Phillip Allen Sharp

Sharp was born in Falmouth, Kentucky, the son of Kathrin (Colvin) and Joseph Walter Sharp.{{cite web |url=http://www.woodheadfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=23549 |title=Joseph W. Sharp -- Woodhead Funeral Home, Falmouth, KY |access-date=October 8, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028155817/http://www.woodheadfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=23549 |archive-date=October 28, 2014 }} He married Ann Holcombe in 1964, and they have three daughters.{{Cite web|url = https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1993/sharp-bio.html|title = Phillip A. Sharp - Biographical|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = Nobelprize.org|publisher = Nobel Media AB}}

Sharp studied at Union College and majored in chemistry and mathematics, afterwards completing his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1969.{{Cite web|url = http://web.mit.edu/sharplab/cv.html|title = Curriculum Vitae - Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D.|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = Sharp Lab}} Following his Ph.D., he did his postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology until 1971, where he studied plasmids.{{Cite web|url = http://web.mit.edu/sharplab/shortbio.html|title = Short Bio - Phillip A. Sharp|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = Sharp Lab}} Later, he studied gene expression in human cells at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as a senior scientist under James D. Watson.

In 1974, he was offered a position at MIT by biologist Salvador Luria. He was director of MIT's Center for Cancer Research (now the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research) from 1985 to 1991; head of the Biology department from 1991 to 1999; and founder and director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research from 2000 to 2004. In 1995, the FBI confirmed that Sharp received a letter from Ted Kaczynski, insinuating that Sharp would become a target of the Unabomber because of his work in genetics, stating that "it would be beneficial to your health to stop your research in genetics."{{Cite web|title=The Communiques of Freedom Club|url=https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/ted-kaczynski-the-communiques-of-freedom-club-ted-kaczynski|access-date=2021-06-24|website=The Anarchist Library|language=en}}

He is currently MIT Institute Professor and Professor of Biology Emeritus and member of the Koch Institute, and was an Institute Professor, MIT's highest faculty rank, since 1999. He is also the chair of the advisory board of the MIT Jameel Clinic.{{Cite web|title=Regina Barzilay, James Collins, and Phil Sharp join leadership of new effort on machine learning in health|url=https://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-barzilay-collins-sharp-lead-j-clinic-machine-learning-health-1003|access-date=November 13, 2020|website=MIT News {{!}} Massachusetts Institute of Technology|date=3 October 2018 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=People|url=https://www.jclinic.mit.edu/people|access-date=November 13, 2020|website=J-Clinic|language=en}} Sharp co-founded Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and Magen Biosciences, and has served on the boards of all three companies.Biogen Idec, Inc. (2008). "Proxy statement for annual meeting of stockholders to be held on June 19, 2008 at 9:00 A.M., local time", 7.

File:Phillip A Sharp.jpg, at the National Medal of Science awards in 2006.]]

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Sharp has won several notable awards, including the 2004 National Medal of Science,{{Cite web|url = https://www.nsf.gov/od/nms/recip_details.jsp?recip_id=5100000000428|title = The President's National Medal of Science Recipient Details - Phillip A. Sharp|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = National Science Foundation}} the 1999 Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences of the American Philosophical Society,{{cite web|url=http://www.amphilsoc.org/prizes/franklinscience |title=Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences Recipients |publisher=American Philosophical Society |access-date=November 27, 2011}} the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1981,{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration}} and the 1988 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University together with Thomas R. Cech.{{Cite web|url = http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/research/horwitz-prize/prize-awardees|title = The Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for Biology or Biochemistry|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = Columbia University Medical Center}}

