2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to DNA Repair

Today, the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the field of DNA repair. I am especially excited by this news since I had spent six years researching the role that DNA base-flipping plays in DNA repair when I was a graduate student studying at Michigan State University under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Feig. Thus, my research sat at the crossroads between the exciting worlds of computational chemistry (which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry two years ago in 2013) and DNA repair which have ultimately shaped my appreciation for doing science.

Dr. Paul Modrich, one of the three Nobel Prize recipients this year, is a pioneer in the field of DNA mismatch repair and has spent decades trying to understand the mechanism by which humans (and other eukaryotes) maintain the efficacy and fidelity of their genome. As a computational biochemist/biophysicist, I am honored to have had the opportunity to make significant contributions to this field of research and am delighted to see this area be recognized!

Others scientists who have also made an impact in the area of DNA mismatch repair include (in no particular order) Drs. Richard Kolodner, Richard Fishel, Thomas Kunkel, Dorothy Erie, Manju Hingorani, Peggy Hsieh, Shayantani Mukherjee, Alexander Predeus, Meindert Lamers, Titia Sixma, et al.

Congratulations to all!