Rare diseases - those that affect fewer than one in 200,000 people - are often identified early in life. Some 30 percent of children afflicted by these "orphan diseases" do not live to see their fifth birthday. While the U.S. Orphan Drug Act of 1983 was written into law to promote research on the topic, the cost of identifying the source and progression of these diseases remains prohibitive for many families.

German biotech company Metabolomic Discoveries announced the launch of personalized metabolomics tool Kenkodo. Through a smartphone app and sampling kit, users will soon be able to improve their well­being. Kenkodo is available through the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. This product offers people the possibility to track and understand the influence of factors, such as nutrition, sports and stress on their metabolism.

The Ebola virus is spreading rapidly and to an unexpected extent. The outbreak does not follow the patterns experienced in the past and the virus shows a new disease dynamic in regions, where it has never been recorded before. For this reason, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, acatech - the German Academy of Science and Engineering, and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities have presented a statement on the Ebola epidemic.

Initial human testing of an investigational vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease will begin next week by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The early-stage trial will begin initial human testing of a vaccine co-developed by NIAID and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and will evaluate the experimental vaccine's safety and ability to generate an immune system response in healthy adults.

BBK Worldwide, a leading clinical trial marketing firm, has unveiled two new mobile apps for patient and site engagement, My Clinical Study Buddy℠ and My Clinical Study Buddy℠ Protocol Pointers Edition. Available for Apple® and Android™ mobile phones and tablets, both apps are available on the App Store℠ and Google Play™ and are being demoed at this week's DIA 2014 50th Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, Calif., June 16-19 at BBK booth #2309.

One in ten of the world's population will have diabetes by 2035 according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The latest edition IDF Diabetes Atlas, published today on World Diabetes Day, estimates that people living with diabetes will surge from 382 million to 59 2 million people by 2035, many in low and middle income countries and the majority under 60. This surge will form the backdrop of the World Diabetes Congress (#WDC2013) in Melbourne, Australia this December.

An international public-private partnership (PPP) was launched in July last year to develop a new pediatric formulation to combat schistosomiasis - commonly known as bilharzia - in preschool children. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grants $1.15 million to support some research & development activities before Phase I clinical trials.