PHILLIP SHARP

1993 shared the Nobel Prize for RNA splicing & co-founder Biogen

A trailblazer in RNA splicing research, Phil Sharp has dedicated his life to advancing the understanding of genetic structures and won a Nobel Prize for his work.

A native of Falmouth, Kentucky, Phillip Sharp grew up on his family farm and began his academic career at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky graduating with a double-major in chemistry and mathematics. He went on to pursue advanced studies in chemistry, attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to get his Ph.D., He moved onto a postdoctoral position researching plasmids at the California Institute of Technology. 

From the success of his work on plasmids, he was invited to teach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Through his work in biochemistry and gene expression, he became the Director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, formerly known as the Center for Cancer Research at MIT. 

His research has proved pivotal for a variety of related fields. Specifically, his work has centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to the ways that cancer spreads in the body and how different mechanisms of RNA splicing can affect this process. In 1977, he  provided the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. This monumental discovery fundamentally changed how scientists have gene structure. Sharp’s ork in this capacity, earned him, along with Richard John Roberts, the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Outside of his Nobel Prize, he has also been recognized by multiple organizations and academies. From 2000 to 2004 he served as the founding director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. In 2004, he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his work in gene splicing and in 2015 the Othmer Gold Medal for his visionary contributions to the science of RNA and DNA and seminal entrepreneurship in the biotechnology industry.

In 2018, Sharp spoke with science writer Jenni Laidman in Kentucky to the World’s Republic Bank Foundation Speaker Series, where he discussed his pursuits in scientific discovery, his accomplishments, and his roots in Kentucky.