Allan Jacobson
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Brandeis University (PhD)
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Gruber Prize in Genetics
Allan S. Jacobson | |
|---|---|
| Education | Queens College (BA) Brandeis University (PhD) |
| Known for | Research on messenger RNA stability and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay |
| Awards | National Institutes of Health MERIT Award Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Gruber Prize in Genetics |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular genetics, RNA biology |
| Institutions | University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School |
Allan S. Jacobson is an American biologist and academic researcher known for his work in molecular genetics and RNA biology, particularly the mechanisms of messenger RNA (mRNA) stability, translation, and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. He is the Gerald and Zelda Haidak Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, where he served as chair of the Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems for nearly three decades and currently holds the title of chair emeritus. Jacobson is also a co-founder of the biotechnology company PTC Therapeutics. He is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health MERIT Award and the Gruber Prize in Genetics.
Jacobson graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1962[citation needed] and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Queens College in 1966. He earned a PhD in biology from Brandeis University in 1971[1] and completed postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[citation needed]
Career
Jacobson joined the founding faculty of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (now UMass Chan Medical School) in 1973.[citation needed] He served as the Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems for nearly three decades, beginning in 1994. During this tenure, in 2012, he was named the Gerald & Zelda Haidak Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology.[2] He concluded his term as chair in 2023 and was appointed chair emeritus in 2024.[3]
PTC Therapeutics
In 1998, Jacobson co-founded PTC Therapeutics Inc. with Stuart Peltz. He served as the chairman of the company's Board of Directors from its inception until 2004 and has continued to serve on its board of directors and its Scientific Advisory Board.[4] The company's efforts led to the development of drugs such as ataluren (Translarna), risdiplam (Evrysdi), and sepiapterin (Sephience), all designed to treat specific genetic disorders by respectively promoting "read-through" of premature termination codons, modifying the pre-mRNA splicing mechanism, and lowering blood phenylalanine levels.[5]