Sancar

Sancar is a Turkish surname and, less commonly, a given name. It is of Turkish origin and is borne by people in Turkish-speaking communities as well as in diaspora populations around the world.

Notable people

Aziz Sancar (born 1946) is a Turkish-American biochemist and molecular biologist. His research focuses on DNA repair mechanisms, particularly nucleotide excision repair in human cells, and how cells detect and correct DNA damage. In 2015, Sancar was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for mechanistic studies of DNA repair, shared with Tomas Lindahl and Paul Modrich. His work has been influential in understanding cancer biology, aging, and the cellular response to DNA damage. Sancar has held scientific appointments at institutions in the United States and has contributed to the education of new generations of researchers.

Other individuals bearing the Sancar surname may be found in various professions, particularly within Turkish communities or in places with Turkish diaspora. The surname is most commonly associated with scientific and academic contexts because of Aziz Sancar’s prominence, but it also appears in broader public and private spheres.

In summary, Sancar is a Turkish-origin surname notable largely for Aziz Sancar, whose Nobel Prize-winning work advanced the understanding of how cells repair DNA damage, a foundational topic in modern molecular biology.