PTC Therapeutics' President and CEO Elected AAAS Fellow

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Stuart W. Peltz, Ph.D., President and CEO of PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC), has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.  AAAS Fellows are chosen by their peers and recognized for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

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As part of the Biological Science Section, Dr. Peltz is recognized for his "distinguished contributions in the area of genetics and RNA biochemistry, specifically mRNA stability and decay."  Dr. Peltz co-founded PTC Therapeutics in 1998 with the goal of discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapies in areas of high unmet medical need based on RNA biochemistry and post-transcriptional control mechanisms.  While a total of 503 Fellows were recognized for 2010, Dr. Peltz is one of only ten Fellows elected who are currently in industry.  

"On behalf of the Board and the broader PTC community, we all congratulate Stuart for the AAAS Council's recognition for the excellence and value of his work in genetics and RNA biochemistry.  We all agree this is well deserved," said Michael Schmertzler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PTC Therapeutics.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874.  Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association's 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members, or by the AAAS chief executive officer.  Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and forwards a final list to the AAAS Council.  The AAAS Council, the association's policymaking body, votes on the final list.

"This is a great honor, for which a very large portion of the credit goes to my students, collaborators, colleagues and employees at PTC," said Dr. Stuart Peltz, President and CEO.  "We are committed to applying innovative science to develop therapies for diseases that currently have little or no treatment options."  

About PTC Therapeutics, Inc.

PTC is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of orally administered small-molecule drugs that target post-transcriptional control processes.  Post-transcriptional control processes regulate the rate and timing of protein production and are of central importance to proper cellular function.  PTC's internally discovered pipeline addresses multiple therapeutic areas, including rare genetic disorders, oncology and infectious diseases.  PTC has developed proprietary technologies that it applies in its drug discovery activities and is the basis for collaborations with leading biopharmaceutical companies.  For more information, visit the company's web site at www.ptcbio.com.

SOURCE PTC Therapeutics, Inc.