Recognition of Guanine Structure in Nucleic Acids by Nickel Complexes, Accounts of Chemical Research, 27, 295, (1994).

Professor Burrows focused on nucleic acid chemistry with a particular interest in chemical modifications of DNA and RNA bases. Her work at Stony Brook included fundamental mechanistic studies of guanine oxidation in nucleosides and oligonucleotides. This led to later research on the photochemistry of redox-active DNA and RNA bases, nanopore sequencing of DNA damage, and oxidative damage of telomeric G quadruplexes.