Aziz Sancar

48.4k total citations · 18 hit papers
435 papers, 38.6k citations indexed

About

Aziz Sancar is a scholar working on Molecular Biology, Plant Science and Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. According to data from OpenAlex, Aziz Sancar has authored 435 papers receiving a total of 38.6k indexed citations (citations by other indexed papers that have themselves been cited), including 322 papers in Molecular Biology, 161 papers in Plant Science and 107 papers in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. Recurrent topics in Aziz Sancar's work include DNA Repair Mechanisms (198 papers), Light effects on plants (153 papers) and Photoreceptor and optogenetics research (96 papers). Aziz Sancar is often cited by papers focused on DNA Repair Mechanisms (198 papers), Light effects on plants (153 papers) and Photoreceptor and optogenetics research (96 papers). Aziz Sancar collaborates with scholars based in United States, Russia and Türkiye. Aziz Sancar's co-authors include Joyce T. Reardon, Christopher P. Selby, Laura A. Lindsey‐Boltz, W. Dean Rupp, Keziban Ünsal-Kaçmaz, Stuart Linn, David Mu, Gwendolyn B. Sancar, Adelle M. Hack and John E. Hearst and has published in prestigious journals such as Nature, Science and Cell.

In The Last Decade

Aziz Sancar

400 papers receiving 37.5k citations

Hit Papers

Molecular Mechanisms of Mammalian DNA Re... 1979 2026 1994 2010 2004 2003 1979 1988 1999 500 1000 1.5k 2.0k 2.5k
What are hit papers?

Hit papers significantly outperform the citation benchmark for their cohort. A paper qualifies if it has ≥500 total citations, achieves ≥1.5× the top-1% citation threshold for papers in the same subfield and year (this is the minimum needed to enter the top 1%, not the average within it), or reaches the top citation threshold in at least one of its specific research topics.

  1. Molecular Mechanisms of Mammalian DNA Repair and the DNA Damage Checkpoints
    2004 2.6k citations Aziz Sancar, Laura A. Lindsey‐Boltz et al. profile →
  2. Structure and Function of DNA Photolyase and Cryptochrome Blue-Light Photoreceptors
    2003 1.0k citations Aziz Sancar profile →
  3. Simple method for identification of plasmid-coded proteins
    1979 991 citations Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  4. DNA REPAIR ENZYMES
    1988 725 citations Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  5. Differential regulation of mammalian Period genes and circadian rhythmicity by cryptochromes 1 and 2
    1999 559 citations Christopher P. Selby, Aziz Sancar et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  6. Structure and function of DNA photolyase
    1994 549 citations Aziz Sancar profile →
  7. A novel repair enzyme: UVRABC excision nuclease of Escherichia coli cuts a DNA strand on both sides of the damaged region
    1983 521 citations Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  8. Crystal Structure of DNA Photolyase from Escherichia coli
    1995 497 citations Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  9. Mechanisms of DNA Excision Repair
    1994 446 citations Aziz Sancar profile →
  10. Reconstitution of Human DNA Repair Excision Nuclease in a Highly Defined System
    1995 401 citations Joyce T. Reardon, Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  11. Dual role of TFIIH in DNA excision repair and in transcription by RNA polymerase II
    1994 395 citations Joyce T. Reardon, Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  12. Human nucleotide excision nuclease removes thymine dimers from DNA by incising the 22nd phosphodiester bond 5' and the 6th phosphodiester bond 3' to the photodimer.
    1992 384 citations Joyce T. Reardon, Aziz Sancar et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  13. Human MutSalpha recognizes damaged DNA base pairs containing O6-methylguanine, O4-methylthymine, or the cisplatin-d(GpG) adduct.
    1996 354 citations Joyce T. Reardon, Aziz Sancar et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  14. Vitamin B 2 -based blue-light photoreceptors in the retinohypothalamic tract as the photoactive pigments for setting the circadian clock in mammals
    1998 339 citations Aziz Sancar et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  15. HMG-domain proteins specifically inhibit the repair of the major DNA adduct of the anticancer drug cisplatin by human excision nuclease.
    1994 295 citations Joyce T. Reardon, Aziz Sancar et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  16. Sequences of the recA gene and protein.
    1980 272 citations Aziz Sancar et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences profile →
  17. Identification of the uvrA gene product
    1981 255 citations Aziz Sancar et al. profile →
  18. Dual modes of CLOCK:BMAL1 inhibition mediated by Cryptochrome and Period proteins in the mammalian circadian clock
    2014 173 citations Shobhan Gaddameedhi, Aziz Sancar et al. profile →

Peers

Aziz Sancar
H. Robert Horvitz United States
Steven L. McKnight United States
Jan H.J. Hoeijmakers Netherlands
Yoshiyuki Sakaki Japan
Gary Ruvkun United States
Jack E. Dixon United States
Eisuke Nishida Japan
Melvin I. Simon United States
C. David Allis United States
Paul Tempst United States
H. Robert Horvitz United States
Aziz Sancar
Citations per year, relative to Aziz Sancar Aziz Sancar (= 1×) peers H. Robert Horvitz

Countries citing papers authored by Aziz Sancar

Since Specialization
Citations

This map shows the geographic impact of Aziz Sancar's research. It shows the number of citations coming from papers published by authors working in each country. You can also color the map by specialization and compare the number of citations received by Aziz Sancar with the expected number of citations based on a country's size and research output (numbers larger than one mean the country cites Aziz Sancar more than expected).

Fields of papers citing papers by Aziz Sancar

Since Specialization
Physical SciencesHealth SciencesLife SciencesSocial Sciences

This network shows the impact of papers produced by Aziz Sancar. Nodes represent research fields, and links connect fields that are likely to share authors. Colored nodes show fields that tend to cite the papers produced by Aziz Sancar. The network helps show where Aziz Sancar may publish in the future.

