Project description
Virtual reality radicalises control and design of molecular systems at the nanoscale
As scientists have made progress engineering the structures of molecular systems at the nano-scale, a new fundamental challenge has emerged: namely, our ability to understand and engineer molecular dynamics and flexibility. Drawing on the state-of-the-art in high performance computing [HPC] and virtual reality [VR], the EU-funded NANOVR project will develop a new paradigm for nano-scale design, engineering, and simulation. The project team will develop an intuitive open-source framework which enables scientists to use VR-enabled interactive simulations for understanding complex molecular systems, which they will apply to understand important problems – for example the protein-ligand interactions required to tackle emerging strains of influenza. In so doing, we will obtain new insight into molecular flexibility, and accelerate molecular design across important domains spanning biochemistry, materials chemistry, & catalysis.
Objective
As molecular scientists have made progress in their ability to engineer and design the structure of mo-lecular systems at the nano-scale, a new fundamental challenge has emerged: namely, our ability to un-derstand and engineer molecular dynamics (MD) and flexibility. This limits our ability to carry out effi-cient molecular engineering in a range of important areas, including enzymatic catalysis, ligand-protein kinetics, and molecular signalling. In principle, MD simulations offer an excellent tool for furnishing microscopic insight into the fundamental dynamical and kinetic processes driving important molecular processes. However, the potential energy surfaces which characterize complex nano architectures have an extremely high dimensionality, making the exploration of structural dynamics a challenge; simula-tions tend to get trapped in metastable states, making it difficult to explore important transition path-ways. Drawing on the state-of-the-art in high performance computing [HPC] and virtual reality [VR], NanoVR will develop a new paradigm for undertaking nano-scale design, engineering, and analysis, through a synergistic combination of human design insight on the one hand and computational automation on the other. We will develop an intuitive open-source framework which enables molecular scientists to use VR-enabled interactive MD for guiding the automatic calculation of free energies along dynamical pathways in complex systems. We will highlight the power of this approach by applying it to under-stand enzyme-catalysed peptide macrocyclization, as well as the key protein-ligand interactions re-sponsible for emerging drug resistant strains of influenza. In so doing, we will advance fundamental new microscopic insight into molecular conformational dynamics, and grow a thriving user & develop-er community across both academia and industry committed to accelerating molecular design across important domains spanning biochemistry, materials chemistry, & catalysis.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2019-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
15782 Santiago De Compostela
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.