Project acronym 3D-BioMat
Project Deciphering biomineralization mechanisms through 3D explorations of mesoscale crystalline structure in calcareous biomaterials
Researcher (PI) VIRGINIE CHAMARD
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2016-COG
Summary The fundamental 3D-BioMat project aims at providing a biomineralization model to explain the formation of microscopic calcareous single-crystals produced by living organisms. Although these crystals present a wide variety of shapes, associated to various organic materials, the observation of a nanoscale granular structure common to almost all calcareous crystallizing organisms, associated to an extended crystalline coherence, underlies a generic biomineralization and assembly process. A key to building realistic scenarios of biomineralization is to reveal the crystalline architecture, at the mesoscale, (i. e., over a few granules), which none of the existing nano-characterization tools is able to provide.
3D-BioMat is based on the recognized PI’s expertise in the field of synchrotron coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy. It will extend the PI’s disruptive pioneering microscopy formalism, towards an innovative high-throughput approach able at giving access to the 3D mesoscale image of the crystalline properties (crystal-line coherence, crystal plane tilts and strains) with the required flexibility, nanoscale resolution, and non-invasiveness.
This achievement will be used to timely reveal the generics of the mesoscale crystalline structure through the pioneering explorations of a vast variety of crystalline biominerals produced by the famous Pinctada mar-garitifera oyster shell, and thereby build a realistic biomineralization scenario.
The inferred biomineralization pathways, including both physico-chemical pathways and biological controls, will ultimately be validated by comparing the mesoscale structures produced by biomimetic samples with the biogenic ones. Beyond deciphering one of the most intriguing questions of material nanosciences, 3D-BioMat may contribute to new climate models, pave the way for new routes in material synthesis and supply answers to the pearl-culture calcification problems.
Summary
The fundamental 3D-BioMat project aims at providing a biomineralization model to explain the formation of microscopic calcareous single-crystals produced by living organisms. Although these crystals present a wide variety of shapes, associated to various organic materials, the observation of a nanoscale granular structure common to almost all calcareous crystallizing organisms, associated to an extended crystalline coherence, underlies a generic biomineralization and assembly process. A key to building realistic scenarios of biomineralization is to reveal the crystalline architecture, at the mesoscale, (i. e., over a few granules), which none of the existing nano-characterization tools is able to provide.
3D-BioMat is based on the recognized PI’s expertise in the field of synchrotron coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy. It will extend the PI’s disruptive pioneering microscopy formalism, towards an innovative high-throughput approach able at giving access to the 3D mesoscale image of the crystalline properties (crystal-line coherence, crystal plane tilts and strains) with the required flexibility, nanoscale resolution, and non-invasiveness.
This achievement will be used to timely reveal the generics of the mesoscale crystalline structure through the pioneering explorations of a vast variety of crystalline biominerals produced by the famous Pinctada mar-garitifera oyster shell, and thereby build a realistic biomineralization scenario.
The inferred biomineralization pathways, including both physico-chemical pathways and biological controls, will ultimately be validated by comparing the mesoscale structures produced by biomimetic samples with the biogenic ones. Beyond deciphering one of the most intriguing questions of material nanosciences, 3D-BioMat may contribute to new climate models, pave the way for new routes in material synthesis and supply answers to the pearl-culture calcification problems.
Max ERC Funding
1 966 429 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-08-31
Project acronym AbioEvo
Project Conditions for the emergence of evolution during abiogenesis
Researcher (PI) Philippe Nghe
Host Institution (HI) ECOLE SUPERIEURE DE PHYSIQUE ET DECHIMIE INDUSTRIELLES DE LA VILLE DEPARIS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS1, ERC-2020-COG
Summary Abiogenesis, the transition from non-living to living matter, is at the core of the origin of life question. However, the dynamical processes underlying abiogenesis remain unknown.
