Abstract
The benefit of small animal imaging is directly linked to the validity and reliability of the collected data. If the data (regardless of the modality used) are not reproducible and/or reliable, then the outcome of the data is rather questionable. Therefore, standardization of the use of small animal imaging equipment, as well as of animal handling in general, is of paramount importance. In a recent paper, guidance for efficient small animal imaging quality control was offered and discussed, among others, the use of phantoms in setting up a quality control program (Osborne et al. 2016). The same phantoms can be used to standardize image quality parameters for multi-center studies or multi-scanners within center studies. In animal experiments, the additional complexity due to animal handling needs to be addressed to ensure standardized imaging procedures. In this review, we will address the current status of standardization in preclinical imaging, as well as potential benefits from increased levels of standardization.


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Acknowledgments
We gratefully thank the ESMI for their support and the possibility of establishing a study group for standardization in small animal imaging as a platform for scientific exchange within the society.
This study was supported by FWO and Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek (SAO-FRA, Grant Nr 14027). Firat Kara is holder of an “FWO Postdoc” grant from the Fund for Scientific Research - Flanders (FWO, Vlaanderen, Belgium). F. Gremse was supported by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BioPhotonics/13N13355) with co-funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Program.
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Mannheim, J.G., Kara, F., Doorduin, J. et al. Standardization of Small Animal Imaging—Current Status and Future Prospects. Mol Imaging Biol 20, 716–731 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-017-1126-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-017-1126-2