BloodBridge, a digital platform that connects blood donors and seekers, launched the beta version of its mobile app on August 14, 2025 during a program at the DMK Lecture Gallery on the campus of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). The launch was one of the key events of the Thalassemia Awareness Week that the BloodBridge team organized on campus from August 11–14, 2025. 

The platform was founded by K.M. Ferdous Hasan Foysal, a student of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at IUB and CEO of BloodBridge. It enables fast connection between blood donors and recipients through app notifications, Telegram alerts, and location-based SMS. The app, set to launch its version 1 soon, will offer live donor tracking, diagnostic support, and tailored services for thalassemia patients.

Foysal said, “About 11.4% of Bangladeshis are thalassemia carriers. Each year, 6,000–8,000 children are born with the disease, with 60,000–80,000 patients nationwide.” He emphasized his vision of introducing mandatory thalassemia screening in universities and highlighted how student-led initiatives and technology can strengthen the blood donation system.

The launch event was attended by Prof. M. Tamim, Vice Chancellor of IUB; Atif M. Safi, Head of the Division of Student Activities (DoSA) and advisor to BloodBridge; Afia Nowshen, Lecturer; Arrafy Rahman, Senior Lecturer; and Mariz Sintaha, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences, IUB; Asir Haque, Managing Partner at A&A Global Consultants; Deera Mahasin, Pre-sales Coordinator, Marketing, at ESCO Bangladesh; Ashraful Amin, Director, Council Affairs, IUB, and Tanvir Ahmed Haroon, Lecturer, Department of Environmental Science and Management, IUB.

Prof. Dr. Syeda Masooma Rahman, Vice-Chairman, and Dr. Razia Sultana, Transfusion Medicine Specialist, Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation, and Dr. AKM Ekramul Hossain, Executive Director of BTSH, also attended the launch event.

The awareness week was organized in collaboration with Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity and Hospital (BTSH), Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation, and with support from sponsors ESCO Bangladesh and A&A Global Consultants. It aimed to raise awareness about thalassemia, promote voluntary blood donation, and strengthen the blood donation ecosystem.  The awareness week’s activities included free blood grouping tests, low-cost Complete Blood Count (CBC) and thalassemia screening tests, and an interactive quiz contest.

Led by Foysal, the Thalassemia Awareness Campaign involved active participation from 72 students from the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 15 faculty members, 10 administrative staff, and 5 security personnel of IUB. A total of 72 bags of blood were donated during the awareness week for thalassemia patients.

The campaign was supported by BloodBridge team members Angkita Averi Noor, Personal Secretary; Rahima Tasnim Rashfi, Executive, Operations; Saifullah Khan, IT Executive, Technology & Creative; Mahanaj Alamgir, IT Trainee Executive; and Raiyan Anwar Amir, Content Strategist. Saifullah and Rahima are students of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Angkita is a student of Management Information Systems (MIS), and Raiyan is from Global Studies and Governance (GSG).

The volunteer team included IUB students Anik Hassan, Mosfec Sadid, Noshin Anbar, Kazi Nusrat Zia Maliha, Rakib Arafat Nayan, Sanzida Nawal Tanisha, Sharmin Imtiaz Sayka, Tasfia Khan, Tahsin Al Mashrafi, Sneha Jenta Jeha, Farhana Ahamad Oishee, Fahim Abrar, and Mohammad Salman.

As part of the campaign, BloodBridge organized a Membership Enrollment Drive from August 11–12, 2025, near the IUB Medical Center, encouraging the IUB community to engage in lifesaving efforts through awareness, volunteerism, and blood donation sessions held at the IUB Multipurpose Hall.

The quiz contest, titled “Bridge the Gap,” was held on August 13, 2025, at the Multipurpose Hall, with 42 teams representing 42 universities, including North South University, BRAC University, East West University, Jahangirnagar University, Khulna University, and IUB. The contest tested participants’ knowledge on thalassemia, voluntary blood donation, and public health. The session was inaugurated by IUB DoSA head Atif M. Safi. A soft skills session on public speaking was conducted by Dr. Md Shanawez Hossain, Associate Professor, Department of Global Studies and Governance.

Team BetaBlockers (BRAC University) became Champions in the quiz contest, with Team Tahsin (East West University) emerging as the First Runners-up and Team Kitty Paws (IUB) as the Second Runners-up. All participants received T-shirts, certificates, and tokens of appreciation, with the winning teams receiving crests and prize money.

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