Sharp is an elected member of several academic societies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,{{Cite web|url = https://www.amacad.org/multimedia/pdfs/alphalist.pdf|title = Alphabetical Index of Active Members|date = November 5, 2013|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = American Academy of Arts and Sciences}} the American Association for the Advancement of Science,{{Cite web|url = http://membercentral.aaas.org/fellows|title = Fellows|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = American Association for the Advancement of Science|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140727124856/http://membercentral.aaas.org/fellows|archive-date = July 27, 2014}} the National Academy of Sciences,{{Cite web|url = http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/50570.html|title = Phillip A. Sharp|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = National Academy of Sciences}} and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.{{Cite web|url = http://www.iom.edu/Global/Directory/Detail.aspx?id=0000050570|title = Directory: IOM Member - Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D.|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = Institute of Medicine of the National Academies|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://archive.today/20141112184455/http://www.iom.edu/Global/Directory/Detail.aspx?id=0000050570|archive-date = November 12, 2014}} He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 2011.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006212638/https://royalsociety.org/people/philip-sharp-12261/|archive-date=October 6, 2015|url=https://royalsociety.org/people/philip-sharp-12261/|title=Professor Philip Sharp ForMemRS|publisher=Royal Society|location=London}}{{cite web | url = http://royalsociety.org/about-us/fellowship/foreign-members/| title = Royal Society|publisher= Royal Society|access-date = March 20, 2010}} In 2012, he was elected the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.{{Cite news|url = http://www.aaas.org/news/phillip-sharp-molecular-biologist-and-nobel-laureate-chosen-serve-aaas-president-elect|title = Phillip A. Sharp, Molecular Biologist and Nobel Laureate, Chosen to Serve as AAAS President-Elect|date = March 13, 2012|work = American Association for the Advancement of Science|access-date = November 12, 2014}} He is also a Member and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Fidelity Biosciences Group; a member of the Board of Advisors of Polaris Venture Partners; chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; advisor and investor at Longwood and Polaris Venture Funds; a member of the Boards of Directors at Syros Pharmaceuticals and VIR Biotechnology; and member and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board at Dewpoint Biotechnology.

He is the subject of the 2025 documentary film "Cracking the Code:Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution" directed by Bill Haney.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uncommonproductions.com/cracking-the-code-sharp|title=Documentary Film | Phil Sharp|website=UNCOMMON PRODUCTIONS|accessdate=February 2, 2025}}

Pendleton County, Kentucky, Sharp's birthplace, named its current middle school after him.

In October 2010, Sharp participated in the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Lunch with a Laureate program where middle and high school students got to engage in an informal conversation with a Nobel Prize-winning scientist over a brown-bag lunch.{{cite web |url=http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2010festival/schoolprograms/lunchwithalaureate |title=Lunch with a Laureate |access-date=December 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421005023/http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2010festival/schoolprograms/lunchwithalaureate |archive-date=April 21, 2010 }}. usasciencefestival.org (2010) Sharp is also a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Advisory Board.Furthermore, Sharp participates in the Distinguished Lecture Series of the annual Research Science Institute (RSI), a summer research program for high school students held at MIT. [http://www.usasciencefestival.org/about/advisors Advisors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421005310/http://www.usasciencefestival.org/about/advisors/ |date=April 21, 2010 }}. usasciencefestival.org In 2011, he was listed at #5 on the MIT150 list of the top 150 innovators and ideas from MIT.{{Cite news|url = http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/specials/mit150/galleries/top_50?pg=47|title = MIT 150: The Top 50|work = boston.com|access-date = November 12, 2014}}

He is an editorial advisor to Xconomy,{{Cite web|url = http://www.xconomy.com/about/#The%20Xconomists|title = About|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = xconomy.com}} and is a member of the Board of Scientific Governors at The Scripps Research Institute.{{Cite web|url = http://www.scripps.edu/about/leadership/governors.html|title = Board of Scientific Governors|access-date = November 12, 2014|website = The Scripps Research Institute}} He has also served on the Faculty Advisory Board of the MIT-Harvard Research Journal and MIT Student Research Association.

In 2016, Sharp helped organize{{Cite web |last=Answers |first=G. M. O. |title=Dear Greenpeace: It's Time To Stand Up For Science |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gmoanswers/2016/07/08/gmos-nobel-laureates/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Fiona |date=2016-06-30 |title=107 Nobel Laureates Just Signed a Letter Slamming Greenpeace Over GMOs |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/107-nobel-laureates-just-signed-a-letter-slamming-greenpeace-about-gmos |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=ScienceAlert |language=en-US}} the [https://www.supportprecisionagriculture.org/nobel-laureate-gmo-letter_rjr.html Laureates Letter Supporting Precision Agriculture], written to oppose efforts by Greenpeace to ban GMOs and golden rice in particular.

