lung diseases are increasing in prevalence with over 65 million patients worldwide. Lung transplantation remains the only potential option at end-stage disease. Around 4000 patients receive lung transplants annually with more awaiting transplantation, including 1000 patients in Europe. New options to increase available tissue for lung transplantation are desperately needed.
An exciting new research area focuses on generating lung tissue ex vivo using bioengineering approaches. Scaffolds can be generated from synthetic or biologically-derived (acellular) materials, seeded with cells and grown in a bioreactor prior to transplantation. Ideally, scaffolds would be seeded with cells derived from the transplant recipient, thus obviating the need for long-term immunosuppression. However, functional regeneration has yet to be achieved. New advances in 3D printing and 3D bioprinting (when cells are printed) indicate that this once thought of science-fiction concept might finally be mature enough for complex tissues, including lung. 3D bioprinting addresses a number of concerns identified in previous approaches, such as a) patient heterogeneity in acellular human scaffolds, b) anatomical differences in xenogeneic sources, c) lack of biological cues on synthetic materials and d) difficulty in manufacturing the complex lung architecture. 3D bioprinting could be a reproducible, scalable, and controllable approach for generating functional lung tissue.
The aim of this proposal is to use custom 3D bioprinters to generate constructs mimicking lung tissue using an innovative approach combining primary cells, the engineering reproducibility of synthetic materials, and the biologically conductive properties of acellular lung (hybrid). We will 3D bioprint hybrid murine and human lung tissue models and test gas exchange, angiogenesis and in vivo immune responses. This proposal will be a critical first step in demonstrating feasibility of 3D bioprinting lung tissue.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 975 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym ADDICTIONCIRCUITS
Project Drug addiction: molecular changes in reward and aversion circuits
Researcher (PI) Nils David Engblom
Host Institution (HI) LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Our affective and motivational state is important for our decisions, actions and quality of life. Many pathological conditions affect this state. For example, addictive drugs are hyperactivating the reward system and trigger a strong motivation for continued drug intake, whereas many somatic and psychiatric diseases lead to an aversive state, characterized by loss of motivation. I will study specific neural circuits and mechanisms underlying reward and aversion, and how pathological signaling in these systems can trigger relapse in drug addiction.
Given the important role of the dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain for many aspects of reward signaling, I will study how synaptic plasticity in these cells, and in their target neurons in the striatum, contribute to relapse in drug seeking. I will also study the circuits underlying aversion. Little is known about these circuits, but my hypothesis is that an important component of aversion is signaled by a specific neuronal population in the brainstem parabrachial nucleus, projecting to the central amygdala. We will test this hypothesis and also determine how this aversion circuit contributes to the persistence of addiction and to relapse.
To dissect this complicated system, I am developing new genetic methods for manipulating and visualizing specific functional circuits in the mouse brain. My unique combination of state-of-the-art competence in transgenics and cutting edge knowledge in the anatomy and functional organization of the circuits behind reward and aversion should allow me to decode these systems, linking discrete circuits to behavior.
Collectively, the results will indicate how signals encoding aversion and reward are integrated to control addictive behavior and they may identify novel avenues for treatment of drug addiction as well as aversion-related symptoms affecting patients with chronic inflammatory conditions and cancer.
Summary
Our affective and motivational state is important for our decisions, actions and quality of life. Many pathological conditions affect this state. For example, addictive drugs are hyperactivating the reward system and trigger a strong motivation for continued drug intake, whereas many somatic and psychiatric diseases lead to an aversive state, characterized by loss of motivation. I will study specific neural circuits and mechanisms underlying reward and aversion, and how pathological signaling in these systems can trigger relapse in drug addiction.
Given the important role of the dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain for many aspects of reward signaling, I will study how synaptic plasticity in these cells, and in their target neurons in the striatum, contribute to relapse in drug seeking. I will also study the circuits underlying aversion. Little is known about these circuits, but my hypothesis is that an important component of aversion is signaled by a specific neuronal population in the brainstem parabrachial nucleus, projecting to the central amygdala. We will test this hypothesis and also determine how this aversion circuit contributes to the persistence of addiction and to relapse.
