In 2007, RSNA organized the Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance® (QIBA) to unite researchers, healthcare professionals and industry to advance quantitative imaging and the use of imaging biomarkers in clinical trials and clinical practice.

EARL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with QIBA in August 2020. Both organisations have areas mutually recognised as important for nuclear medicine cancer clinical studies, nuclear medicine clinical practice and identified key areas for collaboration include: 

• Collaborate on PET/CT scanners harmonisation in the domain of multicentre clinical trials and clinical practice
• Collaborate in advancing PET/CT quantification as an imaging biomarker
• Collaborate in establishing a network of harmonised PET/CT scanners and clinical sites ready to implement the QIBA PET/CT profile
• Develop proposal to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration ensuring wider implementation of PET/CT as an imaging biomarker in clinical trials.

The first mutual pilot project resulted in several of the EARL Centres of Excellence sites successfully achieving QIBA conformance to the QIBA FDG PET-CT Profile via self-attestation: 

• University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic
• University College London Hospital, UK
• Charite University Medical Hospital Berlin, Germany
• University Hospital Essen, Germany
• University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
• German Oncology Center, Cyprus
• VU Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital (KCGH), Japan
• Klinikum rechts der Isar / TUM, Munich, Germany