A European Champions League for Research
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European Research Council
A European
Champions
League
for Research
ERC Starting Grants: ing or moving to work in Europe – the sole criterion for selection
First Swiss Success Stories is scientific excellence.
The European Research Council (ERC) is the first pan-European In the first ERC Starting Grant call in 2007 around 300 grants
funding agency for frontier research. It is implemented through were awarded to promising top scientists in Europe, out of 9,000
the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Re- proposals. 15 of these grantees are performing their research in
search and Technological Development (FP7), in which Switzer- Switzerland, including one researcher at CERN, Geneva. Switzer-
land is fully involved as an associated country. It supports indi- land was thus one of the most successful host countries for top
vidual investigators in all disciplines and fosters excellent basic researchers : it ranked 2nd in terms of number of grantees per
research at the frontiers of knowledge. inhabitants, and 3rd in terms of number of grantees relative to
the researcher population.
The ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant supports start-
ing researchers embarking on an independent career and estab- The Swiss National Science Foundation, the largest research
lishing or consolidating their own research team. A call for Start- funding organisation in Switzerland, and Euresearch, the Swiss
ing Independent Researcher Grants is issued every summer. information network for European Research, would like to con-
The ERC Advanced Investigator Grant supports established top gratulate the grantees on this great success.
researchers at all career stages. A call for Advanced Investigator
Grants is issued every autumn. Both types of grants are awarded Who are the grantees working in Switzerland ? What is their re-
through open competition to projects headed by starting or es- search about ? Let them introduce themselves and guide you to
tablished researchers, irrespective of their origins, who are work- the frontiers of knowledge !>
Growth
Control
by the TOR
Signalling
Network
> Coherence
of Spins in
Semiconductor
Nanostructures
Dominik Zumbühl :
“Quantum mechanics is the
overarching theory of our world.
Robbie Loewith : A century after its discovery,
“Our ultimate goal is to under- the time is ripe to try to harness
stand how cell, organ and quantum physics for performing
organism growth is regulated.” computations.”
Why do cancer cells grow uncontrollably while normal, How can we use individual electron spins in nanostruc-
untransformed cells remain quiescent ? tures for quantum computation ?
Short Project Summary Short Project Summary
We now know that the Target Of Rapamycin (TOR) kinases lie Macroscopic control of quantum states is a major theme in much
at the heart of these fascinating questions. TORs reside in two of modern physics because quantum coherence enables study of
distinct multi-protein complexes : TOR Complex 1 (TORC1), and fundamental physics and has promising applications for quantum
TORC2. These two complexes are conserved among eukaryotes information processing. The potential significance of quantum
and function in signalling pathways that regulate different as- computing is now recognized well beyond the physics community.
pects of cell growth. By exploiting the facile genetics of the model For electron spins in GaAs quantum dots, it has become clear
eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae, my lab aims to flesh out that decoherence caused by interactions with the host nuclear
details of the TOR signalling network with the ultimate goal of spins is a major challenge. We will investigate and aim to reduce
understanding how cell, organ and organism growth is regulated. nuclear spin induced decoherence. Further, the exciting combina-
Additionally, given the conservation of the TOR complexes and tion of interacting electron and nuclear spin physics gives ample
their clinical importance, especially in oncology, we will also em- incentive to strive for sub-Millikelvin temperatures in nanostruc-
ploy an innovative high throughput screen to identify novel drug- tures. We propose to build a novel refrigerator aiming to reach
like compounds that inhibit yeast and mammalian TORC1 and unprecedented low temperatures in semiconductor nanostruc-
TORC2. tures. This interdisciplinary project combines Microkelvin with
nanophysics and could be the beginning of a new era of coherent
spin physics with unprecedented quantum control.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Prof. Dr. Robbie Loewith Growth control by Prof. Dr. Dominik Zumbühl Coherence of Spins
the TOR signalling in Semiconductor
Date of Birth network Date of Birth Nanostructures
20 July 1972 15 January 1974
Acronym Acronym
Nationality TOR signalling Nationality COSPSENA
Canadian Swiss
Budget Budget
Host Institution 965,500 € Host Institution 1,377,000 €
University of Geneva, University of Basel,
Department Duration of Project Department of Physics, Duration of Project
of Molecular Biology, 5 years http ://physik.unibas.ch 5 years
www.molbio.unige.ch
2 | Success Stories of ERC Grantees | June 2008>
Plasticity
of the
Empathic
Brain
> The Genetic
Basis
of Animal
Diversity
Tania Singer :
“In today’s world, Walter Salzburger :
acquiring the capacity “150 years after Charles
to effectively enhance Darwin it is high time that we
empathy and prosocial understood the processes
behaviour is of the that lead to the emergence
utmost importance.” of new species.”
