Reston, VA (December 16, 2025)--Three
world-leading nuclear medicine organizations--the SNMMI Clinical Trials Network
(SNMMI-CTN), the Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network (ARTnet), and the
European Association of Nuclear Medicine Forschungs GmbH (EARL)--have jointly
endorsed a unified PET/CT and PET/MR scanner accreditation framework to
standardize and harmonize quantitative PET imaging worldwide. Signed on October
6, 2025, the memorandum of understanding marks a major advancement for clinical
trials and patient care, providing a harmonized approach that enhances
reproducibility, reduces duplication, and supports more reliable decision making
throughout the lifecycle of research and patient management.
Currently, PET system accreditation methods, along with the
associated phantoms and acceptance criteria, vary widely across clinical
research organizations (CROs), sponsors, and professional networks. This lack
of harmonization results in duplicative testing, unclear responsibilities,
increased costs, and inconsistent quantitative data.
The new framework directly addresses these inefficiencies by
introducing a contrast recovery coefficient (CRC)-based accreditation system to
replace the current SUV recovery coefficient (SUV RC)-based methods. The new
system is robust, scalable, adaptable to technological evolution and applicable
worldwide.
Universal adoption of the proposed framework will provide
significant advantages for all stakeholders:
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Streamlined Protocols: Sponsors and CROs will
define a simpler, universal imaging manual.
-
Efficiency and Cost Reduction: Fewer
phantom scans and reduced testing will lower costs and accelerate timelines.
-
Global Harmonization: Uniform performance
criteria will be established for PET/CT systems across all regions and trials.
-
Improved Data Quality: The quality of quantitative
imaging data will be consistent, comparable, and reproducible across trials.
-
Faster Site Accreditation: Validated
protocols and metrics will speed the onboarding of imaging sites.
-
Sponsor Relief: Ambiguity and testing
responsibilities will be removed for sponsors who lack imaging-specific
expertise.
-
Clinical Translation: Consistent and
reproducible PET/CT system performance across trials and patient care will support
translation of research findings into clinical practice.
CRC-based metrics have already been incorporated into data
analysis and image quality reports, providing accredited institutions with both
CRC and traditional metrics. The full transition to CRC-based accreditation
will be completed in January 2026.
The unified PET system accreditation is a pivotal step toward truly
global harmonization in quantitative PET imaging. Through this collaboration,
SNMMI, ARTnet and EANM are laying the groundwork for a future where data from
any accredited scanner, anywhere in the world, can be trusted and compared with
confidence.
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About
the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Clinical Trials Network
The
Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international
scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine,
molecular imaging, and theranostics precision medicine that allows diagnosis
and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order
to achieve the best possible outcomes. The SNMMI Clinical Trials
Network helps facilitate the effective use of molecular imaging
radiopharmaceuticals in clinical trials. For more information, visit snmmi.org/ctn
About
the Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network
The Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network
(ARTnet) is a collaborative network incorporating
medical specialists, technologists, scientists and researchers from the field
of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging with a shared interest in multicenter
clinical trials that utilize radiopharmaceuticals for imaging or therapy. For
more information, visit artnet.org.au
About
the European Association of Nuclear Medicine Forschungs
GmbH (EARL)
The
European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), the leading umbrella
organization for nuclear medicine in Europe and beyond, established EANM Forschungs GmbH (EARL) to advance and harmonize molecular
imaging across the continent. EARL serves as a scientific and clinical hub
dedicated to improving nuclear medicine practice, fostering multicentre
research, enhancing data comparability, and promoting molecular imaging as a
standard diagnostic tool in future clinical care and research. For more
information, visit https://earl.eanm.org/.