Three researchers specializing in the field of DNA research were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday, Oct. 7 for showing how cells are capable of repairing damaged DNA. Their combined work has led to the creation of new treatments for cancer.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has recognized the contributions of scientists Paul Modrich, Tomas Lindahl and Aziz Sancar for their research conducted in the 1970s and 1980s. The three DNA experts will share the prize as well as the $960,000 provided to the winners.
According to the Academy, the trio's work on the repair of DNA has provided fellow researchers with the fundamental knowledge regarding the function of cells in the body.
The contributions of the scientists have also led to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind aging and cancer.
"The reason our genetic material does not disintegrate into complete chemical chaos is that a host of molecular systems continuously monitor and repair DNA. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015 awards three pioneering scientists who have mapped how several of these repair systems function at a detailed molecular level," the Nobel Prize website stated.
Modrich, a medical professor at Duke University and a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland, detailed how cells address natural errors that occur during cell division where DNA is replicated. This correction is called mismatch repair.
The Swedish-born Lindahl, a cancer researcher from the Clare Hall Laboratory and the Francis Crick Institute in the United Kingdom, explored the stability of DNA in the 1960s. He discovered that the rapid deterioration of DNA causes frequent changes in the body that could have devastating effects on living organisms.
Lindahl's research showed how a number of potentially dangerous genome breakdowns occur every day and how proteins are able to constantly repair broken DNA through a mechanism known as base excision repair.
In an interview, Lindahl said he feels fortunate and privileged to receive the award.
"It's always nice at the end of your career to have recognition that what you have done is actually important," Lindahl shared.
Sancar, a citizen of both the United States and his native Turkey, has served as a professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine. His work detailed how proteins are able to address ultraviolet damage through a process called nucleotide excision repair.
The Nobel committee said that Sancar's knowledge of the molecular details behind nucleotide excision repair has helped change the field of research.
Photo: Mehmet Pinarci | Flickr