What impact does empathy training have on the behav- What are the external factors that promote the evolu-
iour and the cortex of individuals ? tion of new species ?
Short Project Summary Short Project Summary
Despite neuroscientists’ advances in plasticity and empathy re- The identification of the processes that lead to the emergence of
search, little is known about cortical and behavioural plasticity in new species remains a fundamental question to biology. Despite
emotional understanding and empathy. In this project we will in- recent advances in evolutionary and developmental biology, the
vestigate the malleability of empathy via training. Studies 1-3 will molecular mechanisms underlying diversification, adaptation and
look at differences in the brains of individuals scoring high versus evolutionary innovation remain largely unknown. The exception-
low on empathy (psychopaths, alexithymics, therapists). In study ally diverse species of cichlid fishes in the East African Great
4, participants will learn to self-regulate brain activity through Lakes are excellent model systems for studying the genetic basis
immediate feedback from emotion-related brain areas while prac- of biodiversity. East Africa’s endemic cichlid species differ greatly
tising certain mental techniques. In Study 5, healthy individuals in ecologically relevant, hence naturally selected, characteristics
will receive extensive training in empathy-enhancing techniques. such as mouth morphology, but also in sexually selected traits
We will measure training-related changes in brain structure and such as coloration. In the framework of my ERC Starting Grant
functioning, in hormone levels, and in prosocial and economic I will study the genetic basis of certain characteristics that ap-
behaviour. This project should have implications for the devel- pear to be responsible for the evolutionary success of the cichlid
opment of effective training programmes for schools, economic fishes, with particular emphasis on features that evolved in paral-
and political organizations and for the treatment of patients with lel in independent cichlid radiations.
marked social deficits.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Prof. Dr. Tania Singer Plasticity of the empathic brain : Prof. Dr. Walter Salzburger The interaction and the genetic
Structural and functional MRI basis of naturally versus sexually
Date of Birth studies on the effect of empathy Date of Birth selected traits in the adaptive
8 December 1969 training on the human brain and 1 January 1975 radiations of cichlid fishes
prosocial behaviour
Nationality Nationality Acronym
Acronym INTERGENADAPT
German and French Austrian
EMPATHICBRAIN
Host Institution Host Institution Budget
Budget 750,000 €
University of Zurich, University of Basel,
Centre for the Study 1,500,000 € Zoological Institute,
of Social and Neural Systems, www.evolution.unibas.ch Duration of Project
www.socialbehavior.uzh.ch Duration of Project 5 years
5 years
3 | Success Stories of ERC Grantees | June 2008>
The Role
of Lymphatic
Vessels in
Dendritic Cell
Homing and
> Adipocyte
Differentiation
and Metabolic
Functions in
Obesity and
Maturation Type 2 Diabetes
Christian Wolfrum :
Melody Swartz: “Obesity and metabolic disorders
“Elucidating the initial steps are real scourges of the
in adaptive immunity is ultimately 21st century and are increasingly
important for developing becoming the focus of public
immunotherapeutic strategies.” attention.”
How do lymphatic vessels actively regulate the adap- What are the molecular mechanisms of adipogen-
tive immune response ? esis linked to the development of the metabolic syn-
drome ?
