7th Annual Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium
October 19-21, 2009
Bethesda North Marriott Conference Center
Bethesda, Maryland
CMOD successfully completed its 7th Annual Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium “Streamlining to Promote Innovation and Efficiency.”  The topics for this year’s symposium included “Biomarker Innovations enabling drug and diagnostic development”, “Biomarkers in Heart Failure: Challenges & Opportunities”, “How can biomarkers streamline the regulatory process?”, “Streamlining clinical trials and communications”, “Medical Imaging Update”, and “Molecular Imaging Workshop”.

Manufacturing PET Radiopharmaceuticals
May 1, 2009, Natcher Auditorium,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
CMOD successfully completed a special workshop entitled “Manufacturing PET Radiopharmaceuticals” in collaboration with the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM). Expert participants included George Q. Mills, Perceptive Informatics; Eldon Leutzinger, Chemistry Team Leader, Medical Imaging, FDA; Donald Black, GE Healthcare; Dennis Swanson, University of Pittsburgh; Sally Schwarz, Washington University; Luke Augustine, Cardinal Health; and Joseph Hung, Mayo Clinic. A series of presentations outlining PET Drug Regulations, including USP Chapter 823 and cGMP guidelines were addressed, and discussed, as was the SNM Clinical Trial Network. For more information about this program, please contact theinonen@cmod.org.

CMOD Canadian Biomarkers and Surrogate
Endpoints Meeting
January 5, 2009, Novotel Hotel, Ontario, Canada
Thanks to a collaboration with Health Canada, and the Canadian Atherosclerosis Imaging Network (CAIN), CMOD’s 1st Annual Canadian Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium was held this year to a standing–room only crowd. The topics for this year’s symposium included “Cardiovascular Focus – Atherosclerosis Imaging Technologies” and “New Frontiers in Imaging Biomarkers – Molecular Imaging Technologies”. The expert faculty members included Canadian and US experts, as well as representatives from government and industry. The program’s highlight was a panel discussion entitled, “Academia, Industry, and Regulatory Agencies: Working Together for the Future” which included some lively debates about the role of biomarkers and imaging technologies in the development of novel medical products. Please watch later this year for announcements regarding the 2nd Annual Canadian Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints Symposium.