To dissect this complicated system, I am developing new genetic methods for manipulating and visualizing specific functional circuits in the mouse brain. My unique combination of state-of-the-art competence in transgenics and cutting edge knowledge in the anatomy and functional organization of the circuits behind reward and aversion should allow me to decode these systems, linking discrete circuits to behavior.
Collectively, the results will indicate how signals encoding aversion and reward are integrated to control addictive behavior and they may identify novel avenues for treatment of drug addiction as well as aversion-related symptoms affecting patients with chronic inflammatory conditions and cancer.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-10-01, End date: 2015-09-30
Project acronym AfricanNeo
Project The African Neolithic: A genetic perspective
Researcher (PI) Carina SCHLEBUSCH
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2017-STG
Summary The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived.
The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Summary
The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived.
The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-11-01, End date: 2022-10-31
Project acronym AGINGSEXDIFF
Project Aging Differently: Understanding Sex Differences in Reproductive, Demographic and Functional Senescence
Researcher (PI) Alexei Maklakov
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS8, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Sex differences in life span and aging are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and represent a
long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. In most species, including humans, sexes differ not
only in how long they live and when they start to senesce, but also in how they react to
environmental interventions aimed at prolonging their life span or decelerating the onset of aging.
Therefore, sex differences in life span and aging have important implications beyond the questions
posed by fundamental science. Both evolutionary reasons and medical implications of sex
differences in demographic, reproductive and physiological senescence are and will be crucial
targets of present and future research in the biology of aging. Here I propose a two-step approach
that can provide a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the biological basis of sex
differences in aging. First, I propose to resolve the age-old conundrum regarding the role of sexspecific
mortality rate in sex differences in aging by developing a series of targeted experimental
evolution studies in a novel model organism – the nematode, Caenorhabditis remanei. Second, I
address the role of intra-locus sexual conflict in the evolution of aging by combining novel
methodology from nutritional ecology – the Geometric Framework – with artificial selection
approach using the cricket Teleogryllus commodus and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. I will
directly test the hypothesis that intra-locus sexual conflict mediates aging by restricting the
adaptive evolution of diet choice. By combining techniques from evolutionary biology and
nutritional ecology, this proposal will raise EU’s profile in integrative research, and contribute to
the training of young scientists in this rapidly developing field.
Summary
Sex differences in life span and aging are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and represent a
long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. In most species, including humans, sexes differ not
only in how long they live and when they start to senesce, but also in how they react to
environmental interventions aimed at prolonging their life span or decelerating the onset of aging.
Therefore, sex differences in life span and aging have important implications beyond the questions
posed by fundamental science. Both evolutionary reasons and medical implications of sex
differences in demographic, reproductive and physiological senescence are and will be crucial
targets of present and future research in the biology of aging. Here I propose a two-step approach
that can provide a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the biological basis of sex
differences in aging. First, I propose to resolve the age-old conundrum regarding the role of sexspecific
mortality rate in sex differences in aging by developing a series of targeted experimental
evolution studies in a novel model organism – the nematode, Caenorhabditis remanei. Second, I
address the role of intra-locus sexual conflict in the evolution of aging by combining novel
methodology from nutritional ecology – the Geometric Framework – with artificial selection
approach using the cricket Teleogryllus commodus and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. I will
directly test the hypothesis that intra-locus sexual conflict mediates aging by restricting the
adaptive evolution of diet choice. By combining techniques from evolutionary biology and
nutritional ecology, this proposal will raise EU’s profile in integrative research, and contribute to
the training of young scientists in this rapidly developing field.
