Paul Modrich
Facts
© Nobel Media AB. Photo: A. Mahmoud
Paul Modrich
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015
Born: 13 June 1946, Raton, NM, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
Prize motivation: “for mechanistic studies of DNA repair”
Prize share: 1/3
Life
Paul Modrich was born and raised in Raton, New Mexico, USA. His father was a biology teacher and encouraged his curiosity in nature. Modrich received his doctorate at Stanford University in 1973 and also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 1976 he works at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. He is also affiliated with Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Work
Living cells have DNA molecules that carry an organism's genes. For the organism to live and develop, its DNA cannot change. DNA molecules are not completely stable, and they can be damaged. In 1989, through studies of bacterial viruses, Modrich showed how methyl groups attached to the DNA molecule act as signals for repairing incorrect replications of DNA. These discoveries have increased our understanding of how the living cell works, the causes of cancer and about aging processes.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
