Work on DNA repair wins Nobel Prize for Chemistry
The three scientists who have shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry were unveiled at a press conference in Sweden. Swede Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar were awarded the prize for their discoveries in DNA repair. Their work uncovered the mechanisms used by cells to repair damaged DNA. It is a fundamental process in living cells and important in cancer. A host of molecular systems continuously monitor and repair our genetic information. The three new laureates mapped in detail how these mechanisms worked. DNA is open to an onslaught of different phenomena which can generate defects in our genomes. Professor Lindahl who has worked in the UK for more than three decades said the award was a surprise but he felt lucky and proud to be selected for it. The winners will share prize money of eight million Swedish kroner around 650,000 euros.
