Scientists to be honoured for fight against diabetes

Dubai: Two research scientists whose work helped warn the world about the extent of the diabetes epidemic are the winners of the Grand Hamdan International Award this year.

Australian Paul Zimmet will receive the award for his breakthrough which revealed insights into the genetic and environmental factors which contribute to Type 2 diabetes.

Dr Haneef Hassan, Minister of Health, announced the winners of the Award late on Tuesday night and said that nominating the best scientific accomplishment in the field of diabetes coincided with the efforts of the UAE government to fight this dangerous disease.

The UAE has second-highest number of diabetics in the world. The highest is the tiny Pacific island of Nauru whose inhabitants became instantly rich after the discovery of minerals, and underwent a drastic change in lifestyle.

Alerted

The other winner of the Grand Hamdan International Award is Professor Jaakko Tumilehto, an acclaimed epidemiologist from Finland.

His work is predominantly in Type 2 diabetes, in which he alerted the world to how widely the incidence of the disease could vary from region to region.

The prize included a cash award of Dh250,000 ($68,000).

Najeeb Al Khaja, secretary general of the Grand Hamdan International Award, said honouring the scientists encouraged others to follow their example for improving the sciences, medicine, and humanitarian services.

The award winners will be honoured at a ceremony at the Dubai World Trade Centre in December and will coincide with the Sixth International Conference for Medical Sciences.

Award winners

The winners of the Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence include:

Professor John Kanis from the University of Sheffield, UK for his work on bone diseases and osteoporosis. His research interests were largely related to disorders in the skeletal metabolism.

Dr Jefferey M. Friedman, director of Starr Centre for Human Genetics, US. His laboratory identified leptin, a hormonal signal made by the body's fat cells that regulates food intake and energy. His discovery of leptin is considered the most significant advance in obesity research in the past 20 years.

Professor P. Reed Larsen, Harvard University, for his work on thyroid disorders.

The Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services is shared by:

Zayed Initiative bid, which has contributed to help millions of patients by building hospitals and health cenres in various countries.

Dr Prakash and Dr Mandakini Amte, for providing medical services to tribals living in the remote forest areas in India.

Cure International for alleviating the suffering of disabled children around the world.

And Dr Ashok Gupte, a reconstructive plastic surgeon, who has dedicated his life to social service and carries out free surgery for the poor.

The Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities in the Arab World include:

Dr Hussain Al Jezairy, former Minister of health of Saudi Arabia and Dr Kamel Al Jouni, president of Jordanian Centre of Diabetes and Genetics.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Tawam Hospital has won the Award for Outstanding Clinical department in the Public Sector of the UAE.