Max ERC Funding
1 391 904 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-12-01, End date: 2016-05-31
Project acronym ANSR
Project Ab initio approach to nuclear structure and reactions (++)
Researcher (PI) Christian Erik Forssen
Host Institution (HI) CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLA AB
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2009-StG
Summary Today, much interest in several fields of physics is devoted to the study of small, open quantum systems, whose properties are profoundly affected by the environment; i.e., the continuum of decay channels. In nuclear physics, these problems were originally studied in the context of nuclear reactions but their importance has been reestablished with the advent of radioactive-beam physics and the resulting interest in exotic nuclei. In particular, strong theory initiatives in this area of research will be instrumental for the success of the experimental program at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) in Germany. In addition, many of the aspects of open quantum systems are also being explored in the rapidly evolving research on ultracold atomic gases, quantum dots, and other nanodevices. A first-principles description of open quantum systems presents a substantial theoretical and computational challenge. However, the current availability of enormous computing power has allowed theorists to make spectacular progress on problems that were previously thought intractable. The importance of computational methods to study quantum many-body systems is stressed in this proposal. Our approach is based on the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM), which is a well-established theoretical framework aimed originally at an exact description of nuclear structure starting from realistic inter-nucleon forces. A successful completion of this project requires extensions of the NCSM mathematical framework and the development of highly advanced computer codes. The '++' in the project title indicates the interdisciplinary aspects of the present research proposal and the ambition to make a significant impact on connected fields of many-body physics.
Summary
Today, much interest in several fields of physics is devoted to the study of small, open quantum systems, whose properties are profoundly affected by the environment; i.e., the continuum of decay channels. In nuclear physics, these problems were originally studied in the context of nuclear reactions but their importance has been reestablished with the advent of radioactive-beam physics and the resulting interest in exotic nuclei. In particular, strong theory initiatives in this area of research will be instrumental for the success of the experimental program at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) in Germany. In addition, many of the aspects of open quantum systems are also being explored in the rapidly evolving research on ultracold atomic gases, quantum dots, and other nanodevices. A first-principles description of open quantum systems presents a substantial theoretical and computational challenge. However, the current availability of enormous computing power has allowed theorists to make spectacular progress on problems that were previously thought intractable. The importance of computational methods to study quantum many-body systems is stressed in this proposal. Our approach is based on the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM), which is a well-established theoretical framework aimed originally at an exact description of nuclear structure starting from realistic inter-nucleon forces. A successful completion of this project requires extensions of the NCSM mathematical framework and the development of highly advanced computer codes. The '++' in the project title indicates the interdisciplinary aspects of the present research proposal and the ambition to make a significant impact on connected fields of many-body physics.
Max ERC Funding
1 304 800 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-12-01, End date: 2014-11-30
Project acronym BRAINCELL
Project Charting the landscape of brain development by large-scale single-cell transcriptomics and phylogenetic lineage reconstruction
Researcher (PI) Sten Linnarsson
Host Institution (HI) KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Embryogenesis is the temporal unfolding of cellular processes: proliferation, migration, differentiation, morphogenesis, apoptosis and functional specialization. These processes are well understood in specific tissues, and for specific cell types. Nevertheless, our systematic knowledge of the types of cells present in the developing and adult animal, and about their functional and lineage relationships, is limited. For example, there is no consensus on the number of cell types, and many important stem cells and progenitors remain to be discovered. Similarly, the lineage relationships between specific cell types are often poorly characterized. This is particularly true for the mammalian nervous system. We have developed (1) a reliable high-throghput method for sequencing all transcripts in 96 single cells at a time; and (2) a system for high-throughput phylogenetic lineage reconstruction. We now propose to characterize embryogenesis using a shotgun approach borrowed from genomics. Tissues will be dissected from multiple stages and dissociated to single cells. A total of 10,000 cells will be analyzed by RNA sequencing, revealing their functional cell type, their lineage relationships, and their current state (e.g. cell cycle phase). The novel approach proposed here will bring the powerful strategies pioneered in genomics into the field of developmental biology, including automation, digitization, and the random shotgun method. The data thus obtained will bring clarity to the concept of ‘cell type’; will provide a first catalog of mouse brain cell types with deep functional annotation; will provide markers for every cell type, including stem cells; and will serve as a basis for future comparative work, especially with human embryos.