The AbioEvo project aims to test the hypothesis that RNA-catalysed RNA recombination, if coupled with template-based mechanisms, provides a gradual route for the emergence of evolution by natural selection, starting from collective autocatalysis, toward template-based replication. Indeed, recombination allows both self-reproduction and shuffling of other sequences, thus, once combined with templating, provides the basic ingredients of reproduction, heredity and variation required for Darwinian evolution.
The project decomposes the problem into five steps: (WP1) the study of molecular-level mechanisms to generate and stabilize novel sequences by recombination and templating; (WP2) collective dynamics integrating these mechanisms into the properties of reproduction with heredity, variation, and selection, in order to establish proof-of-concepts of evolutionary modes; (WP3) viability thresholds of recombination-based replicators from increasingly random substrates; (WP4) conditions for open-ended evolution toward template-based replication; (WP5) experimentally informed theoretical estimates of the probability of the proposed evolutionary transitions.
The project would provide first demonstrations of evolution by natural selection in a purely chemical system, gradual and experimentally accessible paths from oligomers to template-based replication, and a method to evaluate prebiotic plausibility from sequence-to-function relationships, kinetics and evolutionary dynamics.
Summary
Abiogenesis, the transition from non-living to living matter, is at the core of the origin of life question. However, the dynamical processes underlying abiogenesis remain unknown.
The AbioEvo project aims to test the hypothesis that RNA-catalysed RNA recombination, if coupled with template-based mechanisms, provides a gradual route for the emergence of evolution by natural selection, starting from collective autocatalysis, toward template-based replication. Indeed, recombination allows both self-reproduction and shuffling of other sequences, thus, once combined with templating, provides the basic ingredients of reproduction, heredity and variation required for Darwinian evolution.
The project decomposes the problem into five steps: (WP1) the study of molecular-level mechanisms to generate and stabilize novel sequences by recombination and templating; (WP2) collective dynamics integrating these mechanisms into the properties of reproduction with heredity, variation, and selection, in order to establish proof-of-concepts of evolutionary modes; (WP3) viability thresholds of recombination-based replicators from increasingly random substrates; (WP4) conditions for open-ended evolution toward template-based replication; (WP5) experimentally informed theoretical estimates of the probability of the proposed evolutionary transitions.
The project would provide first demonstrations of evolution by natural selection in a purely chemical system, gradual and experimentally accessible paths from oligomers to template-based replication, and a method to evaluate prebiotic plausibility from sequence-to-function relationships, kinetics and evolutionary dynamics.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-06-01, End date: 2026-05-31
Project acronym ADDITIVES
Project Exposure to ‘cocktails’ of food additives and chronic disease risk
Researcher (PI) Mathilde Touvier
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS7, ERC-2019-COG
Summary Today, our daily diet typically contains dozens of food additives (e.g. colours, emulsifiers, sweeteners: ~350 substances allowed on the EU market). Safety assessment is performed by health agencies to protect consumers against potential adverse effects of each additive, yet such an assessment is only based on current available evidence, i.e., for most additives, only in-vitro/in-vivo toxicological studies and exposure simulations. Meanwhile, the long-term health impact of additives intake and any potential ‘cocktail’ effects remain largely unknown and have become a source of serious concern. Growing evidence link the consumption of ultra-processed foods, containing numerous additives, to adverse health outcomes, in particular our recent results on cancer (Fiolet BMJ 2018). While most additives allowed in the EU are likely to be neutral for health and some may even be beneficial, recent animal and cell-based studies have suggested detrimental effects of several such compounds. In humans, data is lacking. No epidemiological study has ever assessed individual-level exposure to a wide range of food additives and its association with health, hampered by unsuited traditional dietary assessment tools facing the high additive content variability across commercial brands. Hence, a major breakthrough will come from the novel and unique tools I developed with my team, notably within the NutriNet-Santé cohort (n=164,000), collecting precise and repeated data on foods and beverages usually consumed, including names and brands of industrial products. With this unique resource, I propose a project at the forefront of international research to provide answers to a question of major importance for public health. Built as a combination of epidemiological studies and in-vitro/in-vivo experiments, this project will shed light on individual exposure to food additive 'cocktails' in relation to obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and mortality, while depicting underlying mechanisms.
