Global Nuclear Medicine Societies Unite to Launch Harmonized PET Scanner Accreditation Framework

Global nuclear medicine leaders have come together to standardize PET scanner accreditation through a new harmonized framework that promises to improve consistency and quality across clinical trials and patient care worldwide. The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Clinical Trials Network (SNMMI-CTN), the Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network (ARTnet), and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine Forschungs GmbH (EARL) formally signed a memorandum of understanding on October 6, 2025, to adopt a unified approach for PET/CT and PET/MR scanner accreditation.

The agreement introduces a shift from the traditional standardized uptake value (SUV) recovery coefficient-based system to one based on contrast recovery coefficients (CRC). The new CRC-based approach is designed to be more robust, scalable and adaptable to evolving imaging technologies. By harmonizing global standards, the framework aims to enhance reproducibility, streamline imaging protocols, reduce duplicative testing and improve the reliability of data used for decision-making in both clinical research and routine care.

PET scanner accreditation methods have long varied among clinical research organizations, sponsors and professional networks. This fragmentation has resulted in increased costs, inconsistent quantitative results and inefficiencies in trial operations. The unified framework addresses these challenges by establishing a universal set of performance criteria and removing the need for redundant phantom scans and individualized testing protocols.

With the new approach, sponsors and CROs will be able to define simpler imaging manuals and benefit from faster site accreditation using validated protocols and metrics. Imaging data will become more consistent and comparable across different trials and institutions, regardless of location. These improvements are expected to reduce ambiguity for sponsors and support the seamless translation of trial findings into clinical care.

CRC-based metrics are already being reported alongside traditional values at accredited institutions. The full transition to CRC-only accreditation is scheduled for completion in January 2026. The updated framework is seen as an important step toward making quantitative PET imaging globally consistent, reliable and accessible.

Through this collaboration, SNMMI, ARTnet and EARL are laying the foundation for a future in which imaging data from any accredited PET scanner in the world can be trusted to meet the same high standards, improving confidence in both clinical and research settings.