This release has been updated as of 12/17/21.

In order to help cure, prevent or manage all diseases in our children’s lifetime, we must push the boundaries of collaboration between technology and science. This year, we traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, with the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to experience firsthand how Dr. Senjuti Saha and her team used new technology called Chan Zuckerberg ID (formerly IDseq) to detect the source of a meningitis outbreak.

“When you know the cause of a disease, you have a better chance at saving lives.” – Dr. Senjuti Saha

Chan Zuckerberg ID (CZ ID) is a free cloud-based, open-source software that scientists anywhere in the world can access to help them determine the cause of infectious diseases. CZ ID works by instantly combing through terabytes of metagenomic data for pathogens in a sample and provides researchers with an unbiased report of what’s happening on the ground in labs and clinics around the world. With this information, doctors can take action to prevent these diseases from spreading.

This video was produced by Waterproof Pictures in association with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub.