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:
- 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/.