Summary
Embryogenesis is the temporal unfolding of cellular processes: proliferation, migration, differentiation, morphogenesis, apoptosis and functional specialization. These processes are well understood in specific tissues, and for specific cell types. Nevertheless, our systematic knowledge of the types of cells present in the developing and adult animal, and about their functional and lineage relationships, is limited. For example, there is no consensus on the number of cell types, and many important stem cells and progenitors remain to be discovered. Similarly, the lineage relationships between specific cell types are often poorly characterized. This is particularly true for the mammalian nervous system. We have developed (1) a reliable high-throghput method for sequencing all transcripts in 96 single cells at a time; and (2) a system for high-throughput phylogenetic lineage reconstruction. We now propose to characterize embryogenesis using a shotgun approach borrowed from genomics. Tissues will be dissected from multiple stages and dissociated to single cells. A total of 10,000 cells will be analyzed by RNA sequencing, revealing their functional cell type, their lineage relationships, and their current state (e.g. cell cycle phase). The novel approach proposed here will bring the powerful strategies pioneered in genomics into the field of developmental biology, including automation, digitization, and the random shotgun method. The data thus obtained will bring clarity to the concept of ‘cell type’; will provide a first catalog of mouse brain cell types with deep functional annotation; will provide markers for every cell type, including stem cells; and will serve as a basis for future comparative work, especially with human embryos.
Max ERC Funding
1 496 032 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym CEV
Project Coordination by Evaluations and Valuations:
Market Logic Inside and Outside the Economy
Researcher (PI) Jonas Patrik Aspers
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary This project studies evaluation and valuation as ways of coordinating actors and resources. Valuation is the ascribing of value to people, organizations, things and events given that there is no standard of value. Evaluation is judging according to an already existing value-standard. Valuation and evaluation are ways of ranking and thus ordering of objects . Markets are examples of economic social formations in which valuations and evaluations are the foundation for the choices made. Valuation and evaluation are important means of coordination also outside of the economy, in competitions (e.g., sports), reviews (e.g., books), and auditing (e.g., of ethical conduct).
This project is motivated by evaluation and valuation as increasingly influential ways of coordinating social life. Choices based on evaluation have gradually replaced networks and hierarchies as the preferred coordination form, but processes of valuation or evaluation are not well-understood. The overarching research question of this project is: how do processes of coordination based on valuations function? By understanding these processes can we analyze the consequences of coordinated by the means of evaluation in different spheres of life. It is also the foundation for policy suggestions.
The proposed project uses theoretical insights about market elements in economics and sociology and on the relational sociological literature on social formations. Empirical sub-projects are designed to facilitate comparison, to establish validated conclusions and to promote theory development. This project opens up a new avenue of research of coordination based on valuation and evaluation. It will lead to the establishment a high quality research group located at the frontiers of social science.
Summary
This project studies evaluation and valuation as ways of coordinating actors and resources. Valuation is the ascribing of value to people, organizations, things and events given that there is no standard of value. Evaluation is judging according to an already existing value-standard. Valuation and evaluation are ways of ranking and thus ordering of objects . Markets are examples of economic social formations in which valuations and evaluations are the foundation for the choices made. Valuation and evaluation are important means of coordination also outside of the economy, in competitions (e.g., sports), reviews (e.g., books), and auditing (e.g., of ethical conduct).
This project is motivated by evaluation and valuation as increasingly influential ways of coordinating social life. Choices based on evaluation have gradually replaced networks and hierarchies as the preferred coordination form, but processes of valuation or evaluation are not well-understood. The overarching research question of this project is: how do processes of coordination based on valuations function? By understanding these processes can we analyze the consequences of coordinated by the means of evaluation in different spheres of life. It is also the foundation for policy suggestions.
The proposed project uses theoretical insights about market elements in economics and sociology and on the relational sociological literature on social formations. Empirical sub-projects are designed to facilitate comparison, to establish validated conclusions and to promote theory development. This project opens up a new avenue of research of coordination based on valuation and evaluation. It will lead to the establishment a high quality research group located at the frontiers of social science.
