Child Health Research Foundation

24 Mar

1/ Dr. Senjuti Saha has been announced as the 2026 Sabin Rising Star Awardee! She is the first South Asian to receive this honour - what a proud moment for Bangladesh and the Child Health Research Foundation!

1/ CHRF offers Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) to support the investigation of complex and undiagnosed genetic conditions. By combining next-generation sequencing with bioinformatics analysis and clinical interpretation, our service helps identify and classify genetic variants.

2/ Genetic counselling is available at no additional cost to help individuals and families better understand the testing process and results.

3/ For further information, contact the CHRF Diagnostic Division at 01894800682 or email diagnosticdivision@chrfbd.org

1/ Interested in exploring bacterial genomics, bioinformatics, and antimicrobial resistance through hands-on learning? CHRF’s 5-Day Workshop on Bacterial Genomics and Antimicrobial Resistance is now open for applications! Learn more and apply here: chrfbd.org/pages/buildi...

2/ Participants will learn to analyze bacterial genomes from sequence data, investigate antimicrobial resistance, and explore comparative genomics and phylogenetics through hands-on sessions.

3/ Eligibility: Professionals and Bachelor's or Master's students and graduates in Life Sciences, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or Public Health. Workshop Date: 20–24 December 2026

1/ At the Wellcome Mid-Career Researcher Meeting in London, a photograph from rural Mirzapur, Bangladesh, was featured in the event’s virtual gallery, Research in One Frame. It captured a simple but meaningful moment from CHRF’s ongoing research.

2/ In the photograph, nine-month-old Abir sits calmly on his mother’s lap as our team prepares to collect his sample to test for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that can cause respiratory diseases such as pneumonia.

3/ This photograph captures the first step in a much larger effort to understand why RSV causes more severe disease and higher mortality among children in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. Each visit brings us closer to finding answers.

1/ On 13 and 14 October, Wellcome hosted the Mid-Career Researcher Meeting at the Royal College of Physicians in London, bringing together researchers from around the world.

2/ At the event, Dr. Yogesh Hooda presented CHRF's research on severe viral pneumonia in children in Bangladesh, for which CHRF received the prestigious Wellcome Discovery Award in March.

3/ The meeting provided an opportunity to share research from Bangladesh with the global scientific community, exchange knowledge and build connections.

1/ For the first time in Bangladesh, CHRF is performing the WHO-established pneumococcal ELISA test to observe and understand the impact of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-10).

3/ This ELISA test measures the antibodies children develop after vaccination. Antibodies are proteins our bodies produce to help fight infections like pneumonia and meningitis, and measuring them helps us understand how children respond to the vaccine.

4/ Introducing a vaccine is a major step forward for public health, but understanding how well it continues to protect our children is a commitment that lasts long after.

1/ For the first time in Bangladesh, CHRF is performing the WHO-established pneumococcal ELISA test to observe and understand the impact of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-10).

2/ CHRF facilitated the introduction of PCV-10 in Bangladesh in 2015 and more than a decade later, we continue to study how well it protects our children.

1/ Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria. CHRF scientists have spent the past several years collecting and characterizing phages that infect Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium responsible for typhoid fever, from environmental water samples across Bangladesh.

6/ Meanwhile, our own research at CHRF continues to reveal surprising diversity among Typhi phages, including the discovery of phages that can infect bacteria without relying on the capsule previously thought to be essential for infection.

7/ Read the new Cell Host & Microbe study: doi.org/10.1016/j.ch... Explore CHRF's phage research: doi.org/10.1371/jour... doi.org/10.1128/mra.... doi.org/10.64898/202...

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4/ In a new study published in Cell Host & Microbe, our collaborators at Stanford University investigated why different Salmonella strains respond differently to phage infection.

5/ They found that much of this variation could be explained by differences in bacterial surface receptors, while a bacterial defense protein further restricted the ability of certain phages to reproduce.

2/ What began as an effort to develop affordable tools for tracking typhoid in our communities has grown into a diverse biobank of phages, opening new opportunities to understand how these viruses interact with bacteria, and why some bacterial strains resist infection.

3/ As well as, how phages might eventually be used to combat bacterial infections. This resource is now contributing to research collaborations around the world.

1/ Last week, we welcomed Dr. Kirsten Vannice, Senior Program Officer at the @gatesfoundation.bsky.social, to CHRF. Having followed and supported several areas of our work over the years.

5/ What stood out throughout her story was a strong drive to work closer to the problems, understand what can truly change outcomes, and help move evidence toward meaningful impact.

6/ It was a fitting way to end a day centered on the people, questions, and purpose that ultimately give science its meaning.

1/ Last week, we welcomed Dr. Kirsten Vannice, Senior Program Officer at the @gatesfoundation.bsky.social, to CHRF. Having followed and supported several areas of our work over the years.

3/ She also spent time with our Building Scientists for Bangladesh community, hearing how the initiative grew from a simple question asked by young girls who wanted to know whether they, too, could become scientists.

4/ We ended the day with a conversation about Dr. Kirsten’s own journey, from an early interest in physics to a career in global health.

1/ Last week, we welcomed Dr. Kirsten Vannice, Senior Program Officer at the @gatesfoundation.bsky.social, to CHRF. Having followed and supported several areas of our work over the years.

2/ Dr. Kirsten spent the day getting to know the people and systems behind the research, visiting our laboratories, joining research presentations, and seeing our hospital surveillance work firsthand.

1/ From one microbiologist determined to build a healthier future for children in Bangladesh through science in the 1980s, to a team of 300+ today, it’s been quite a journey.

2/ Here’s a few of us from our Dhaka team, united by that same vision that started it all: a future where every child can grow up healthy, free from preventable disease and disability.

1/ This Wednesday, our labs got a little busier and a lot more curious as we welcomed 20 students from Sunnydale School for a lab tour at CHRF.

3/ Between all the questions, we also got to hear about their dreams. Some want to explore the tiny world of microbes, while others dream of reaching all the way into space. Some are still figuring out which path to take, but one thing seemed certain: they want science to be part of their future.

4/ This visit was part of Stream 2 of Building Scientists for Bangladesh, where we open our labs to bring young people closer to science. We loved having Sunnydale in our labs, and if you would like your school to visit us next, email us at buildingscientists@chrfbd.org !

1/ This Wednesday, our labs got a little busier and a lot more curious as we welcomed 20 students from Sunnydale School for a lab tour at CHRF.

2/ They explored our labs, met our scientists, and saw a little of what science looks like beyond their textbooks. The afternoon ended in conversation with Dr. Senjuti Saha, and the questions kept coming: Can diseases ever truly be eradicated? What does a career in science actually look like?

1/ October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to learn, raise awareness, and stand in support of the millions of women around the world who have been affected by breast cancer. #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth

2/ This month, let’s learn to recognise the signs, understand the importance of early detection, and build awareness that stays with us long after October ends.

1/ A decade of respiratory health research, capacity building, and partnership came together at the final RESPIRE (NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health) Annual Scientific Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

4/ Findings from CHRF’s Photovoice study, which explored how chronic respiratory disease affects people’s everyday lives, were presented through a poster and discussed during lightning sessions.

5/ We are proud to have been part of this initiative, and remain committed to advancing respiratory health research and strengthening research capacity in Bangladesh and beyond.

2/ RESPIRE is a global research partnership between 8 countries, focused on improving respiratory health across Asia.

3/ Since 2018, RESPIRE has been a valued research partner of CHRF. Representing CHRF at the meeting were Dr. Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Associate Scientist, and Hakka Naziat, Research Investigator, who shared CHRF’s work and contributed to discussions on research capacity building in Bangladesh.