Summary
Today, our daily diet typically contains dozens of food additives (e.g. colours, emulsifiers, sweeteners: ~350 substances allowed on the EU market). Safety assessment is performed by health agencies to protect consumers against potential adverse effects of each additive, yet such an assessment is only based on current available evidence, i.e., for most additives, only in-vitro/in-vivo toxicological studies and exposure simulations. Meanwhile, the long-term health impact of additives intake and any potential ‘cocktail’ effects remain largely unknown and have become a source of serious concern. Growing evidence link the consumption of ultra-processed foods, containing numerous additives, to adverse health outcomes, in particular our recent results on cancer (Fiolet BMJ 2018). While most additives allowed in the EU are likely to be neutral for health and some may even be beneficial, recent animal and cell-based studies have suggested detrimental effects of several such compounds. In humans, data is lacking. No epidemiological study has ever assessed individual-level exposure to a wide range of food additives and its association with health, hampered by unsuited traditional dietary assessment tools facing the high additive content variability across commercial brands. Hence, a major breakthrough will come from the novel and unique tools I developed with my team, notably within the NutriNet-Santé cohort (n=164,000), collecting precise and repeated data on foods and beverages usually consumed, including names and brands of industrial products. With this unique resource, I propose a project at the forefront of international research to provide answers to a question of major importance for public health. Built as a combination of epidemiological studies and in-vitro/in-vivo experiments, this project will shed light on individual exposure to food additive 'cocktails' in relation to obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and mortality, while depicting underlying mechanisms.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-05-01, End date: 2025-04-30
Project acronym AdOC
Project Advance Optical Clocks
Researcher (PI) Sebastien Andre Marcel Bize
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "The proposed research program has three main objectives. The first and second objectives are to seek extreme precisions in optical atomic spectroscopy and optical clocks, and to use this quest as a mean of exploration in atomic physics. The third objective is to explore new possibilities that stem from extreme precision. These goals will be pursued via three complementary activities: #1: Search for extreme precisions with an Hg optical lattice clock. #2: Explore and exploit the rich Hg system, which is essentially unexplored in the cold and ultra-cold regime. #3: Identify new applications of clocks with extreme precision to Earth science. Clocks can measure directly the gravitational potential via Einstein’s gravitational redshift, leading to the idea of “clock-based geodesy”.
The 2 first activities are experimental and build on an existing setup, where we demonstrated the feasibility of an Hg optical lattice clock. Hg is chosen for its potential to surpass competing systems. We will investigate the unexplored physics of the Hg clock. This includes interactions between Hg atoms, lattice-induced light shifts, and sensitivity to external fields which are specific to the atomic species. Beyond, we will explore the fundamental limits of the optical lattice scheme. We will exploit other remarkable features of Hg associated to the high atomic number and the diversity of stable isotopes. These features enable tests of fundamental physical laws, ultra-precise measurements of isotope shifts, measurement of collisional properties toward evaporative cooling and quantum gases of Hg, investigation of forbidden transitions promising for measuring the nuclear anapole moment of Hg.
The third activity is theoretical and is aimed at initiating collaborations with experts in modelling Earth gravity. With this expertise, we will identify the most promising and realistic approaches for clocks and emerging remote comparison methods to contribute to geodesy, hydrology, oceanography, etc."
Summary
"The proposed research program has three main objectives. The first and second objectives are to seek extreme precisions in optical atomic spectroscopy and optical clocks, and to use this quest as a mean of exploration in atomic physics. The third objective is to explore new possibilities that stem from extreme precision. These goals will be pursued via three complementary activities: #1: Search for extreme precisions with an Hg optical lattice clock. #2: Explore and exploit the rich Hg system, which is essentially unexplored in the cold and ultra-cold regime. #3: Identify new applications of clocks with extreme precision to Earth science. Clocks can measure directly the gravitational potential via Einstein’s gravitational redshift, leading to the idea of “clock-based geodesy”.
The 2 first activities are experimental and build on an existing setup, where we demonstrated the feasibility of an Hg optical lattice clock. Hg is chosen for its potential to surpass competing systems. We will investigate the unexplored physics of the Hg clock. This includes interactions between Hg atoms, lattice-induced light shifts, and sensitivity to external fields which are specific to the atomic species. Beyond, we will explore the fundamental limits of the optical lattice scheme. We will exploit other remarkable features of Hg associated to the high atomic number and the diversity of stable isotopes. These features enable tests of fundamental physical laws, ultra-precise measurements of isotope shifts, measurement of collisional properties toward evaporative cooling and quantum gases of Hg, investigation of forbidden transitions promising for measuring the nuclear anapole moment of Hg.
The third activity is theoretical and is aimed at initiating collaborations with experts in modelling Earth gravity. With this expertise, we will identify the most promising and realistic approaches for clocks and emerging remote comparison methods to contribute to geodesy, hydrology, oceanography, etc."
Max ERC Funding
1 946 432 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym ARTISTIC
Project Advanced and Reusable Theory for the In Silico-optimization of composite electrode fabrication processes for rechargeable battery Technologies with Innovative Chemistries
Researcher (PI) Alejandro Antonio FRANCO
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE8, ERC-2017-COG
Summary The aim of this project is to develop and to demonstrate a novel theoretical framework devoted to rationalizing the formulation of composite electrodes containing next-generation material chemistries for high energy density secondary batteries. The framework will be established through the combination of discrete particle and continuum mathematical models within a multiscale computational workflow integrating the individual models and mimicking the different steps along the electrode fabrication process, including slurry preparation, drying and calendering. Strongly complemented by dedicated experimental characterizations which are devoted to its validation, the goal of this framework is to provide insights about the impacts of material properties and fabrication process parameters on the electrode mesostructures and their corresponding correlation to the resulting electrochemical performance. It targets self-organization mechanisms of material mixtures in slurries by considering the interactions between the active and conductive materials, solvent, binders and dispersants and the relationship between the materials properties such as surface chemistry and wettability. Optimal electrode formulation, fabrication process and the arising electrode mesostructure can then be achieved. Additionally, the framework will be integrated into an online and open access infrastructure, allowing predictive direct and reverse engineering for optimized electrode designs to attain high quality electrochemical performances. Through the demonstration of a multidisciplinary, flexible and transferable framework, this project has tremendous potential to provide insights leading to proposals of new and highly efficient industrial techniques for the fabrication of cheaper and reliable next-generation secondary battery electrodes for a wide spectrum of applications, including Electric Transportation.
Summary
The aim of this project is to develop and to demonstrate a novel theoretical framework devoted to rationalizing the formulation of composite electrodes containing next-generation material chemistries for high energy density secondary batteries. The framework will be established through the combination of discrete particle and continuum mathematical models within a multiscale computational workflow integrating the individual models and mimicking the different steps along the electrode fabrication process, including slurry preparation, drying and calendering. Strongly complemented by dedicated experimental characterizations which are devoted to its validation, the goal of this framework is to provide insights about the impacts of material properties and fabrication process parameters on the electrode mesostructures and their corresponding correlation to the resulting electrochemical performance. It targets self-organization mechanisms of material mixtures in slurries by considering the interactions between the active and conductive materials, solvent, binders and dispersants and the relationship between the materials properties such as surface chemistry and wettability. Optimal electrode formulation, fabrication process and the arising electrode mesostructure can then be achieved. Additionally, the framework will be integrated into an online and open access infrastructure, allowing predictive direct and reverse engineering for optimized electrode designs to attain high quality electrochemical performances. Through the demonstration of a multidisciplinary, flexible and transferable framework, this project has tremendous potential to provide insights leading to proposals of new and highly efficient industrial techniques for the fabrication of cheaper and reliable next-generation secondary battery electrodes for a wide spectrum of applications, including Electric Transportation.
