Ministry showcases new technology at World Health Expo (WHX) 2026 in Dubai
Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has showcased an advanced organ preservation technology known as ‘Heart in a Box’ on the opening day of World Health Expo (WHX) 2026, highlighting the country’s growing role in innovation-driven organ donation and transplantation.
The technology uses machine perfusion to preserve and assess vital organs, including the heart, liver, lungs and kidneys, outside the human body, significantly extending their viability prior to transplantation while maintaining functional quality.
Dr Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidli, Chairman of the National Committee for Organ Transplantation, Hayat, told Gulf News the device can preserve the beating heart outside the human body for a longer time.
“It gives us hope for transplanting organs when the donor and recipient are located in countries far away from each other. It’s our duty to fulfill the wishes of the donors’ families to serve the humanity through their noble gesture and this device will help us for that,” he said.
Dr Maria Gomez, Director of Hayat, told Gulf News the innovation represents a major shift in transplant medicine by addressing one of the sector’s most critical challenges: time.
“Traditionally, once a donor heart is retrieved, surgeons have only four to five hours to transplant it. This creates enormous logistical pressure,” she said. “With machine perfusion, the heart can be safely preserved for up to 24 hours, giving medical teams valuable time to prepare and coordinate,” she explained.
How the technology works
The Heart in a Box system connects donated organs to a portable perfusion machine filled with oxygenated human blood. This allows the organ to continue functioning outside the body, enabling doctors to monitor performance in real time.
“You can actually see it beating while it is connected to the machine. This allows clinicians to assess organ quality with much higher confidence before transplantation, improving outcomes for patients,” Dr Gomez explained.
Beyond extending preservation time, the technology also enables long-distance organ transport, strengthening regional and international cooperation.
“Because the system is portable, organs can be transported safely across borders, for example, from Kuwait to Dubai or from the UAE to Saudi Arabia,” she said.
Boosting regional collaboration
According to Dr Gomez, the UAE is already deeply engaged in cross-border organ sharing. As many as 153 organs retrieved from 28 donors in Kuwait have been transplanted in the UAE since 2021. These include liver, lungs and kidneys. Also, 257 organs, mainly hearts and lungs, have been donated from the UAE to Saudi Arabia.
The UAE is developing more regional collaborations to facilitate organ donation with Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.
“These partnerships save lives and demonstrate how technology can support international collaboration in transplantation,” Dr Gomez said.
Future rollout in the UAE
While the Heart in a Box system is currently being showcased as part of the UAE’s future roadmap, it has not yet been officially launched.
“This is not a commercial launch, but a demonstration of where we are heading. The technology is in the pipeline, and we are preparing to introduce it as part of our transplant services in the coming phase,” Dr Gomez clarified.
Lives saved
Since the launch of the Hayat programme, the lives of 1,663 individuals have been saved through organ transplantation, said Dr Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidli.
“People of as many as 57 nationalities have benefited from organ donation and statistics suggest that organ donation grew by 31% in 2025, compared to 2024,” he said.
The number of combined transplant recipients, who received multiple organs, stand at 59.
The adoption of machine perfusion technologies is expected to further strengthen the UAE’s position as a regional reference point for organ donation and transplantation, aligned with international best practices and global standards.
Organ donation awareness
Dr Gomez also stressed the importance of public awareness and family communication when it comes to organ donation.
“Although the number of people pledging to donate organs is increasing, less than one per cent of pledges eventually become actual donations. The most important step is for individuals to communicate their wishes clearly to their families, because family consent is essential.”
Emirates Health platform
Previously known as Arab Health, the World Health Expo is debuting at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai.
The World Health Expo 2026 brings together more than 4,300 exhibitors from over 180 countries, alongside hundreds of international experts and speakers, providing a global forum for dialogue on innovation in healthcare delivery, emerging technologies, and policy collaboration.
MoHAP, alongside national and emirate-level health authorities, is participating under the Emirates Health platform. Through this national platform, UAE health authorities are showcasing how policy, regulation, and innovation are being applied at a national scale, reinforcing healthcare as a national priority and underscoring the government’s commitment to building the health of a nation.
