A Success Story: Aziz Sancar
Aziz Sancar was born in 1946 in Savur district of Mardin as the seventh child of a farming family with eight children.
During his high school years, Sancar was closely involved with football and wanted to become a footballer, but a decision he made in his final year of high school changed the course of science… That decision was to go to Istanbul to continue his higher education.
When the calendar showed 1969, Aziz Sancar graduated first in his class from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. And thus began Sancar's success story.
After practising medicine for 2 years at a health centre in Savur district of Mardin, he went to Johns Hopkins University with a NANO TUBITAK scholarship he had won, and subsequently to the University of Texas at Dallas.
In Dallas, he continued his work with his advisor Claud Rupert. In his research, he cloned a photolyase gene and reproduced it at very high rates in bacteria using genetic engineering.
Through the enzyme encoded by the gene, DNA damaged by UV light is repaired. And thus in 1977, following Aziz Sancar's discovery, he pursued his master's degree and subsequently obtained his doctorate.
By 1977-1978, Sancar, who was serving at Yale University Faculty of Medicine, began research on nucleotide excision repair. He completed his associate professorship in the field of DNA repair.
Since 1997, Sancar has been conducting research in biochemistry and biophysics and continues to serve as Sarah Graham Kenan Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in North Carolina, USA.
Toward the Nobel
Human characteristics emerge from the union of a sperm with 23 chromosomes and an egg with 23 chromosomes. Thus they create the genetic material preserved in each human being called the genome. Cells divide, differentiate and development continues as each cell contains the same genetic material. The chemical processes that occur in our body must fight mutations, and this includes DNA. In the research he conducted, Aziz Sancar gained knowledge about cancer development, aging mechanisms, and how cells in the human body maintain their functions. Particularly in his work, Sancar targeted nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA. First, enzymes identify the damaged area, isolate it and remove it, then the removed area is filled and the damaged section is repaired. This process is called "Nucleotide Excision Repair." A lifetime devoted to science, and as a result of research conducted on DNA, in 2015 Aziz Sancar was deemed worthy of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on "Molecularly Mapping How Cells Protect Genetic Information by Repairing Damaged DNA." To promote Turkey and help students coming from Turkey to America, Aziz Sancar established a Turkish House for medical students in North Carolina in 2007. The origin of the Carolina Turkish House concept came from the difficulties Sancar faced in his first years in America. The Turkish House, supported by Turkish and Turkish-American donations, is not for profit. The Turkish House provides low-cost accommodation for students coming from Turkey and also accepts 4 scholarship students. At the same time, gatherings, celebrations and cultural activities are held at the Turkish House on special days for Turkey. We offer our endless respect and gratitude to Professor Dr. Aziz Sancar, who has made great discoveries for human history and has given us this pride. Prepared by: Çağla Köksal References https://www.drozdogan.com/aziz-sancara-nobel-odulunu- getiren-calismalari-dnanin-mekanistik-tamiri/ https://www.haberler.com/aziz-sancar/biyografisi/ https://ceotudent.com/aziz-sancar-ve-2015-nobelkimya- odulunu-getiren-calismasi http://www.carolinaturkevi.org/Advertisement
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