Phillip A. Sharp

Prof. Phillip Sharp’s research interests have centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. Sharp’s landmark work in 1977 provided the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. The discovery fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of gene structure and earned him the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Prof. Sharp is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Society, UK. Among his many awards are the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award and the National Medal of Science. Prof. Sharp earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is a co-founder of Biogen and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.