Timeline Phillip Allen Sharp

American geneticist and molecular biologist who co-discovered RNA splicing, fundamentally changing the understanding of how genes work. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Richard J. Roberts for demonstrating that genes in higher organisms are not continuous stretches of DNA but are interrupted by non-coding sequences called introns. Raised on a farm in rural Kentucky, he paid for college by raising cattle and growing tobacco before becoming one of the most influential figures in modern biology. He co-founded two pioneering biotechnology companies — Biogen (1978) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (2002) — and has spent his career at MIT, where his doctoral students have included fellow Nobel laureate Andrew Fire.

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Phillip Allen Sharp 18

1944 Phillip Allen Sharp born in Falmouth, Kentucky Born Phillip Allen Sharp on a small farm in Falmouth, Pendleton County, Kentucky, where his family grew tobacco and corn. He enjoyed science and maths at school but was not particularly drawn to biology as a child.
1962 – 1966 Union College Attended Union College, a small liberal arts school in Barbourville, Kentucky, majoring in chemistry and mathematics. Paid his tuition by raising cattle and growing tobacco on the family farm. Graduated with a BA in 1966.
1964 Marriage to Ann Holcombe Married Ann Holcombe, who would later work as a preschool teacher in Newtown, Massachusetts. The couple would have three daughters.
1966 – 1969 PhD at the University of Illinois Earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1969. His thesis focused on the physical chemistry of DNA. During this period, he read the 1966 Cold Spring Harbor Symposium volume on The Genetic Code, which sparked his interest in molecular biology and genetics.
1969 – 1971 Postdoctoral Research at Caltech Completed postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology, transitioning from physical chemistry toward experimental molecular biology.
1971 – 1974 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Joined Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, New York, where he began working on the molecular biology of tumour viruses. This period laid the groundwork for his Nobel Prize-winning research on gene structure.
1974 Joined MIT Joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the Center for Cancer Research (now the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research), where he would spend the rest of his career.
1977 Discovery of Split Genes Made the discovery that would reshape biology. Working with adenovirus, Sharp and his team found that a single molecule of messenger RNA corresponded to four separate, discontinuous segments of DNA. This revealed that genes in higher organisms are interrupted by non-coding sequences (introns), which are spliced out before the genetic information is translated into proteins. The discovery overturned the assumption that genes were continuous stretches of DNA.
1978 Co-founded Biogen Co-founded Biogen, one of the first biotechnology companies, alongside Walter Gilbert and other scientists. Biogen would grow into one of the world's largest biotech firms, focused on neurological diseases. Sharp served as Chairman of the Scientific Board.
1985 – 1991 Director of the MIT Center for Cancer Research Served as director of the MIT Center for Cancer Research, succeeding Nobel laureate Salvador Luria. Under his leadership, the centre expanded its research into the molecular mechanisms of cancer.
1988 Lasker Award and Horwitz Prize Received two of the most prestigious awards in biomedical research: the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award and the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University, both for his discovery of RNA splicing.
1991 – 1992 Head of MIT Biology and Luria Professorship Stepped down as director of the Cancer Research Center and became head of the MIT Department of Biology. In 1992, was appointed the first Salvador E. Luria Professor, a chair established to honour his predecessor.
1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with Richard J. Roberts, for their independent discoveries of split genes. The Nobel committee cited the discovery as having been of fundamental importance for basic research in biology and for medical research on cancer and other diseases.
2002 Co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on developing RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics — a direct descendant of the RNA biology his career had helped establish. Alnylam would go on to bring the first RNAi drug to market.
2004 National Medal of Science Received the National Medal of Science from President George W. Bush, the highest honour bestowed by the United States government on scientists.
2006 Doctoral Student Andrew Fire Wins Nobel Prize His former doctoral student Andrew Fire was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of RNA interference, a gene-silencing mechanism. The award underscored the extraordinary influence of Sharp's laboratory on the field of RNA biology.
2011 – 2012 Royal Society and AAAS President Elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in 2011 and president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012, reflecting his stature as one of the leading figures in world science.
2015 Othmer Gold Medal Received the Othmer Gold Medal from the Chemical Heritage Foundation for outstanding contributions to progress in science and chemistry.