Tomas Lindahl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tomas Lindahl
FRS FMedSci
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Lindahl in 2015
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Tomas Robert Lindahl
28 January 1938 Stockholm, Sweden
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| Nationality | Swedish, naturalised British (dual nationality) |
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| Known for | Clarification of cellular resistance to carcinogens |
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| Thesis | On the structure and stability of nucleic acids in solution (1967) |
Tomas Robert Lindahl (born 28 January 1938) is a Swedish-British scientist. He is famous for his work in cancer research. In 2015, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared this award with two other scientists, Paul L. Modrich and Aziz Sancar. They won for their important studies on how DNA repair works.
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Early Life and Education
Tomas Lindahl was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He grew up in a part of Stockholm called Kungsholmen. His parents were Folke Robert Lindahl and Ethel Hulda Hultberg.
What Did He Study?
Lindahl went to the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. This is a very famous medical university. He earned his PhD degree there in 1967. A PhD is a high-level university degree. He also qualified for an MD degree in 1970. An MD is a medical doctor's degree.
His Amazing Career in Science
After finishing his studies, Tomas Lindahl continued his research. He worked at Princeton University and Rockefeller University in the United States. These are both top research places.
Where Did He Work?
From 1978 to 1982, Lindahl was a professor. He taught medical chemistry at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Later, he moved to the United Kingdom. In 1981, he joined the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. This organization is now known as Cancer Research UK.
Leading a Research Lab
From 1986 to 2005, Lindahl was the first Director of the Clare Hall Laboratories. These labs were part of Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute. They are located in Hertfordshire, England. Since 2015, these labs have been part of the Francis Crick Institute. He kept doing research there until 2009.
What Was His Research About?
Tomas Lindahl has written many scientific papers. His work mainly focuses on DNA repair and the genetics of cancer. DNA is like the instruction manual for our bodies. DNA repair is how our cells fix mistakes in this manual. Understanding this is key to fighting diseases like cancer.
Awards and Special Recognition
Tomas Lindahl has received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards show how much his discoveries have helped science.
Important Memberships
In 1974, he became an EMBO Member. EMBO is an organization for leading life scientists. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1988. The Royal Society is one of the oldest and most respected scientific groups in the world. Being a Fellow means you are a top scientist.
Why Was He Chosen?
The Royal Society recognized him for understanding DNA repair at a very detailed level. He found new enzymes, which are special proteins that help reactions in the body. These enzymes help fix damaged DNA. His work helped explain how cells protect themselves from things that can cause cancer. He also helped understand a disease called Bloom syndrome. His discoveries could help create better medicines for cancer.
Major Awards
In 2007, he received the Royal Medal from the Royal Society. This award was for his "fundamental contributions to our understanding of DNA repair." They noted his original ideas and lasting influence. He is also a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. In 2010, he was awarded the Copley Medal. This is the Royal Society's oldest and most important award.
Nobel Prize Winner
In 2015, Tomas Lindahl shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Swedish Academy said he, Paul Modrich, and Aziz Sancar won for their "mechanistic studies of DNA repair." This means they figured out the exact steps and processes of how DNA fixes itself. This knowledge is very important for understanding how our bodies work and how to fight diseases.
See also
In Spanish: Tomas Lindahl para niños
