Aziz Sancar

Awarded for

Mechanistic studies of how cells repair damaged DNA

Shared with: Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich

The story behind the prize

Ultraviolet light and chemicals damage our DNA every day. Sancar mapped 'nucleotide excision repair', the system cells use to cut out and replace UV-damaged DNA. Faults in this system cause diseases such as xeroderma pigmentosum, and the work helps cancer research.

About

Biochemist from Savur, Turkey, who trained as a physician in Istanbul and worked at the University of North Carolina.

Exam facts

• First Turkish scientist to win a Nobel Prize