Max ERC Funding
1 976 445 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-04-01, End date: 2023-03-31
Project acronym AUGURY
Project Reconstructing Earth’s mantle convection
Researcher (PI) Nicolas Coltice
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE LYON 1 CLAUDE BERNARD
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Knowledge of the state of the Earth mantle and its temporal evolution is fundamental to a variety of disciplines in Earth Sciences, from the internal dynamics to its many expressions in the geological record (postglacial rebound, sea level change, ore deposit, tectonics or geomagnetic reversals). Mantle convection theory is the centerpiece to unravel the present and past state of the mantle. For the past 40 years considerable efforts have been made to improve the quality of numerical models of mantle convection. However, they are still sparsely used to estimate the convective history of the solid Earth, in comparison to ocean or atmospheric models for weather and climate prediction. The main shortcoming is their inability to successfully produce Earth-like seafloor spreading and continental drift self-consistently. Recent convection models have begun to successfully predict these processes (Coltice et al., Science 336, 335-33, 2012). Such breakthrough opens the opportunity to combine high-level data assimilation methodologies and convection models together with advanced tectonic datasets to retrieve Earth's mantle history. The scope of this project is to produce a new generation of tectonic and convection reconstructions, which are key to improve our understanding and knowledge of the evolution of the solid Earth. The development of sustainable high performance numerical models will set new standards for geodynamic data assimilation. The outcome of the AUGURY project will be a new generation of models crucial to a wide variety of disciplines.
Summary
Knowledge of the state of the Earth mantle and its temporal evolution is fundamental to a variety of disciplines in Earth Sciences, from the internal dynamics to its many expressions in the geological record (postglacial rebound, sea level change, ore deposit, tectonics or geomagnetic reversals). Mantle convection theory is the centerpiece to unravel the present and past state of the mantle. For the past 40 years considerable efforts have been made to improve the quality of numerical models of mantle convection. However, they are still sparsely used to estimate the convective history of the solid Earth, in comparison to ocean or atmospheric models for weather and climate prediction. The main shortcoming is their inability to successfully produce Earth-like seafloor spreading and continental drift self-consistently. Recent convection models have begun to successfully predict these processes (Coltice et al., Science 336, 335-33, 2012). Such breakthrough opens the opportunity to combine high-level data assimilation methodologies and convection models together with advanced tectonic datasets to retrieve Earth's mantle history. The scope of this project is to produce a new generation of tectonic and convection reconstructions, which are key to improve our understanding and knowledge of the evolution of the solid Earth. The development of sustainable high performance numerical models will set new standards for geodynamic data assimilation. The outcome of the AUGURY project will be a new generation of models crucial to a wide variety of disciplines.
Max ERC Funding
1 994 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2020-02-29
Project acronym BACTIN
Project Shaping the bacterial cell wall: the actin-like cytoskeleton, from single molecules to morphogenesis and antimicrobials
Researcher (PI) Rut CARBALLIDO LOPEZ
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS3, ERC-2017-COG
Summary One of the ultimate goals in cell biology is to understand how cells determine their shape. In bacteria, the cell wall and the actin-like (MreB) cytoskeleton are major determinants of cell shape. As a hallmark of microbial life, the external cell wall is the most conspicuous macromolecule expanding in concert with cell growth and one of the most prominent targets for antibiotics. Despite decades of study, the mechanism of cell wall morphogenesis remains poorly understood. In rod-shaped bacteria, actin-like MreB proteins assemble into disconnected membrane-associated structures (patches) that move processively around the cell periphery and are thought to control shape by spatiotemporally organizing macromolecular machineries that effect sidewall elongation. However, the ultrastructure of MreB assemblies and the mechanistic details underlying their morphogenetic function remain to be elucidated.