Short Project Summary
Dendritic cell (DC) homing from the periphery to lymph nodes is a Short Project Summary
critical first event in the immune response, yet the mechanisms Obesity-associated disorders such as type 2 diabetes and cardio-
of DC migration towards, and entry into, lymphatics are still poor- vascular disorders, referred to as the “metabolic syndrome”, are
ly understood ; this severely limits new therapeutic strategies for prevalent traits of industrialized societies. The project aims to
immunomodulation. We propose a battery of physiological, cell- facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying
biological, molecular, and computational studies to determine altered adipocyte differentiation and maturation in these meta-
both the mechanisms of DC homing to lymphatic vessels and bolic diseases. To achieve this goal, we will establish novel meth-
how DCs modulate lymphatic function. We approach this from the ods to isolate pure primary preadipocytes. This will include a new
perspectives of both the DC and the lymphatic vessel. Regarding animal model that will enable us to monitor preadipocytes in vivo
the DC, we will examine how draining flows toward the lymphatic and track their cellular fate in the context of a complete organ-
alter their migration tactics. Regarding the lymphatic vessel, we ism. These systems will allow us to study preadipocyte biology
will elucidate how biochemical and biophysical inflammatory sig- in an in vivo setting. Furthermore, they will help us answer key
nals regulate their function to facilitate DC homing and entry. questions regarding the development of preadipocytes and ex-
This deeper knowledge of mechanisms of DC-lymphatic cross- amine signals that induce or inhibit their differentiation. Detailed
talk in a relevant biophysical context will enable our long-term knowledge of these mechanisms will facilitate the development
goal of rational design for therapeutic immunomodulation. of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of obesity and
associated metabolic disorders.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Prof. Dr. Melody Swartz The role of lymphatic Prof. Dr. Christian Wolfrum Adipocyte differentiation and
vessels in dendritic cell metabolic functions in obesity
Date of Birth homing and maturation Date of Birth and type 2 diabetes
26 April 1969 17 July 1972
Acronym Acronym
Nationality DC-LYMPH Nationality AdipoDif
American German
Budget Budget
Host Institution 1,731,200 € Host Institution 1,700,000 €
Ecole Polytechnique ETH Zurich,
Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Duration of Project Institute of Bioengineering, Duration of Project
Institute of Bioengineering, 5 years www.imsb.ethz.ch 5 years
http ://ibi.epfl.ch
4 | Success Stories of ERC Grantees | June 2008>
Epigenetic
Determinants
of the Genome
that Govern
Cellular
> Quality Control
of Gene Expression :
Mechanisms for
Recognition
and Elimination of
Plasticity Nonsense mRNA
Dirk Schübeler : Oliver Mühlemann :
“Stem cells have the fascinat- “A key to understanding life is to
ing ability to differentiate into comprehend how cells transform
any cell type. We will use func- their genetic information into function
tional genomics approaches to or structure, and how mistakes in
understand how this process this process are recognized and
is controlled.” prevented.”
What is the contribution of epigenetic gene regulation How can cells recognize faulty mRNAs and prevent
to cellular identity ? their translation into dangerous, truncated proteins ?
Short Project Summary Short Project Summary
How does the cell organize the genome to activate the right gene Analogous to quality control checks along the assembly line in in-
when needed and to keep it silent at other times ? In the ERC dustrial manufacturing processes, cells possess multiple quality
project we investigate how the epigenome changes when pluri- control systems that ensure accurate expression of the genetic
potent stem cells differentiate into cells with defined functions, information. One of these surveillance mechanisms, called “non-
for example neurons. We will focus on DNA methylation and its sense-mediated mRNA decay” (NMD), recognizes and degrades
interplay with several histone modifications as a way to achieve mRNAs in which the information for the encoded protein is trun-
stable gene silencing. By applying new high-throughout methods cated. By eliminating these defective mRNAs, NMD substantially
we will create global profiles to gain insights into targeting prin- reduces the synthesis of potentially deleterious proteins in cells.
ciples and generate statistical, predictive models of regulation. Given that 30% of all known disease-causing mutations in hu-
Mechanistic models will then be derived and tested by geneti- mans lead to such defective mRNAs, NMD serves as an impor-
cally interfering with regulatory pathways and by dissecting DNA tant modulator of the clinical manifestations of genetic diseases.
sequence components involved in specifying targets. These ex- However, the mechanism of NMD is still unknown. One main goal
periments aim to unravel the crosstalk between epigenetic regu- of our research is to understand at the molecular level how pre-
lation and cell plasticity and to incorporate epigenetic regulation mature termination codons are recognized and distinguished
into current transcriptional regulatory models. from correct termination codons, and how this recognition of
nonsense mRNAs subsequently triggers their rapid degradation.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Dr. Dirk Schübeler Epigenetic determinants Dr. Oliver Mühlemann Quality control of gene
of the genome that govern expression : mechanisms
Date of Birth cellular plasticity Date of Birth for recognition and elimination
8 May 1969 18 June 1967 of nonsense mRNA
Acronym
Nationality EpiGePlas Nationality Acronym
German Swiss mRNA quality
Budget
Host Institution 1,085,000 € Host Institution Budget
Friedrich Miescher Institute University of Berne, 1,300,000 €
for Biomedical Research, Duration of Project Institute of Cell Biology,
Basel, 5 years www.izb.unibe.ch Duration of Project
www.fmi.ch 5 years
5 | Success Stories of ERC Grantees | June 2008>
Probing the
Relevance
of Carbene
Binding Motifs
in Enzyme
> Plant Endo-
membrane
Trafficking in
Physiology
and Develop-
Reactivity ment
Niko Geldner :
“Plants cover the
surface of this planet
and provide for our
Martin Albrecht : everyday needs. We
“Is there anything more fascinating need to understand how
than improving our understanding they manage to adapt
of the pivotal processes of the and strive in diverse
machinery of life ?” environments.”
