SNMMI unveils its 2025 Image of the Year

In line with tradition, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging unveiled its Image of the Year during its annual meeting this week. 

“The SNMMI Image of the Year is the Society's most anticipated award,” SNMMI wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the award. “It not only captures the results of a years-long study but also serves as a roadmap to the future for the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.” 

The prestigious designation was awarded to a research team from Shandong, China, who analyzed the efficacy of a novel radiotracer they developed to target expression of the PD-L1 protein in suspected head and neck cancers. 

Compared to standard [¹⁸F]FDG PET imaging, the radiotracer—[¹⁸F]AlF-NOTA-PCP2—showed superior uptake in numerous variations of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), offering improved visualization of tumor metabolic activity. Experts involved in the study suggested that the immuno-PET tracer could arm providers with more detailed information regarding the best way to treat patients with HNSCC. 

“FDG PET is effective for assessing tumor metabolic activity but shows limited ability to predict PD-L1 expression, with only 24.09% of PD-L1 variation explained by FDG uptake. This highlights the biological divergence between glycolytic activity and immune regulation, as PD-L1 expression is more influenced by the immune microenvironment,” Yong Wang, with the Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, in China, and colleagues explained. “Combining FDG PET with immuno-PET tracers like [¹⁸F]AlF-NOTA-PCP2 could offer a more comprehensive understanding of tumor biology, enhancing patient stratification and guiding personalized immunotherapy.” 

SNMMI’s annual meeting, which is taking place this week in New Orleans, Louisiana, is set to wrap up Tuesday, June 24. 

Learn more about the team’s findings here.