What is Aziz Sancar known for?
I am best known for my work on nucleotide excision repair, the molecular mechanism by which cells remove UV-induced DNA damage. This research earned me the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. I discovered how a complex of proteins in E. coli—UvrA, UvrB, and UvrC—recognizes and cuts out damaged DNA segments, then fills the gap with new synthesis. Later, I identified the human homologs, including XPA and XPC, which perform a similar but more intricate process. DNA repair is the guardian of the genome, and understanding it has implications for cancer prevention and aging. My work also extends to photolyase, an enzyme that directly reverses UV damage using light energy, and cryptochromes, which regulate circadian rhythms. The beauty of science is in the details, and I have always emphasized rigorous experimentation to uncover these fundamental mechanisms.
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