Modrich, Paul Lawrence (1946-…), an American biochemist, won the 2015 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discoveries on how the molecule DNA is repaired in living things. Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes that take place in living things. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the molecule responsible for inheritance. Modrich shared the prize with the Swedish-born biologist Tomas R. Lindahl and the Turkish-born biochemist Aziz Sancar .
DNA is a long, chainlike molecule . It carries genetic (hereditary) instructions encoded in sequences of chemical units called nucleotides. If a nucleotide becomes damaged, it can cause DNA to replicate (copy) a particular sequence incorrectly. Errors in replication can lead to mutations (changes) in a living thing’s genetic makeup. Mutations play a role in many diseases and genetic disorders.
Modrich identified certain proteins in bacteria that correct errors introduced when DNA replicates. The action of these proteins works to significantly reduce the chance of mutations. Similar proteins are found in human cells and in the cells of other living things. Understanding the ways in which DNA repairs itself and prevents errors can help scientists understand and treat such mutation-related diseases as cancers .
Modrich was born on June 13, 1946, in Raton, in northern New Mexico. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, graduating in 1968. He earned his Ph.D. degree in biochemistry at Stanford University in California in 1973. In 1976, he became a professor at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