• {{cite journal

|author1=Petersen C.P. |author2=Bordeleau M.E. |author3=Pelletier J. |author4=Sharp P.A. |title=Short RNAs Repress Translation after Initiation in Mammalian Cells

|journal=Mol Cell

|date=February 17, 2006

|volume=21

|issue=4

|pages=533–42

|pmid=16483934|doi=10.1016/j.molcel.2006.01.031

|doi-access=free

}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Cheng C. |author2=Sharp P.A. |title=Regulation of CD44 Alternative Splicing by SRm160 and its Potential Role in Tumor Cell Invasion

|journal=Mol Cell Biol

|date=January 2006

|volume=26

|issue=1

|pages=362–70

|pmid=16354706

|url= |doi=10.1128/MCB.26.1.362-370.2006

|pmc=1317625

}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Tantin D. |author2=Schild-Poulter C. |author3=Wang V. |author4=Hache R.J. |author5=Sharp P.A. |title=The Octamer Binding Transcription Factor Oct-1 is a Stress Sensor

|journal=Cancer Res.

|date=December 1, 2005

|volume=65

|issue=23

|pages=10750–8

|pmid=16322220|doi=10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-2399

|doi-access=free

}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Grishok A. |author2=Sharp P.A. |title=Negative Regulation of Nuclear Divisions in Caenorhabditis Elegans by Retinoblastoma and RNA Interference-related Genes

|journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

|date=November 29, 2005

|volume=102

|issue=48

|pages=17360–5

|pmid=16287966

|doi=10.1073/pnas.0508989102

|pmc=1297700

|bibcode=2005PNAS..10217360G |doi-access=free }}

• {{cite journal

|author= Sharp P.A.

|title=1918 Flu and Responsible Science

|journal=Science

|date=October 7, 2005

|volume=310

|issue=5745

|pages=17

|pmid=16210500|doi= 10.1126/science.310.5745.17

|doi-access=free

}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Miskevich F. |author2=Doench J.G. |author3=Townsend M.T. |author4=Sharp P.A. |author5=Constantine-Paton M. |title=RNA Interference of Xenopus NMDAR NR1 in vitro and in vivo

|journal=J Neurosci Methods

|date=April 15, 2006

|volume=152

|issue=1–2

|pages=65–73

|pmid=16182372|doi=10.1016/j.jneumeth.2005.08.010

|s2cid=25844342 }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Hong J.H. |author2=Hwang E.S. |author3=McManus M.T. |author4=Amsterdam A. |author5=Tian Y. |author6=Kalmukova R. |author7=Mueller E. |author8=Benjamin T. |author9=Spiegelman B.M. |author10=Sharp P.A. |author11=Hopkins N. |author12=Yaffe M.B. |title=TAZ, a Transcriptional Modulator of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation

|journal=Science

|date=August 12, 2005

|volume=309

|issue=5737

|pages=1074–8

|pmid=16099986|doi=10.1126/science.1110955

|bibcode=2005Sci...309.1074H |s2cid=1958224 }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Houbaviy H.B. |author2=Dennis L. |author3=Jaenisch R. |author4=Sharp P.A. |title=Characterization of a Highly Variable Eutherian microRNA Gene

|journal=RNA

|date=August 2005

|volume=11

|issue=8

|pages=1245–57

|pmid=15987809

|url=http://www.rnajournal.org/cgi/content/full/11/8/1245|doi=10.1261/rna.2890305

|pmc=1370808

}}

• {{cite journal

|author=Sharp P.A.

|title=The Discovery of Split Genes and RNA Splicing

|journal=Trends Biochem. Sci.

|date=June 2005

|volume=30

|issue=6

|pages=279–81

|pmid=15950867|doi=10.1016/j.tibs.2005.04.002

|doi-access=free

}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Johnson D.M. |author2=Yamaji S. |author3=Tennant J. |author4=Srai S.K. |author5=Sharp P.A. |title=Regulation of Divalent Metal Transporter Expression in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells Following Exposure to Non-haem Iron

|journal=FEBS Lett.

|date=March 28, 2005

|volume=579

|issue=9

|pages=1923–9

|pmid=15792797|doi=10.1016/j.febslet.2005.02.035

|s2cid=26592792 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2005FEBSL.579.1923J }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Neilson J.R. |author2=Sharp P.A. |title=Herpesviruses Throw a Curve Ball: New Insights into microRNA Biogenesis and Evolution

|journal=Nat Methods

|date=April 2005

|volume=2

|issue=4

|pages=252–4

|pmid=15782215|doi=10.1038/nmeth0405-252

|s2cid=930447 }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Grishok A. |author2=Sinskey J.L. |author3=Sharp P.A. |title=Transcriptional Silencing of a Transgene by RNAi in the Soma of C. elegans

|journal=Genes Dev.

