An Egyptian professor noted for his “pioneering scientific contributions to understanding heart health and cholesterol level regulation” has been named a Great Arab Minds winner.
Dr Nabil Seidah received the 2025 award in medicine in recognition of his contributions, particularly in the generation of medication to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated the academic in a post on X.
“Today, we congratulate the winner of the Great Arab Minds Award in the Medicine category for 2025,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote. “Dr Nabil Seidah, from Egypt, director of the neuroendocrine research unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute.
“He has made pioneering scientific contributions to understanding heart health and cholesterol level regulation, focusing his studies on the biological processes that control how the body handles fats, thereby contributing to the development of a new generation of medications that are widely used today to lower cholesterol and reduce the risks of heart disease. He has published more than 820 scientific papers, and his research has been cited more than 71,000 times.
“Medicine is a humanitarian mission and our region has played a great role, over centuries, in developing its sciences, practices, tools, and research. The Great Arab Minds Award redirects the compass to its rightful path, to celebrate what the Arab individual offers and to present him as a role model for generations.”
One of Dr Seidah’s main achievements was the discovery of PCSK9, an enzyme involved in controlling so-called bad cholesterol in the blood stream.
He found that too much PCSK9 can raise cholesterol to dangerous levels and, therefore, that medication tailored to inhibit the enzyme can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
What is the Great Arab Minds award?
Sheikh Mohammed launched the Great Arab Minds award in January 2022, allocating Dh100 million ($27.2 million) to fund the initiative. The first winners were announced the following year.
The award aims to “celebrate scientists, thinkers and innovators every year”. The winners’ contributions span various fields including medicine, natural sciences, economics, engineering, architecture and the arts.
