Nobel Prize award Chemistry-2015
October 07, 2015
-Karthik Gurumurthy
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2015 wasn't awarded to a single individual, but rather jointly to three scientists who all made crucial contributions to understanding DNA repair mechanisms:
- Tomas Lindahl: Swedish, received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Karolinska Institute in 1967. He currently serves as Emeritus Senior Scientist at the Francis Crick Institute and Honorary Professor at the University of Oxford.
- Paul Modrich: American, earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Duke University in 1976. He continues to work as the James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University School of Medicine.
- Aziz Sancar: Turkish-American, obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Rochester in 1977. He is currently a James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at Duke University School of Medicine.
Their Contributions:
These three laureates were jointly recognized for their groundbreaking work on how cells repair damaged DNA, a crucial process for maintaining genomic stability and preventing cancer and other diseases. Their research sheds light on the intricate mechanisms involved in identifying and correcting DNA errors, providing valuable insights into human health and disease.
- Lindahl focused on understanding the mechanisms by which cells identify and remove damaged bases from DNA, playing a key role in establishing the concept of base excision repair.
- Modrich discovered and characterized mismatch repair, a process that corrects errors incorporated during DNA replication, significantly impacting our understanding of genetic mutations and cancer development.
- Sancar elucidated the complex pathway of nucleotide excision repair, which repairs DNA damage caused by UV radiation and other environmental factors, contributing to our knowledge of skin cancer and aging.
Their collective work on DNA repair has significantly impacted various fields, including cancer research, aging studies, and understanding human health and disease.
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