Bahrain-based Kingdom University said its associate professor of Law Dr Ahmed Mohammed Lutfi was recently honoured with an award for his research work in the UAE.

The “Medical Research on Humans, on the Need for Medical Advancement and the Sanctity of the Human Body - a Contemporary Medical Jurisprudence Approach”, discussed the subject of body donation for medical research, which has been one of the most debatable topics over the past few decades.    

This is the second consecutive year that Dr Lutfi is winning the ‘Rashid Bin Humaid Award for Culture and Sciences’ award, said a statement from the university.

In his research, Lutfi concluded on a number of results that stress on the importance of freedom in medical research and innovation, as it allows for the discovery and development of treatments for all incurable diseases.

He went on to state that medical experimenting on deceased bodies should be made legally permissible, if approval is given by the individual in question before their death or by their family when needed, said the statement.

However, he also emphasised that it is acceptable to conduct experiments on live bodies under the presence of a number of restrictions and limitations that guarantee the achievement of the purpose, it added.

Dr Lufti highlighted in his research that experiments should be based on scientific evidence, and that the medical team should be scientifically competent as well, and maintain the confidentiality of all information related to the subject being experimented on, unless substantial reasons are brought forward that require any disclosure of such data.

Professor Yusuf AbdulGhaffar, president, Kingdom University, lauded Dr Lutfi for winning the award for the second time, and expressed his pride in having him as an integral part of the university’s academic family.

Speaking on the achievement, Dr Lutfi, said: “The importance of this study lies in that it settles the debate on medical research on the human body. I was able to find a balance between the need for medical advancement and the preservation of the life and interest of an individual, in that any procedure done on a person’s body will not lead to any defect to any of the body’s vital functions.”

The Rashid Bin Humaid Award for Culture and Sciences was established in 1983 under the patronage of Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, member of the UAE Supreme Council of the Union and the ruler of the Emirate of Ajman.

The criteria to win the award is divided into two levels, each with its own focus; the first level allows high school and university students to participate in the contest by submitting a short story, a poem, or a cultural research, while the second level welcomes university graduates and above to present studies in relation to literary creativity, humanities, as well as scientific, social and educational researches.-TradeArabia News Service