The aim of this project is to combine ground-breaking light microscopy and spectroscopy techniques with cutting-edge genetic, biochemical and systems biology approaches available in the model rod-shaped bacterium Bacillus subtilis to elucidate how MreB and cell wall biosynthetic enzymes collectively act to build a cell. Within this context, new features of MreB assemblies will be determined in vivo and in vitro, and a “toolbox” of approaches to determine the modes of action of antibiotics targeting cell wall processes will be developed. Parameters measured by the different approaches will be used to refine a mathematical model aiming to quantitatively describe the features of bacterial cell wall growth. The long-term goals of BActin are to understand general principles of bacterial cell morphogenesis and to provide mechanistic templates and new reporters for the screening of novel antibiotics.
Summary
One of the ultimate goals in cell biology is to understand how cells determine their shape. In bacteria, the cell wall and the actin-like (MreB) cytoskeleton are major determinants of cell shape. As a hallmark of microbial life, the external cell wall is the most conspicuous macromolecule expanding in concert with cell growth and one of the most prominent targets for antibiotics. Despite decades of study, the mechanism of cell wall morphogenesis remains poorly understood. In rod-shaped bacteria, actin-like MreB proteins assemble into disconnected membrane-associated structures (patches) that move processively around the cell periphery and are thought to control shape by spatiotemporally organizing macromolecular machineries that effect sidewall elongation. However, the ultrastructure of MreB assemblies and the mechanistic details underlying their morphogenetic function remain to be elucidated.
The aim of this project is to combine ground-breaking light microscopy and spectroscopy techniques with cutting-edge genetic, biochemical and systems biology approaches available in the model rod-shaped bacterium Bacillus subtilis to elucidate how MreB and cell wall biosynthetic enzymes collectively act to build a cell. Within this context, new features of MreB assemblies will be determined in vivo and in vitro, and a “toolbox” of approaches to determine the modes of action of antibiotics targeting cell wall processes will be developed. Parameters measured by the different approaches will be used to refine a mathematical model aiming to quantitatively describe the features of bacterial cell wall growth. The long-term goals of BActin are to understand general principles of bacterial cell morphogenesis and to provide mechanistic templates and new reporters for the screening of novel antibiotics.
Max ERC Funding
1 902 195 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym BactRNA
Project Bacterial small RNAs networks unravelling novel features of transcription and translation
Researcher (PI) Maude Audrey Guillier
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS2, ERC-2018-COG
Summary Regulation of gene expression plays a key role in the ability of bacteria to rapidly adapt to changing environments and to colonize extremely diverse habitats. The relatively recent discovery of a plethora of small regulatory RNAs and the beginning of their characterization has unravelled new aspects of bacterial gene expression. First, the expression of many bacterial genes responds to a complex network of both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators. However, the properties of the resulting regulatory circuits on the dynamics of gene expression and in the bacterial adaptive response have been poorly addressed so far. In a first part of this project, we will tackle this question by characterizing the circuits that are formed between two widespread classes of bacterial regulators, the sRNAs and the two-component systems, which act at the post-transcriptional and the transcriptional level, respectively. The study of sRNAs also led to major breakthroughs regarding the basic mechanisms of gene expression. In particular, we recently showed that repressor sRNAs can target activating stem-loop structures located within the coding region of mRNAs that promote translation initiation, in striking contrast with the previously recognized inhibitory role of mRNA structures in translation. The second objective of this project is thus to draw an unprecedented map of non-canonical translation initiation events and their regulation by sRNAs.
Overall, this project will greatly improve our understanding of how bacteria can so rapidly and successfully adapt to many different environments, and in the long term, provide clues towards the development of anti-bacterial strategies.
