VIDEO: Phis Sharp and Bill Haney on 'Cracking the Code'

August 5, 2025 / by Luke Timmerman

Watch on timmermanreport.com

Luke Timmerman, Dr. Phil Sharp and Bill Haney at the  Accelerating Bio-Innovation conference

Science and society have always had an uneasy relationship. Yet there are always people out there seeking to build bridges of understanding. 

I recently moderated a conversation at MIT with Phil Sharp, the Nobel Prize-winning biologist, and Bill Haney, a filmmaker and biotech entrepreneur with Dragonfly Therapeutics and Skyhawk Therapeutics. They collaborated on a documentary film called “Cracking the Code.” It tells the story of how Sharp grew up on a farm in Kentucky and became a world-leading RNA biologist who set the wheels in motion for many advances in human health. 

It’s an inspiring story. It’s a story that can build bridges across society, at a time when we need that.

A lot of people in biotech have stories to tell. My hope is that we all think about creative ways to connect this work with the public that supports the scientific enterprise.

This conversation was held June 25 at MIT at the Accelerating Bio-Innovation conference organized by Royalty Pharma.