• CoreSpine Technologies (Minneapolis) has appointed John Sherman, MD, of Twin Cities Orthopedics, as medical director. CoreSpine Technologies, an emerging spinal device company, is developing enabling technologies for use with new classes of spinal implant devices.

• Michael Astrue has resigned as interim CEO ofEpix Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts), a developer of pharmaceuticals for MRI. Astrue was appointed to the position in September 2005 after the former CEO left the company. Epix has signed a definitive merger agreement with Predix Pharmaceuticals (Lexington, Massachusetts). Following the consummation of the merger, Dr. Michael Kauffman, Predix's president and CEO, will become the CEO of the combined company. Dr. Andrew Uprichard, currently president of Epix, will remain in that role. Astrue joined Epix with specific objectives relating to a transformative transaction with a privately-held pharmaceuticals company and the regulatory path forward for Vasovist, the company's novel blood-pool contrast agent. With the announcement of the merger agreement with Predix and the decision to appeal the FDA's recent approvable letters for Vasovist, both of these objectives have been met. Astrue has agreed to serve as a consultant to the company until July 31.

• Brian Callahan has joined Spheris (Franklin, Tennessee), a global provider of medical transcription technology and services, as its CFO. Callahan brings with him more than 20 years of financial management experience, most recently serving as executive vice president and CFO of Murray. Chris Mack, who has served as Spheris' interim CFO since December 2005, has begun transitioning his responsibilities to Callahan. Following this transition, Mack will work closely with the Spheris operations team on a number of corporate initiatives.