Dr. Aziz Sancar is a world-renowned molecular biophysicist whose pioneering work on DNA repair mechanisms has fundamentally transformed our understanding of cellular processes. He currently holds the prestigious Sarah Graham Kenan Professorship in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where he has conducted groundbreaking research since joining the faculty in 1982. Born in Savur-Mardin, Turkey in 1946 to a lower middle-class family, he completed his medical training at Istanbul University before pursuing doctoral studies in molecular biology at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he earned his PhD in 1977. Following his PhD, he conducted influential postdoctoral work at Yale University on DNA repair mechanisms, overcoming initial challenges in his scientific career to establish himself as a leader in molecular biology.
Dr. Sancar's most significant contribution lies in his comprehensive elucidation of nucleotide excision repair, a critical cellular mechanism that removes DNA damage caused by ultraviolet radiation and other environmental factors. His laboratory achieved a major breakthrough in 1992 when they discovered that human nucleotide excision repair operates through a complex process requiring fifteen specialized proteins, in stark contrast to the three proteins needed in E. Coli bacteria. This detailed mapping of the molecular machinery involved in DNA repair provided the scientific foundation for understanding how cells protect themselves from cancer-causing mutations and how defects in these processes lead to genetic disorders. His work was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015, which he shared with Tomas Lindahl and Paul Modrich, for their collective mechanistic studies of DNA repair that have illuminated fundamental aspects of cellular biology and cancer development.
Beyond his Nobel Prize-winning research, Dr. Sancar continues to make significant contributions to science at the age of 79, actively teaching molecular biology to undergraduate students while advancing innovative cancer research in his laboratory. His lab recently discovered a promising new biochemical approach for treating brain tumors, demonstrating his enduring commitment to translational research that addresses critical medical challenges. Together with his wife Gwen Boles Sancar, also a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC, he founded Carolina Türk Evi, a cultural center promoting Turkish-American academic exchange that provides housing for Turkish researchers and visiting scholars. As both a scientific leader and cultural ambassador, Dr. Sancar's legacy extends beyond his laboratory discoveries to fostering international scientific collaboration and inspiring future generations of researchers in molecular biology and biochemistry.
