ALEM at Expo 2025: A Unique Kazakhstani Innovation for Donor Organ Preservation presented in Japan
A team from UMC Heart Center at Nazarbayev University, led by Dr. Yuriy Pya, presented the groundbreaking ALEM system at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The AI-powered cardiovascular tool was unveiled at the event running from April 13 to October 13.
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The system, developed with the support of the Heart Center Foundation, is designed for the preservation and transportation of donor organs.
The ALEM system (Astana Life Ex-situ Machine) is a breakthrough innovation with the potential to transform the field of transplantology. It can preserve donor organs for more than 24 hours by replicating near-physiological conditions. This is particularly important for large countries like Kazakhstan, where one of the main challenges in transplant medicine is the timely delivery of organs. The device maintains body temperature, oxygenates blood, and monitors vital parameters in real time.
The technology has already proven its effectiveness and safety in preclinical studies. ALEM is now preparing for its next critical phase – clinical trials – which will mark an important step toward its integration into routine medical practice.
«We faced a difficult situation – due to weather conditions, we were unable to receive a donor heart in time. That’s when the idea emerged to create our own organ preservation system, one that would be more accessible to Kazakhstan, more affordable, and perhaps even more effective than existing solutions. It all began with a team of bold, smart people who set a goal and achieved it. Preclinical experiments on animals showed that a heart can be preserved in our device for more than 24 hours without damaging myocardial tissue. The system can be used not only for preservation but also for treating donor organs that are wouldn’t typically be considered viable for transplantation. We can place such organs in the device and perform treatment to make them transplantable. This greatly expands the possibilities of medicine», – said Yuriy Pya, Project Leader and Chairman of the Executive Board of UMC at NU.
The development of the system involved engineers and medical professionals – cardiac surgeons, perfusionists, anesthesiologists, morphologists, nurses, lab technicians, and other staff from the UMC Heart Center. It took several years to move from the initial concept to the creation of the working device. The project continues to evolve.
«As a surgeon, I can tell you – one person can’t achieve this alone. We live in an era that demands teamwork and collective effort. This project is the result of immense physical, intellectual, and time investments by many people. And of course, without financial support, it would not have been possible. Without the Heart Center Foundation, this project simply wouldn’t exist», – Dr. Yuriy Pya added.
A device with the potential to save thousands of lives is now being showcased to an international audience at Expo 2025. The theme of this year’s expo is «Designing Future Society for Our Lives». ALEM is featured in the «Connecting Lives» section of Kazakhstan’s pavilion. ALEM's participation in Expo 2025 was made possible with the support of our partners.
«This product is a breakthrough. While the technology itself has existed for some time, implementing it in practice – even at the preclinical level and for a duration as long as 24 hours – is a major achievement in medicine. It is especially important that ALEM can potentially enable treatment of organs outside the body, not just preservation. I am confident that our participation in Expo 2025 will be successful», - noted one of the project's co-authors Dr. Timur Lesbekov, Director of the Clinical Academic Department of Cardiac Surgery at the UMC Heart Center affiliated with NU.
Participation in Expo 2025 is an opportunity to highlight the importance of advancing transplant medicine, unite the global medical community around a shared goal, and showcase Kazakhstan’s scientific and technological capabilities, according to the Director of the Heart Center Foundation, which actively supports innovation through the promotion of advanced technology, educational initiatives, and awareness campaigns in cardiology, cardiac surgery, and transplantology.
«This is a historic moment for Kazakhstan. For the first time, we are presenting a large-scale medical project – ALEM – at a global exhibition of this level. It has the potential to expand the possibilities of transplantology worldwide, draw attention to the importance of innovation, and bring together doctors, scientists, and engineers to find new ways to save lives. Our goal is not just to showcase our invention to the world, but to become part of global technological and medical progress», – added Murat Zaurov.
According to the developers, technologies like ALEM go beyond conventional clinical solutions, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and making cutting-edge medical advancements more accessible to those who need them.