Steve Archibald: Why Hull chose to be the first Tracer-QC customer in the UK
07/09/2023
Hull’s Molecular Imaging Research Centre will be using the automated PET QC solution to develop novel radiotracers for superior diagnostics and improved patient outcomes
Tracer-QC is an automated solution for the Quality Control of PET radiopharmaceuticals that is being installed at the Hull Molecular Imaging Research Centre in the UK. MIRC is a pioneering Centre of Excellence developed in partnership between the University of Hull and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. MIRC houses a dose-on-demand cyclotron and as a combined research and clinical facility, it will deliver superior diagnostics and improved outcomes.
In our latest video, we spoke to MIRC Director and Professor of Imaging Steve Archibald about how Tracer-QC will allow the centre to automate the QC process to produce a greater range of novel radiotracers for cancers, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
“It’s going to streamline our QC process … “
As Steve says in the video, “It’s going to streamline our QC process; it’s going to allow us to not only have a smaller footprint and free up some of our instrumentation to produce a wider range of radiotracers, [but] also going to free up staff time. So skilled staff will be able to develop the more complex processes and we’ll be able to deal with our routine QC using the Tracer-QC.”
This release of staff and equipment through automation is why MIRC has chosen to be the UK’s first user of the system.
“ … important for the future of radiopharmaceutical production … “
Tracer-QC delivers objective, quantitative analysis of radiotracers that is completely automated from sample handling to generating reports. As the number of PET radiotracers has increased to meet growing demand for diagnostics, manual QC methodologies are proving to be a bottleneck in the supply of short-lived medical isotopes.
Recognising the importance of automating manual methodologies, Steve said, “Something that is really important for the future of radiopharmaceutical production is we need to find efficiencies in all of these processes and bringing in automation is really important as well, because that takes out a dependency on skilled staff that may not be deliverable on all sites.”
Tracer-QC removes the variability and dependency on skilled staff that not all sites may have available, helping to deliver consistent QC standards. By providing an alternative all-in-one solution, it saves time and costs by not having to repeat calibration tests and preventative maintenance for several instruments coupled with site-specific SOPs for different tracers.
Release testing different radiotracers quickly
Tracer-QC uses consumable kits for the release criteria of radiopharmaceuticals. Universal kits allow users to run non-tracer-specific tests on any sample, while tracer-specific kits allow users to switch between different ones quickly. This is important for sites like MIRC that are producing a range of existing tracers, as well as developing new ones.
By freeing skilled staff and equipment, Tracer-QC streamlines the entire QC process at PET sites, allowing production to be increased while simultaneously reducing radiation exposure and quality risks.
Find out more
You can learn more about Tracer-QC and its first UK installation by watching our latest video or click the button below to speak directly with a product specialist.