Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announces winner of Great Arab Minds Award in Medicine for 2025

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today announced Dr. Nabil Seidah as the winner of the Great Arab Minds Award in Medicine for 2025.

In a post on social media, Mohammed bin Rashid announced the winner saying: “Congratulations to the winner of the Great Arab Minds Award in Medicine for 2025, Dr. Nabil Seidah, Director of the Biochemical Neuroendocrinology Research Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute.”

“Seidah has made significant contributions to improving heart health and advancing understanding of how the body regulates cholesterol, with research that has helped shape widely used treatments to reduce the risk of heart disease,” Dubai Ruler tweeted. 

“Seidah has published more than 820 scientific papers, with his work cited over 71,000 times. Medicine is a humanitarian mission, and for centuries our region has played a significant role in advancing medical knowledge, practice, tools and research. The Great Arab Minds realigns the spotlight to where it belongs, celebrating the achievements of Arab minds and presenting them as inspiring role models for future generations,” Sheikh Mohammed said. 

Dr. Seidah is Director of the Biochemical Neuroendocrinology Research Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. He was awarded the Great Arab Minds Award in recognition of his  work in improving heart health and deepening scientific understanding of how the body regulates cholesterol.

A major milestone in his career was the discovery of PCSK9, an enzyme that plays a central role in controlling so-called bad cholesterol in the blood. 

His findings showed that excessive activity of the enzyme raises cholesterol to dangerous levels, a breakthrough that led to the development of PCSK9 inhibitors, medicines now widely used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Beyond cardiovascular research, Dr. Seidah’s work, documented in more than 820 publications, has advanced understanding of fatty liver disease, obesity, cancer and viral entry into cells, paving the way for new medical treatments. 

The Great Arab Minds Award honours exceptional Arab achievement across scientific and intellectual fields, aiming to highlight excellence, inspire future generations and reaffirm the region’s historic and ongoing contribution to global knowledge.