A team of Bangladeshi scientists at the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) has successfully managed to complete the genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 i.e. Coronavirus in Bangladesh very recently (May 12, 2020).
The team of genetic sequencing was led by a very promising microbiologist Dr. Senjuti Saha and overall supervised by Dr. Samir Saha, Executive Director, CHRF. They described their experience of the genome sequencing of COVID-19 from Bangladesh in a Zoom interview.
Genome sequencing is the process of identifying what nucleotides – the basic building block of DNA and RNA – are present in a certain cell and in what order. A team of eight CHRF researchers worked on mapping the genome sequence of coronavirus from Bangladesh.
Many genome sequences of the novel coronavirus have been mapped in the whole world to date [See in GISAID]. But this was the first time a researcher team from Bangladesh made one footprint in the global library. That was the ultimate achievement the CHRF team earned, said Dr. Senjuti.
They informed that the task not very easy since Dr. Senjuti is stuck in the UK during the pandemic lockdown. She guided the whole team of CHRF in Bangladesh from afar over the Internet video conferencing apps. That was quite a challenge, but thanks to the technology that made it possible when it was needed the most.
The genetic sequencing is particularly important for us and all others to understand and study the virus to produce an effective vaccine against it.
The team members who did the sequencing at the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF).
The Bangladeshi scientists are optimistic about more genome sequencing from the country by engaging other labs. They informed that CHRF is willing to collaborate and building the capacity of other centers.
The scientist duo thanked the government of Bangladesh, especially the IEDCR for providing them the opportunity to conduct the research.
Press Release by CHRF