Max ERC Funding
1 476 251 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-03-01, End date: 2016-02-29
Project acronym collectiveQCD
Project Collectivity in small, srongly interacting systems
Researcher (PI) Korinna ZAPP
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2018-STG
Summary In collisions of heavy nuclei at collider energies, for instance at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the energy density is so high that an equilibrated Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), an exotic state of matter consisting of deconfined quarks and gluons, is formed. In proton-proton (p+p) collisions, on the other hand, the density of produced particles is low. The traditional view on such reactions is that final state particles are free and do not rescatter. This picture is challenged by recent LHC data, which found features in p+p collisions that are indicative of collective behaviour and/or the formation of a hot and dense system. These findings have been taken as signs of QGP formation in p+p reactions. Such an interpretation is complicated by the fact that jets, which are the manifestation of very energetic quarks and gluons, are quenched in heavy ion collisions, but appear to be unmodified in p+p reactions. This is puzzling because collectivity and jet quenching are caused by the same processes. So far there is no consensus about the interpretation of these results, which is also due to a lack of suitable tools.
It is the objective of this proposal to address the question whether there are collective effects in p+p collisions. To this end two models capable of describing all relevant aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions will be developed. They will be obtained by extending a successful description of p+p to heavy ion reactions and vice versa.
The answer to these questions will either clarify the long-standing problem how collectivity emerges from fundamental interactions, or it will necessitate qualitative changes to our interpretation of collective phenomena in p+p and/or heavy ion collisions.
The PI is in a unique position to accomplish this goal, as she has spent her entire career working on different aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions. The group in Lund is the ideal host, as it is very active in developing alternative interpretations of the data.
Summary
In collisions of heavy nuclei at collider energies, for instance at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the energy density is so high that an equilibrated Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), an exotic state of matter consisting of deconfined quarks and gluons, is formed. In proton-proton (p+p) collisions, on the other hand, the density of produced particles is low. The traditional view on such reactions is that final state particles are free and do not rescatter. This picture is challenged by recent LHC data, which found features in p+p collisions that are indicative of collective behaviour and/or the formation of a hot and dense system. These findings have been taken as signs of QGP formation in p+p reactions. Such an interpretation is complicated by the fact that jets, which are the manifestation of very energetic quarks and gluons, are quenched in heavy ion collisions, but appear to be unmodified in p+p reactions. This is puzzling because collectivity and jet quenching are caused by the same processes. So far there is no consensus about the interpretation of these results, which is also due to a lack of suitable tools.
It is the objective of this proposal to address the question whether there are collective effects in p+p collisions. To this end two models capable of describing all relevant aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions will be developed. They will be obtained by extending a successful description of p+p to heavy ion reactions and vice versa.
The answer to these questions will either clarify the long-standing problem how collectivity emerges from fundamental interactions, or it will necessitate qualitative changes to our interpretation of collective phenomena in p+p and/or heavy ion collisions.
The PI is in a unique position to accomplish this goal, as she has spent her entire career working on different aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions. The group in Lund is the ideal host, as it is very active in developing alternative interpretations of the data.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym COOPNET
Project Cooperative Situational Awareness for Wireless Networks
Researcher (PI) Henk Wymeersch
Host Institution (HI) CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLA AB
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary Devices in wireless networks are no longer used only for communicating binary information, but also for navigation and to sense their surroundings. We are currently approaching fundamental limitations in terms of communication throughput, position information availability and accuracy, and decision making based on sensory data. The goal of this proposal is to understand how the cooperative nature of future wireless networks can be leveraged to perform timekeeping, positioning, communication, and decision making, so as to obtain orders of magnitude performance improvements compared to current architectures.
