Top Academic Medical Centers, Research Institutions, and Partners Gather at Velos eResearch Annual Meeting

San Francisco, CA — May 16, 2008— Velos, Inc. (www.velos.com), the recognized leader and trusted resource for clinical trial management systems this week hosted a constellation of prestigious academic medical centers, research institutions and industry partners at its annual user group meeting in San Francisco. The Velos eResearch system allows customers to internally and collaboratively manage thousands of clinical trials.
 
More than 140 professionals, including representatives from institutions such as Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Duke University, MD Anderson, UCLA, University of Miami, and University of Michigan, attended this week’s meeting at San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. Also in attendance were representatives from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.  Such themes as collaboration, direct data capture, multi-site research network management, outcomes measurement, patient self-reporting, and financial management were discussed throughout the two-day session.
 
“We’re delighted to see continued strong growth in the Velos customer base,” said John S. McIlwain, resident and chief executive officer of Velos. “Attendance again increased more than 40 percent this year and approximately tenfold since our first user group meeting in 2005. The company’s success in managing this growth is supported by the enthusiasm and passion of our customers. This year’s meeting has been highlighted by customer willingness to share experiences and accomplishments and to collaborate in adopting state-of-the-art clinical research system infrastructure. We believe that this exceptional and growing customer base is increasingly positioned to move the industry forward as a whole.”

A South Korean delegation was an eager participant in the many sessions. South Korea is deploying the Velos eResearch system in an unprecedented countrywide initiative that allows seamless clinical trials collaboration and information sharing among all South Korean cancer centers.
 
Velos U.S. customers receive over 30 percent of extramural clinical research funding from the National Institutes of Health, among the 100 largest such recipients—the largest such share among clinical trial management system software vendors. The National Cancer Institute grants approximately 40 percent of its extramural funding to such Velos customers, also the largest such share. The Velos eResearch customer base includes 21 top 25* U.S. medical centers.
 
Speakers included representatives from the University of California Davis, Cleveland Clinic, Dartmouth University, Mary Crowley Cancer Centers, University of Miami, University of Michigan, and Northwestern University. Priti Sahai, MD, Velos' vice president of product development, introduced a range of new system features, tools, and integrated product offerings, including Velos eResearch Version 8. “We were very pleased by the customer response to Version 8.0,” observed Sahai. “It’s gratifying to know that we continue to be on the right track and that our focus on product innovation is paying off for our customers.”
 
“The highly regarded research centers who are Velos customers provide essential support for much-needed improvements in the information model in clinical research,” noted Amar Chahal, MD, Velos' co-founder and executive vice president. “These Velos customers have the knowledge, resources, and incentive to facilitate positive change.  We’ve witnessed these dynamics in action this week here in San Francisco.”

*U.S. News & World Report, Best Hospitals Survey