Did we overlook relevant binding modes and reactivity How are the ordered, subcellular structures of the root
patterns in metalloenzyme chemistry ? barrier put into place in plants ?
Short Project Summary Short Project Summary
In metalloenyzmes, amino acids are generally considered to bind In the ERC project I will analyse the Arabidopsis root endodermis
to the metal centre via their heteroatoms, mostly nitrogen or sul- as an example of a plant polar epithelium. Epithelia are a fun-
fur. Under certain conditions however, a carbon-type bonding may damental feature of multi-cellular organisms, representing the
be favoured. This possibility has been completely overlooked up highly selective barriers and interfaces between the organism
to now. This is remarkable, since such a bonding mode affects and its outside environment. The root endodermis is a tissue
the activity of the metal centre dramatically and may provide a ra- common to all higher plants and is of central importance for plant
tionale for the mode of action of metalloenzymes that are still not nutrition. Its function has been known for almost a century, yet
fully understood. Obviously, any evidence for carbon coordination we do not understand how its molecular structures are set up
in metalloenzymes will therefore induce a paradigm shift in clas- and maintained. While the endodermis has not previously been
sical peptide chemistry. Moreover, this unprecedented bonding viewed as an epithelium, it does display all its defining features
mode will provide access to unique and hitherto unknown reactiv- and therefore provides us with a unique opportunity to study a
ity patterns for artificial enzyme mimics. A multifaceted approach parallel and independent path of nature towards multi-cellularity.
will be pursued for identifying such bonding in enzymes, includ- Moreover, understanding the structure and function of the endo-
ing site-directed mutagenesis, screening of classes of native en- dermis will contribute to our knowledge of how plant roots inter-
zymes and chemical synthesis of active site models. act with their soil environment and how they are able to adapt to
various biotic and abiotic stresses.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Prof. Dr. Martin Albrecht Probing the relevance Prof. Dr. Niko Geldner Plant endomembrane
of carbene binding motifs trafficking in physiology
Date of Birth in enzyme reactivity Date of Birth and development
12 December 1971 29 May 1972
Acronym Acronym
Nationality CARBENZYMES Nationality Plant-Memb-Traf
Swiss German
Budget Budget
Host Institution 1,250,000 € Host Institution 1,200,000 €
University of Fribourg, University of Lausanne,
Department of Chemistry, Duration of Project Department of Plant Molecular Duration of Project
www.chem.unifr.ch 5 years Biology, 5 years
www.unil.ch/dbmv
6 | Success Stories of ERC Grantees | June 2008>
4D Spatio-
Temporal
Modelling of
Real-World
Events from
> Olfactory
Perception in
Drosophila
Video Streams
Marc Pollefeys :
“To understand complex
visual events, it is impor- Richard Benton :
tant to be able to combine “From mosquitoes to man,
multiple videos into a smell is a highly evocative but
single representation.” deeply mysterious sense.”
How can we recreate virtual representations of events How do genes and circuits encode smell in the brain ?
from videos ?
Short Project Summary
Short Project Summary The overall goal of our research is to understand how sensory
Today video cameras can be found everywhere, from mobile information in the environment is detected and processed in the
phones to surveillance systems. Often the same event is record- brain to evoke an appropriate behavioural response. Our proj-
ed from many different viewpoints. The goal of my ERC project ect focuses on the olfactory system of the fruit fly, Drosophila
is to develop new methods to integrate all these separate views melanogaster, a model genetic organism that displays a sophis-
into an integrated spatio-temporal model. This model will include ticated repertoire of odour-driven behaviours under the control of
the shape and motion of all objects in the scene as well as their neural circuits with similar anatomical and functional properties
appearance. It can be used to relive the event from an arbitrary to those of mammals but with significantly reduced complexity.
viewpoint or to analyse the event. The video data could origi- We will take a multidisciplinary approach to this problem, com-
nate from cellphones or camcorders which happened to record bining bioinformatics, genetics, molecular cell biology, neuronal
an extemporaneous event or be captured by a smart camera physiology and behavioural analysis. We aim to gain insights into
network set up to track specific events. It is expected that this a fundamental problem of neuroscience – how genes and circuits
work will have applications in many different areas, ranging from control behaviour – and the evolutionary mechanisms operating
surveillance, computer games and entertainment to human mo- in animal nervous systems. Our work also has potential direct
tion analysis and medicine. application in the development of novel strategies to control the
chemosensory-driven behaviours of pest insects.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Prof. Dr. Marc Pollefeys 4D spatio-temporal modelling Prof. Dr. Richard Benton Olfactory perception
of real-world events from video in Drosophila
Date of Birth streams Date of Birth
1 May 1971 27 September 1977 Acronym
Acronym OlfactoryiGluRs
Nationality 4DVideo Nationality
Belgian British Budget
Budget 1,500,000 €
Host Institution 1,750,000 € Host Institution
ETH Zurich, University of Lausanne, Duration of Project
Institute of Computational Duration of Project Center for Integrative 5 years
Science, 5 years Genomics,
www.icos.ethz.ch www.unil.ch/cig
7 | Success Stories of ERC Grantees | June 2008>
Cosmology
at the CERN
Large Hadron
Collider
> Towards Protein
Folding in the
Cell with Single
Molecule
Spectroscopy
Ben Schuler :
“Protein misfolding
Géraldine Servant : diseases such
“The LHC will take as Morbus Alzheimer
us to a new energy pose an escalating
frontier that will allow problem for our aging
us to learn about new societies. We need
fundamental laws of to understand how
physics and change the cellular machinery
our views about the controls the responsible
early universe.” processes.”
What are the deep connections between the funda- What are the dynamic properties of protein molecules,
mental laws of elementary particle physics and the and how do they find their folded structure in a cell ?
properties of our universe today ?
Short Project Summary
Short Project Summary Proteins are the most versatile group of biological macromole-
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 7 + 7 TeV proton-proton col- cules and form the basis of essentially all functional processes
lider nearing completion at the European Laboratory for Particle in living organisms. Following their synthesis as linear chains of
Physics (CERN) in Geneva, will take experiments into a new ener- amino acids, they undergo one of the most remarkable self-orga-
gy domain beyond the standard model of strong and electroweak nization processes of life, spontaneously rearranging to produce
interactions. As the LHC will unveil the mysteries of electroweak the well-defined three-dimensional structure necessary to carry
symmetry breaking, this will also have far-reaching implications out their function. Whereas this folding process is autonomous
for cosmology. The aim of this project is to establish what we can at low protein concentrations, cells had to evolve a sophisticated
learn from discoveries at the LHC about the early universe. This molecular machinery to avoid misfolding and aggregation of fold-
concerns in particular the fundamental question of the nature of ing proteins in the crowded environment of the cell. The goal of
the dark matter. Another key topic is the mechanism responsible this project is to understand how the mechanisms of protein fold-
for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe, which could ing are changed by the central components of this machinery, the
have major implications for gravity wave physics. One goal of this so-called molecular chaperones. In a multi-disciplinary project we
project will be to explore thoroughly how the planned gravity wave use single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy to address this
detector and space interferometer LISA could complement the question.
information provided by the LHC.
Information on the Information Information on the Information
Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project Principal Investigator (PI) on the ERC Project
Name Title of Project Name Title of Project
Dr. Géraldine Servant Cosmology at the CERN Prof. Dr. Ben Schuler Towards protein folding
Large Hadron Collider in the cell with single molecule
Date of Birth Date of Birth spectroscopy
14 May 1974 Acronym 13 April 1971
Cosmo@LHC Acronym
Nationality Nationality SingleMolFolding
French Budget Austrian
800,000 € Budget
Host Institution Host Institution 1,350,000 €
CERN, European Organization Duration of Project University of Zurich,
for Nuclear Research, 5 years Department of Biochemistry, Duration of Project
Department of Physics, www.bioc.uzh.ch 5 years
http ://cern.ch/ph-dep-th
Missing from this brochure : Prof. Dr. Karl Gademann, EPFL
Editorial staff : Dr. Katja Wirth Bürgel . Euresearch, Danièle Rod Wiesner . SNSF Design : Agence Symbol, Granges-Paccot Information : katja.wirth@euresearch.ch
Implementation : Bonhage Gagnebin & Partner, Berne Print : Gerber Druck AG, Steffisburg www.euresearch.ch/erc, http://erc.europa.euYou can also read