Our research will have implications in many fields and will comprise fundamental theoretical contributions as well as a cooperative wireless testbed. The fundamental contributions will lead to a deep understanding of cooperative wireless networks and will enable new pervasive applications which currently cannot be supported. The testbed will be used to validate the research, and will serve as a kernel for other researchers worldwide to advance knowledge on cooperative networks. Our work will build on and consolidate knowledge currently dispersed in different scientific disciplines and communities (such as communication theory, sensor networks, distributed estimation and detection, environmental monitoring, control theory, positioning and timekeeping, distributed optimization). It will give a new thrust to research within those communities and forge relations between them.
Summary
Devices in wireless networks are no longer used only for communicating binary information, but also for navigation and to sense their surroundings. We are currently approaching fundamental limitations in terms of communication throughput, position information availability and accuracy, and decision making based on sensory data. The goal of this proposal is to understand how the cooperative nature of future wireless networks can be leveraged to perform timekeeping, positioning, communication, and decision making, so as to obtain orders of magnitude performance improvements compared to current architectures.
Our research will have implications in many fields and will comprise fundamental theoretical contributions as well as a cooperative wireless testbed. The fundamental contributions will lead to a deep understanding of cooperative wireless networks and will enable new pervasive applications which currently cannot be supported. The testbed will be used to validate the research, and will serve as a kernel for other researchers worldwide to advance knowledge on cooperative networks. Our work will build on and consolidate knowledge currently dispersed in different scientific disciplines and communities (such as communication theory, sensor networks, distributed estimation and detection, environmental monitoring, control theory, positioning and timekeeping, distributed optimization). It will give a new thrust to research within those communities and forge relations between them.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2016-04-30
Project acronym ENDOSWITCH
Project Network Principles of Neuroendocrine Control:
Tuberoinfundibular Dopamine (TIDA) Oscillations and the Regulation of Lactation
Researcher (PI) Carl Christian Broberger
Host Institution (HI) KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary The hypothalamus is essential for our survival and orchestrates every vital function of the body, from defence against predators and energy metabolism to reproduction. Yet, the network mechanisms underlying these actions remain largely hidden in a black box . Here, we will focus on the hypothalamic neuroendocrine system, where we have identified a novel robust network oscillation in the tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) neurons that control prolactin release. This oscillation is synchronized between neurons via gap junctions, and phasic firing is transformed into tonic discharge by compounds that functionally oppose neuroendocrine dopamine actions. Using this novel preparation, we will investigate the 1) the cellular (conductance) and network (connectivity) mechanisms underlying TIDA rhythmicity; 2) how TIDA activity is affected by hormones and transmitters that affect lactation; 3) the functional significance of phasic vs. tonic discharge in the regulation of dopamine release and lactation; and 4) the generality of TIDA cellular and network properties to other parvocellular neuron populations. These questions will be addressed through several in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological techniques, including slice whole-cell recording, extracellular in vivo recording, voltammetry and optical recording. These experiments will provide novel insight into the link between network interactions and behaviour, and have important clinical implications for e.g. endocrine and reproductive disorders.
Summary
The hypothalamus is essential for our survival and orchestrates every vital function of the body, from defence against predators and energy metabolism to reproduction. Yet, the network mechanisms underlying these actions remain largely hidden in a black box . Here, we will focus on the hypothalamic neuroendocrine system, where we have identified a novel robust network oscillation in the tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) neurons that control prolactin release. This oscillation is synchronized between neurons via gap junctions, and phasic firing is transformed into tonic discharge by compounds that functionally oppose neuroendocrine dopamine actions. Using this novel preparation, we will investigate the 1) the cellular (conductance) and network (connectivity) mechanisms underlying TIDA rhythmicity; 2) how TIDA activity is affected by hormones and transmitters that affect lactation; 3) the functional significance of phasic vs. tonic discharge in the regulation of dopamine release and lactation; and 4) the generality of TIDA cellular and network properties to other parvocellular neuron populations. These questions will be addressed through several in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological techniques, including slice whole-cell recording, extracellular in vivo recording, voltammetry and optical recording. These experiments will provide novel insight into the link between network interactions and behaviour, and have important clinical implications for e.g. endocrine and reproductive disorders.
Max ERC Funding
1 493 958 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2015-12-31