Phillip Allen Sharp

DNA exons introns

Phillip A Sharp

Phillip Allen Sharp (born June 6, 1944) is an American geneticist and molecular biologist who co-discovered RNA splicing in 1977, for which he shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Richard J. Roberts. This discovery was pivotal in the advancement of molecular biology and has had profound implications for understanding the genetic basis of diseases and the development of gene therapies.

Early Life and Education

Phillip A. Sharp was born in Falmouth, Kentucky, a small town in the United States. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, where he developed an interest in chemistry and biology. After obtaining his B.A. in 1966, Sharp went on to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1969. His doctoral research focused on the biochemistry and genetics of bacteria.

Career and Research

After completing his Ph.D., Sharp joined the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for his postdoctoral research, where he worked on the molecular biology of plasmids from bacteria. In 1971, he moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he has spent much of his career. At MIT, Sharp was part of a group that discovered RNA splicing in 1977. This groundbreaking work revealed that genes in eukaryotes are not continuous strings but are instead interrupted by sequences that are not translated into protein, known as introns, and that the coding sequences, or exons, can be spliced together in different ways to produce a variety of mRNAs from a single gene.

Sharp's research has spanned several key areas of molecular biology and genetics, including the mechanisms of RNA splicing, the role of RNA molecules in gene regulation, and the biology of cancer. He has been a leading figure in the development of RNA interference (RNAi), a process that cells use to silence genes, which has become a powerful tool in genetic research and therapy.

Awards and Honors

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Sharp has received numerous other awards and honors for his contributions to science, including the National Medal of Science in 2004, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society of London. He has also been a guiding force in the biotechnology industry, co-founding biotech companies such as Biogen (now Biogen Idec) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.

Personal Life

Phillip Sharp has been an influential figure not only in the realm of scientific research but also in science policy and education. He has advocated for sustained research funding and the importance of basic scientific research in driving innovation and addressing societal challenges.

Legacy

Phillip A. Sharp's discovery of RNA splicing fundamentally changed our understanding of genetics and the complexity of the genome. His work has paved the way for numerous advances in biotechnology and medicine, including the development of new therapeutic strategies for cancer and other diseases. As a scientist, educator, and entrepreneur, Sharp continues to inspire the next generation of researchers in the pursuit of knowledge and innovation.