Child Health Research Foundation

5/ We are grateful to our investigators, trainees, laboratory teams, field staff, collaborators, and the families who make this work possible.

4/ As the first Wellcome Discovery Award led from South Asia, this is more than a grant for CHRF and for Bangladesh. It reflects years of work building the science, the teams, and the trust needed to lead cutting edge research from the places most affected by disease.

3/ The study is led by Dr. Senjuti Saha (CHRF), with co investigators Dr. Yogesh Hooda (CHRF), Dr. Jose Ordovas Montanes, and Dr. Bruce Horwitz (Boston Children’s Hospital, USA).

2/ Building on an ongoing collaboration between scientists in Bangladesh and Boston, this project will explore why RSV becomes life threatening in some children, using single cell genomics, mucosal immunology, and respiratory biology.

1/ We are thrilled to share that CHRF has been awarded a Wellcome Discovery Award to study severe RSV pneumonia in children.

Read more in our press release:

chrfbd.org/blogs/2c839d...

7/ Learn more about these findings in PLOS Medicine: journals.plos.org/plosmedicine...

6/ The results show clear, recurring patterns across countries, highlighting shared risks and common strains linked to severe disease. This study shows the importance of multi-regional efforts and locally generated data in guiding health policies and preventions like vaccines.

5/ By combining local neonatal sepsis data with region-specific analysis, the study gives a rare, regionally representative picture of K. pneumoniae.

4/ CHRF is proud to have contributed 289 genomic sequences from Bangladesh through our long-term surveillance work, helping ensure that Bangladesh is meaningfully represented in the findings.

3/ A recent study analysed genomic data from 35 sites across 13 countries in South Asia and Africa, making it one of the largest neonatal K. pneumoniae datasets till now.

2/ Sepsis is a life-threatening condition causing deaths of more than 600,000 newborns annually. The picture is not entirely bleak though, as data shows thousands of neonatal deaths could be prevented each year with appropriate preventions for K. pneumoniae.

1/ Klebsiella pneumoniae is responsible for 20% of the neonatal sepsis cases, with the greatest burden in Africa and South Asia.

5/ Now is the time to move forward and build a future that truly supports, uplifts, and empowers women in STEM, because innovation thrives only when everyone has a seat at the table!

4/ With women making up 66% of our trainees, the numbers clearly reflect their eagerness to participate, learn, and grow in STEM.

3/ Through our Building Scientists for Bangladesh initiative, we also actively encourage young people, especially girls, to explore STEM, nurture their curiosity, and imagine themselves as future scientists and changemakers.

2/ Today, we celebrate the curiosity, resilience, and brilliance of women shaping the future through science.

At CHRF, we are proud to be powered by women scientists who lead research, drive innovation, and work tirelessly to improve child health in Bangladesh.

1/ On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we recognize the vital role women play across STEM, from biologists and doctors, to engineers and mathematicians, turning knowledge into impact every day.

5/ At its core, the work is about bridging the gap between promising TB diagnostic tools and communities in need.

4/ This multi-country effort, funded by the Gates Foundation, aims to create a durable, practical resource that guides manufacturers and global partners in integrating TB tools efficiently into health systems.

3/ CHRF, in collaboration with McGill University, led the pathway development for Bangladesh, working closely with national stakeholders to reflect local systems and barriers.

2/ Nine countries, where TB is a cause for concern, came together to map a streamlined pathway outlining the key steps from approval to the nationwide rollout of new TB tests. Each country designed a nationally relevant pathway for itself.

1/ With the intention to understand and ensure successful adoption of tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic tools, the “Critical Pathway for New TB Diagnostics” project was initiated.

From a sample to purified DNA - what technique makes it possible?

7/ The webinar concluded as Dr. Saha and Dr. Holmes delivered heartfelt closing remarks, emphasizing that research findings must go beyond the lab and reach the babies of Bangladesh.

6/ Each segment ended with interactive Q&A sessions, encouraging participants to think further and reflect on the challenges of neonatal sepsis in Bangladesh.

5/ Dr. David Freeman, Research Associate, Imperial College, concluded the presentations spotlighting cutting edge biosensors that can help monitor maternal and child health.

4/ The following presentations highlighted innovative technologies. Dr. Yu Wan, Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, and Dr. Mohammad Sajib, Post-doctoral Fellow, CHRF, highlighted PathoPath, a pathogen transmission tracking tool.

3/The webinar opened with remarks by Dr. Senjuti Saha, Deputy Executive Director at CHRF, and Prof. Alison Holmes, Director, CAMO-Net Lead, University of Liverpool & Imperial College. Followed, with Dr. Yogesh Hooda, Senior Scientist at CHRF, presenting key insights in neonatal sepsis in Bangladesh.

2/ The Bangladesh Initiative for Advancing Research on Neonatal Infections (BARN) is a research partnership between CHRF and CAMO-Net to address the rising problem of neonatal sepsis in Bangladesh. It is supported by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and Wellcome Trust.

1/ On 21st January 2026, over 200 researchers, clinicians and public health professionals came together for the "BARN Dissemination Webinar" to understand the burden of neonatal sepsis in Bangladesh and discuss research-driven solutions.