On This Day

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Tomas Lindahl (Sweden), Paul Modrich (US), and Aziz Sancar (Turkey) for work on DNA

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Tomas Lindahl (Sweden), Paul Modrich (US), and Aziz Sancar (Turkey) for work on DNA repair in cells

Aziz Sancar is a Turkish-American molecular biologist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and circadian clock. In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for their mechanistic studies of DNA repair. He has made contributions on photolyase and nucleotide excision repair in bacteria that have changed his field.

Sancar is currently the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the co-founder of the Aziz & Gwen Sancar Foundation, which is a non-profit organization to promote Turkish culture and to support Turkish students in the United States.

Historical Significance

Aziz Sancar is a Turkish-American molecular biologist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and circadian clock.

Events Before

  1. Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his first PDC World Darts Championship, defeating Peter Wright of Scotland 7-4; it is t

    Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his first PDC World Darts Championship, defeating Peter Wright of Scotland 7-4; it is the first time no Englishman has been in the final

  2. English "Roxy Music" singer-songwriter Bryan Ferry [68] divorces second wife English public relations specialist Amanda

    English "Roxy Music" singer-songwriter Bryan Ferry [68] divorces second wife English public relations specialist Amanda Sheppard [32] after a year and a half of marriage

  3. Ukrainian Revolution of 2014 begins as protesters, riot police and unknown shooters take part in violent events in the c

    Ukrainian Revolution of 2014 begins as protesters, riot police and unknown shooters take part in violent events in the capital, Kiev, culminating after five days in the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych

  4. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 people on board loses contact and disappears, prompting the most expensive searc

    Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 people on board loses contact and disappears, prompting the most expensive search effort in history and one of the most enduring aviation mysteries

  5. Russia formally annexes Crimea amid international condemnation

    In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, occupied it, and then annexed it after an illegitimate referendum.

Events After

  1. After floods along the Mississippi River kill 31 people, Exxon Mobil Corp decides to close a plant in flood-threatened M

    After floods along the Mississippi River kill 31 people, Exxon Mobil Corp decides to close a plant in flood-threatened Memphis

  2. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announces the recapture of drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, six months after hi

    Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announces the recapture of drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, six months after his escape from prison

  3. American singer-actress Katharine McPhee (31) divorces producer Nick Cokas (50) after 8 years of marriage

    American singer-actress Katharine McPhee (31) divorces producer Nick Cokas (50) after 8 years of marriage

  4. Pope Francis meets Patriarch Kirill in Havana in the first meeting between the heads of the Catholic and Russian Orthodo

    Pope Francis meets Patriarch Kirill in Havana in the first meeting between the heads of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches in nearly 1,000 years

  5. Barack Obama becomes the first US President to visit Cuba since 1928, arriving for a three-day tour with First Lady Mich

    Barack Obama becomes the first US President to visit Cuba since 1928, arriving for a three-day tour with First Lady Michelle

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 7, 2015?
Aziz Sancar is a Turkish-American molecular biologist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and circadian clock. In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for their mechanistic studies of DNA repair.
Why is Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Tomas Lindahl (Sweden), Paul Modrich (US)... significant?
Aziz Sancar is a Turkish-American molecular biologist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and circadian clock.

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