The European Research Council (ERC) last week announced the 302 researchers who will receive Consolidator Grants. Among them is Fernando Moreno-Herrero, a researcher at the Centro Nacional de Biotecnología from CSIC (CNB-CSIC), who leads the Molecular Biophysics of DNA Repair Nanomachines group.
The project has a five-year duration and the award amounts to €1,895,000. This funding will be used to determine the mechanisms of action of the SMC complex (structural maintenance of chromosomes) and its accessory proteins in the task of organizing the chromosome, as well as its regulation by ATP.
The role of these proteins will be studied specifically in the condensation and cohesion functions of DNA molecules, using novel single-molecule-based biophysical techniques.
The Moreno-Herrero group develops and uses biophysical methods of this type, including atomic force microscopy (AFM) as well as optical and magnetic tweezers. These techniques enable manipulation of individual DNA molecules and measurement of the forces involved in DNA condensation and cohesion. Moreno-Herrero had already received an ERC Starting Grant in 2007 and an ERC Proof of Concept in 2015.
The total ERC budget for these grants is €585 million, which is distributed among 302 scientists working in Europe. Of these, 18 work in Spanish centres and receive a total of €33 million.