PETra's Calculation Engine: Automating PET Radiopharmaceutical Manufacturing
14/05/2026
Integrated calculations for compliant PET production and release testing
In PET radiopharmaceutical manufacturing, calculation errors are costly. Yet many facilities still rely on paper records or spreadsheets for critical tasks like half-life calculations, yield determination, QC checks, and expiry times. These manual methods slow operations, introduce risk, and make compliance harder to maintain.
PETra LIMS replaces this with a calculation engine that automates data capture, calculations, and quality checks in real-time, removing the need for manual entry across production batch records and QC release tests.
Eliminate manual calculations and spreadsheet risk
Traditional workflows require operators to record instrument outputs, re-enter data into spreadsheets, apply formulas, and transfer results into reports. Each step creates an opportunity for error.
PETra removes these risks by pulling data directly from instruments through system integrations or report parsing. For example, cyclotron log files can be imported automatically and combined with dose calibrator readings to calculate length of bombardment and target yield without user input. This removes transcription errors and ensures calculations are consistent every time.
Unit conversions are also handled automatically, reducing one of the most common sources of calculation mistakes in PET workflows.
Purpose-built for PET production and QC
PETra’s calculation engine is designed specifically for PET workflows, supporting both simple and complex calculations within a single system.
Dose calibrator readings can be captured at defined intervals over time and used to calculate half-life automatically, with pass/fail criteria applied instantly. Expiration times are generated directly from the recorded end of synthesis timestamp, removing the need for manual calculation.
The software also supports standard mathematical functions such as averages, standard deviation, concentrations, yields, and elapsed time alongside text fields, checkboxes, and custom inputs.
Real-time Quality Control and OOS detection
Quality checks are built into every calculation. Results are automatically compared against defined limits, and any failure generates an Out of Specification (OOS) result immediately.
This means issues are identified as they happen, not during batch review. Teams can act faster, reducing the risk of releasing non-compliant products and avoiding delays in batch release.
Intelligent, dynamic workflows
PETra goes beyond calculations by using them to drive workflow behaviour. Batch records can adapt dynamically based on user selections, with steps appearing or hiding depending on the process being performed. This allows a single batch record to support multiple synthesis modules, reducing the need to maintain duplicate documents.
Material requirements can also be calculated automatically based on defined criteria, ensuring the correct quantities are used without manual planning.
Integrated data across operations
All calculations in PETra are part of an integrated data environment. When equipment is scanned into a batch, calibration status, due dates, and other key data are applied automatically. The system can also trigger warnings if equipment is approaching its calibration limit.
Inventory integration ensures that when materials are scanned, all relevant data is pulled in, including QC results, concentrations, and production parameters. This eliminates repeated data entry and ensures consistency across records.
Seamless reporting and label generation
PETra removes the need to re-enter data into reports and labels. Any value within a batch record can be used directly in reporting outputs.
Labels can also be dynamically generated, showing only relevant information such as storage conditions, product status, or release signatures. This reduces the need to manage multiple label versions while ensuring accuracy.
Improve compliance, speed, and scalability
By automating calculations and integrating data across systems, PETra LIMS improves data integrity, reduces human error, and accelerates batch release. Every calculation is traceable, every result is consistent, and every workflow is controlled.
As production scales, this standardised approach reduces reliance on spreadsheets and manual processes, making operations more efficient and easier to manage.
Transform PET manufacturing
If you are still relying on manual calculations, you are carrying unnecessary risk. PETra LIMS offers a faster, safer, and more scalable alternative, turning complex calculation processes into a seamless, automated workflow.
Request a guided demonstration
You can learn more about PETra’s calculations and other modules by clicking the button below to speak to a product specialist directly to request a guided demonstration.