|date=March 15, 2005

|volume=19

|issue=6

|pages=683–96

|pmid=15741313

|url=http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/content/full/19/6/683|doi=10.1101/gad.1247705

|pmc=1065722

}}

• {{cite journal

|author=Sharp P.A.

|title=Phillip Sharp Discusses RNAi, Nobel Prizes and Entrepreneurial Science

|journal=Drug Discov Today

|date=January 1, 2005

|volume=10

|issue=1

|pages=7–10

|pmid=15676292

|doi=10.1016/S1359-6446(04)03329-X

|last2=Sharp

|first2=P}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Lee K.B. |author2=Sharp P.A. |title=Transcription-dependent Polyubiquitination of RNA Polymerase II Requires Lysine 63 of Ubiquitin

|journal=Biochemistry

|date=December 7, 2004

|volume=43

|issue=48

|pages=15223–9

|pmid=15568815

|doi=10.1021/bi048719x}}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Mansfield J.H. |author2=Harfe B.D. |author3=Nissen R. |author4=Obenauer J. |author5=Srineel J. |author6=Chaudhuri A. |author7=Farzan-Kashani R. |author8=Zuker M. |author9=Pasquinelli A.E. |author10=Ruvkun G. |author11=Sharp P.A. |author12=Tabin C.J. |author13=McManus M.T. |title=MicroRNA-responsive 'Sensor' Transgenes Uncover Hox-like and Other Developmentally Regulated Patterns of Vertebrate MicroRNA Expression

|journal=Nat. Genet.

|date=October 2004

|volume=36

|issue=10

|pages=1079–83

|pmid=15361871

|doi=10.1038/ng1421|doi-access=free }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Fairbrother W.G. |author2=Holste D. |author3=Burge C.B. |author4=Sharp P.A. |title=Single Nucleotide Polymorphism-based Validation of Exonic Splicing Enhancers

|journal=PLOS Biol.

|date=September 2004

|volume=2

|issue=9

|pages=E268

|pmid=15340491

|doi= 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020268

|pmc=514884 |doi-access=free }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Novina C.D. |author2=Sharp P.A. |title=The RNAi Revolution

|journal=Nature

|date=July 8, 2004

|volume=430

|issue=6996

|pages=161–4

|pmid=15241403|doi=10.1038/430161a

|bibcode=2004Natur.430..161N |s2cid=4341565 }}

• {{cite journal

|author1=Ventura A. |author2=Meissner A. |author3=Dillon C.P. |author4=McManus M. |author5=Sharp P.A. |author6=Van Parijs L. |author7=Jaenisch R. |author8=Jacks T. |title=Cre-lox-regulated Conditional RNA Interference from Transgenes

|journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

|date=July 13, 2004

|volume=101

|issue=28

|pages=10380–5

|pmid=15240889

|doi=10.1073/pnas.0403954101

|pmc=478580

|bibcode=2004PNAS..10110380V |doi-access=free }}

• History of RNA biology
• List of RNA biologists
• MIT Department of Biology

{{reflist}}

• {{cite web|author=Center for Oral History| title= Phillip A. Sharp |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/oral-histories/sharp-phillip-a|website= Science History Institute }}
• {{cite book|first1= Arnold |last1=Thackray|first2= David C. |last2=Brock|first3= Mona|last3= Ashiya |title=Phillip A. Sharp, Transcript of Interviews Conducted by Arnold Thackray, David C. Brock, and Mona Ashiya at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts on 28 January, 29 May, and 20 November 2003 |date=November 20, 2003 |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/sites/default/files/sharp_pa_0268_suppl.pdf|place=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=Chemical Heritage Foundation }}
• {{Nobelprize|name=Phillip A. Sharp}}

{{Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Laureates 1976–2000}}

{{1993 Nobel Prize winners}}

{{Winners of the National Medal of Science|biological}}

{{Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry}}

{{FRS 2011}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Phillip Allen}}

Category:1944 births

Category:Living people

Category:American geneticists

Category:American Nobel laureates

Category:California Institute of Technology faculty

Category:Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization

Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty

Category:National Medal of Science laureates

Category:Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine

Category:People from Pendleton County, Kentucky

Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni

Category:Scripps Research

Category:Union College (Kentucky) alumni

Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences

Category:Members of the National Academy of Medicine

Category:Foreign members of the Royal Society

Category:Recipients of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research

Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society