Summary
Regulation of gene expression plays a key role in the ability of bacteria to rapidly adapt to changing environments and to colonize extremely diverse habitats. The relatively recent discovery of a plethora of small regulatory RNAs and the beginning of their characterization has unravelled new aspects of bacterial gene expression. First, the expression of many bacterial genes responds to a complex network of both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators. However, the properties of the resulting regulatory circuits on the dynamics of gene expression and in the bacterial adaptive response have been poorly addressed so far. In a first part of this project, we will tackle this question by characterizing the circuits that are formed between two widespread classes of bacterial regulators, the sRNAs and the two-component systems, which act at the post-transcriptional and the transcriptional level, respectively. The study of sRNAs also led to major breakthroughs regarding the basic mechanisms of gene expression. In particular, we recently showed that repressor sRNAs can target activating stem-loop structures located within the coding region of mRNAs that promote translation initiation, in striking contrast with the previously recognized inhibitory role of mRNA structures in translation. The second objective of this project is thus to draw an unprecedented map of non-canonical translation initiation events and their regulation by sRNAs.
Overall, this project will greatly improve our understanding of how bacteria can so rapidly and successfully adapt to many different environments, and in the long term, provide clues towards the development of anti-bacterial strategies.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 754 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-09-01, End date: 2024-08-31
Project acronym Big Mac
Project Microfluidic Approaches mimicking BIoGeological conditions to investigate subsurface CO2 recycling
Researcher (PI) SAMUEL CHARLES GEORGES MARRE
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE8, ERC-2016-COG
Summary The management of anthropogenic CO2 will be one of the main challenges of this century given the dramatic impact of greenhouse gases on our living environment. A fascinating strategy to restore the advantages of stored CO2 as a raw material would be to consider a slow biological upgrading process of CO2 in deep geological formations.
Significantly, the recent development of microfluidic tools to study pore-scale phenomena under high pressure, opens new avenues to investigate such strategies. Thus, the strategic objective of this project is to develop and to use “Biological Geological Laboratories on a Chip - BioGLoCs” mimicking reservoir conditions in order to gain greater understanding in the mechanisms associated with the biogeological conversion process of CO2 to methane in CGS environment at pore scale.
The specific objectives are: (1) to determine the experimental conditions for the development of competent micro-organisms (methanogens) and to establish the methane production rates depending on the operating parameters, (2) to evaluate the feasibility of a H2 in situ production strategy (required to sustain the methanogenesis process), (3) to investigate the full bioconversion process in 2D and 3D, (4) to demonstrate the process scaling from pore scale to liter scale and (5) to evaluate the overall process performance.
This multidisciplinary project gathering expertise in chemical engineering and geomicrobiology will be the first ever use of microfluidics approaches to investigate a biogeological transformation taking into account the thermo-hydro-bio-chemical processes. It will result in the identification of efficient geomicrobiological methods and materials to accelerate the CO2 to methane biogeoconversion process. New generic lab scale tools will be also made available for investigating geological-related topics (enhanced oil recovery, deep geothermal energy, bioremediation of groundwater, shale gas recovery).
Summary
The management of anthropogenic CO2 will be one of the main challenges of this century given the dramatic impact of greenhouse gases on our living environment. A fascinating strategy to restore the advantages of stored CO2 as a raw material would be to consider a slow biological upgrading process of CO2 in deep geological formations.
Significantly, the recent development of microfluidic tools to study pore-scale phenomena under high pressure, opens new avenues to investigate such strategies. Thus, the strategic objective of this project is to develop and to use “Biological Geological Laboratories on a Chip - BioGLoCs” mimicking reservoir conditions in order to gain greater understanding in the mechanisms associated with the biogeological conversion process of CO2 to methane in CGS environment at pore scale.
The specific objectives are: (1) to determine the experimental conditions for the development of competent micro-organisms (methanogens) and to establish the methane production rates depending on the operating parameters, (2) to evaluate the feasibility of a H2 in situ production strategy (required to sustain the methanogenesis process), (3) to investigate the full bioconversion process in 2D and 3D, (4) to demonstrate the process scaling from pore scale to liter scale and (5) to evaluate the overall process performance.
