Contents
Aziz Sancar
Explaining how cells repair damaged DNA.
DNA repair
- Born
- 8 September 1946
- Birthplace
- Savur district
More people
Aziz Sancar
Aziz Sancar is a Turkish-American scientist whose work clarified mechanisms of DNA repair, including nucleotide excision repair and photolyase activity.
Early life
Training
Studied medicine at Istanbul University, graduating in 1969, and earned his doctorate at the University of Texas at Dallas in 1977.
Career
- 1969
Medical work
Worked as a doctor in the Savur region after graduation.
- 1977
Research doctorate
Completed research on the photoreactivating enzyme in E. coli.
- 2015
Nobel Prize
Shared the chemistry prize with Tomas Lindahl and Paul Modrich.
Contributions
DNA repair
Helped explain the molecular steps by which damaged DNA is recognised and repaired.
Beyond work
Foundation
With Gwen Sancar, co-founded a foundation supporting Turkish students and cultural exchange in the United States.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Holger Motzkau. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.