The CHAMPS Biorepository

Sharing CHAMPS Specimens to Enhance Scientific Knowledge and Save Lives

Learn More About the CHAMPS Network Biorepository

The CHAMPS Network Biorepository is comprised of tissue and non-tissue specimens collected at active CHAMPS sites. Specimens are collected using Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) procedures and are submitted for diagnostic testing to help determine causes of death for children under age five. Aliquots of the samples collected are carefully preserved and made available for additional investigations, exploring new diagnostic methods and approaches to prevention and treatment that will save lives.

The CHAMPS Network biorepository was established to enable equitable sharing of specimens to benefit the global public good and is guided by principles of transparency, ethical collection and use of specimens, broad access, capacity building, and benefit sharing. Specimens are shipped from sites to a central storage location at the CDC Biorepository (CBR), an accredited facility where specimens are maintained under standardized conditions at ultra-low temperatures for long term preservation of quality. After an approval process is completed, specimens may be shipped to investigators from this central location.

Specimens available for investigation include:

Tissue samples: lung, liver, and brain

Non-tissue samples: blood, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab, stool, and cerebrospinal fluid
Culture isolates are available on request

Additional specimen types may be available in the future.

Requesting Specimens

Several steps are required to ensure appropriate use of CHAMPS biorepository samples.

If the initial application is consistent with CHAMPS objectives and availability for sample types, a more detailed request form will need to be submitted for review and approval by the CHAMPS Specimen Access group; additional documentation for Data Access and Material and Data Transfer Agreement will be requested.

To begin the request process, please provide the following preliminary information, and we will respond within 14 business days.

Request Biorepository Specimens

Name(Required)
First Name Last Name
Your Institution
Email Address(Required)
Phone
Specimens Requested
Please provide an overview of which specimen types you are interested in requesting and the number of each.
Research Purpose
Briefly, describe your planned research. Please include your research purpose, overall approach/methodology, public health impact, and relevance to CHAMPS.
Upload Supporting Materials
Max. file size: 100 MB.
E.g. relevant publications, preliminary findings, and collaborator CVs.

Research in Action

CHAMPS Scientific Publications

Scientific Publications

January 5, 2022

Standardization of Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling Specimen Collection and Pathology Training for the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network

Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) is a simplified postmortem examination technique that has shown to be an adequate approach for cause of death investigation in low-resource settings. It requires relatively low level of infrastructures and can be performed by health professionals with no background in pathology. A training program has been developed for the Child (…)

Scientific Publications

January 6, 2022

Postmortem investigations and identification of multiple causes of child deaths: An analysis of findings from the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network

The current burden of >5 million deaths yearly is the focus of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years old by 2030. To accelerate progression toward this goal, data are needed that accurately quantify the leading causes of death, so that interventions can target the common (…)

Scientific Publications

March 9, 2022

Why parents agree or disagree for minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) to identify causes of death in under-five children and stillbirth in North India: a qualitative study

Information on exact causes of death and stillbirth are limited in low and middle income countries. Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) is increasingly practiced in place of autopsy across several settings. A formative research documented the experiences of counselling and consenting for MITS in north India. Click below to read the article. Why parents agree (…)

Scientific Publications

January 10, 2022

Mortality Surveillance Methods to Identify and Characterize Deaths in Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network Sites

CHAMPS sites have established facility- and community-based mortality notification systems, which aim to report potentially eligible deaths, defined as under-5 deaths and stillbirths within a defined catchment area, within 24–36 hours so that MITS can be conducted quickly after death. Where MITS has been conducted, a final cause of death is determined by an expert (…)

Scientific Publications

December 7, 2021

Initial CHAMPS findings published in Lancet Global Health

Findings from a multi-site analysis of CHAMPS cases were published in The Lancet Global Health. This article highlights the value of CHAMPS’ laboratory and diagnostic approaches, namely minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), in identifying specific causes of stillbirth and child death in Africa and Asia. Click below to read the article. Initial findings from a novel (…)