Pierre-Jean Corringer selected for funding by the European Research Council

The European Research Council (ERC) has published the results of its 2017 Advanced Grant call for proposals.

Pierre-Jean Corringer, Head of the Channel Receptors Unit, was selected for his project Dynacotine (Signal transduction and allosteric modulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: from ion channel electrophysiology to atomic 3D structures). The aim of the project is to shed light on the conformational dynamics of nicotinic receptors, which are involved in neuronal communication and are key targets for treating both nicotine addiction and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's). The project involves the development of fluorescence techniques combined with electrophysiology for real-time monitoring of the reorganizations that occur during activation and desensitization, as well as the effect of allosteric modulators and lipids on these transitions. The resulting data will be used to resolve the structure of receptors alone and in complexes with selected modulators.

The average success rate for the ERC Advanced Grant call is 12% (13% in the area of life sciences). The ranking by country for all scientific disciplines is topped by the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Sweden, etc.
The ranking is essentially the same in the field of life sciences.