This multidisciplinary project gathering expertise in chemical engineering and geomicrobiology will be the first ever use of microfluidics approaches to investigate a biogeological transformation taking into account the thermo-hydro-bio-chemical processes. It will result in the identification of efficient geomicrobiological methods and materials to accelerate the CO2 to methane biogeoconversion process. New generic lab scale tools will be also made available for investigating geological-related topics (enhanced oil recovery, deep geothermal energy, bioremediation of groundwater, shale gas recovery).
Max ERC Funding
1 995 354 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-11-01, End date: 2022-10-31
Project acronym BigFastData
Project Charting a New Horizon of Big and Fast Data Analysis through Integrated Algorithm Design
Researcher (PI) Yanlei DIAO
Host Institution (HI) ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE6, ERC-2016-COG
Summary This proposal addresses a pressing need from emerging big data applications such as genomics and data center monitoring: besides the scale of processing, big data systems must also enable perpetual, low-latency processing for a broad set of analytical tasks, referred to as big and fast data analysis. Today’s technology falls severely short for such needs due to the lack of support of complex analytics with scale, low latency, and strong guarantees of user performance requirements. To bridge the gap, this proposal tackles a grand challenge: “How do we design an algorithmic foundation that enables the development of all necessary pillars of big and fast data analysis?” This proposal considers three pillars:
1) Parallelism: There is a fundamental tension between data parallelism (for scale) and pipeline parallelism (for low latency). We propose new approaches based on intelligent use of memory and workload properties to integrate both forms of parallelism.
2) Analytics: The literature lacks a large body of algorithms for critical order-related analytics to be run under data and pipeline parallelism. We propose new algorithmic frameworks to enable such analytics.
3) Optimization: To run analytics, today's big data systems are best effort only. We transform such systems into a principled optimization framework that suits the new characteristics of big data infrastructure and adapts to meet user performance requirements.
The scale and complexity of the proposed algorithm design makes this project high-risk, at the same time, high-gain: it will lay a solid foundation for big and fast data analysis, enabling a new integrated parallel processing paradigm, algorithms for critical order-related analytics, and a principled optimizer with strong performance guarantees. It will also broadly enable accelerated information discovery in emerging domains such as genomics, as well as economic benefits of early, well-informed decisions and reduced user payments.
Summary
This proposal addresses a pressing need from emerging big data applications such as genomics and data center monitoring: besides the scale of processing, big data systems must also enable perpetual, low-latency processing for a broad set of analytical tasks, referred to as big and fast data analysis. Today’s technology falls severely short for such needs due to the lack of support of complex analytics with scale, low latency, and strong guarantees of user performance requirements. To bridge the gap, this proposal tackles a grand challenge: “How do we design an algorithmic foundation that enables the development of all necessary pillars of big and fast data analysis?” This proposal considers three pillars:
1) Parallelism: There is a fundamental tension between data parallelism (for scale) and pipeline parallelism (for low latency). We propose new approaches based on intelligent use of memory and workload properties to integrate both forms of parallelism.
2) Analytics: The literature lacks a large body of algorithms for critical order-related analytics to be run under data and pipeline parallelism. We propose new algorithmic frameworks to enable such analytics.
3) Optimization: To run analytics, today's big data systems are best effort only. We transform such systems into a principled optimization framework that suits the new characteristics of big data infrastructure and adapts to meet user performance requirements.
The scale and complexity of the proposed algorithm design makes this project high-risk, at the same time, high-gain: it will lay a solid foundation for big and fast data analysis, enabling a new integrated parallel processing paradigm, algorithms for critical order-related analytics, and a principled optimizer with strong performance guarantees. It will also broadly enable accelerated information discovery in emerging domains such as genomics, as well as economic benefits of early, well-informed decisions and reduced user payments.
Max ERC Funding
2 472 752 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-09-01, End date: 2022-08-31