Co-authorship network of co-authors of Aziz Sancar

This figure shows the co-authorship network connecting the top 25 collaborators of Aziz Sancar. A scholar is included among the top collaborators of Aziz Sancar based on the total number of citations received by their joint publications. Widths of edges represent the number of papers authors have co-authored together. Node borders signify the number of papers an author published with Aziz Sancar. Aziz Sancar is excluded from the visualization to improve readability, since they are connected to all nodes in the network.

All Works

20 of 20 papers shown
1.
Bell, Noah, Stephen T. Keir, Dominique Higgins, et al.. (2025). Repurposing the DNA Labeling Agent EdU for Therapy against Heterogeneous Patient Glioblastoma. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 24(8). 1213–1225. 1 indexed citations
2.
Liu, Yang & Aziz Sancar. (2025). Biochemical mechanism of the mammalian circadian clock. FEBS Letters. 600(6). 716–731.
3.
Yan, Luyao, et al.. (2024). Dynamics and mechanism of DNA repair by a bifunctional cryptochrome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121(50). e2417633121–e2417633121. 3 indexed citations
4.
Adebalı, Ogün, Aziz Sancar, & Christopher P. Selby. (2024). Dynamics of transcription-coupled repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts inEscherichia coli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121(44). e2416877121–e2416877121. 1 indexed citations
5.
Cao, Xuemei, et al.. (2023). In vitro DNA repair genomics using XR-seq withEscherichia coliand mammalian cell-free extracts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120(43). e2314233120–e2314233120. 3 indexed citations
6.
Cao, Xuemei, Christopher P. Selby, Li Wang, et al.. (2022). CSB-independent, XPC-dependent transcription-coupled repair in Drosophila. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119(9). 7 indexed citations
7.
Putker, Marrit, David Wong, Estere Seinkmane, et al.. (2021). CRYPTOCHROMES confer robustness, not rhythmicity, to circadian timekeeping. The EMBO Journal. 40(7). e106745–e106745. 29 indexed citations
8.
Chen, Yang, et al.. (2020). Genome-wide circadian rhythm detection methods: systematic evaluations and practical guidelines. Briefings in Bioinformatics. 22(3). 32 indexed citations
9.
Cal‐Kayitmazbatir, Sibel, Eylem Kulkoyluoglu‐Cotul, Jacqueline Growe, et al.. (2020). CRY1‐CBS binding regulates circadian clock function and metabolism. FEBS Journal. 288(2). 614–639. 34 indexed citations
10.
Cao, Xuemei, Yanyan Yang, Christopher P. Selby, Zhenxing Liu, & Aziz Sancar. (2020). Molecular mechanism of the repressive phase of the mammalian circadian clock. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118(2). 118 indexed citations
11.
Lee, Jin Hyup, Shobhan Gaddameedhi, Nuri Öztürk, Rui Ye, & Aziz Sancar. (2012). DNA Damage–Specific Control of Cell Death by Cryptochrome in p53-Mutant Ras–Transformed Cells. Cancer Research. 73(2). 785–791. 36 indexed citations
12.
Gaddameedhi, Shobhan, Michael G. Kemp, Joyce T. Reardon, et al.. (2010). Similar Nucleotide Excision Repair Capacity in Melanocytes and Melanoma Cells. Cancer Research. 70(12). 4922–4930. 50 indexed citations
13.
Öztürk, Nuri, Jin Hyup Lee, Shobhan Gaddameedhi, & Aziz Sancar. (2009). Loss of cryptochrome reduces cancer risk in p53 mutant mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106(8). 2841–2846. 149 indexed citations
14.
Kang, Tae‐Hong, Joyce T. Reardon, Michael G. Kemp, & Aziz Sancar. (2009). Circadian oscillation of nucleotide excision repair in mammalian brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106(8). 2864–2867. 164 indexed citations
15.
Ünsal-Kaçmaz, Keziban, Paul D. Chastain, Parviz Minoo, et al.. (2007). The Human Tim/Tipin Complex Coordinates an Intra-S Checkpoint Response to UV That Slows Replication Fork Displacement. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 27(8). 3131–3142. 194 indexed citations
16.
DeRosa, Maria C., Aziz Sancar, & Jacqueline K. Barton. (2005). Electrically monitoring DNA repair by photolyase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102(31). 10788–10792. 46 indexed citations
17.
Kao, Ya‐Ting, Chaitanya Saxena, Lijuan Wang, Aziz Sancar, & Dongping Zhong. (2005). Direct observation of thymine dimer repair in DNA by photolyase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102(45). 16128–16132. 207 indexed citations
18.
Sancar, Aziz. (2004). Photolyase and Cryptochrome Blue-Light Photoreceptors. Advances in protein chemistry. 69. 73–100. 64 indexed citations
19.
Bermudez, Vladimir P., Laura A. Lindsey‐Boltz, Anthony J. Cesare, et al.. (2003). Loading of the human 9-1-1 checkpoint complex onto DNA by the checkpoint clamp loader hRad17-replication factor C complex in vitro. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100(4). 1633–1638. 260 indexed citations
20.
Wisor, Jonathan P., Bruce F. O’Hara, Akira Terao, et al.. (2002). A role for cryptochromesin sleep regulation. BMC Neuroscience. 3(1). 20–20. 212 indexed citations

Rankless uses publication and citation data sourced from OpenAlex, an open and comprehensive bibliographic database. While OpenAlex provides broad and valuable coverage of the global research landscape, it—like all bibliographic datasets—has inherent limitations. These include incomplete records, variations in author disambiguation, differences in journal indexing, and delays in data updates. As a result, some metrics and network relationships displayed in Rankless may not fully capture the entirety of a scholar's output or impact.

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