JNC Editor: SPECT’s ‘New Phase’ Will Expand What Nuclear Cardiologists Can Do Everywhere

“The collection of studies in this issue suggests that rather than fading into the background, SPECT may be entering a new phase – one defined by quantification, molecular phenotyping, and scalability.” 

Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD, MASNC
In his February 2026 JNC Editor’s Page

In the latest issue of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, Editor-in-Chief Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD, MASNC, pushes back against the idea that SPECT will be “replaced” by PET. Such an “outdated assumption” underestimates the exciting innovations unfolding in SPECT as well as its remarkable scale and the “disease pathways it can uniquely interrogate,” he says.

The studies in the new JNC issue illustrate how rapidly SPECT is evolving due to emerging tracers; advances in physiologic measurement, including myocardial blood flow quantification; and molecular phenotyping. Dr. Di Carli asks cardiac imagers to embrace a framework where PET will expand what they can do at the cutting edge and SPECT will expand what they can do everywhere.

Sustaining the momentum will require investment in the next generation of investigators, reviewers, and editors, says Dr. Di Carli. He invites fellows-in-training and cardiac imaging professionals who completed their training in the past 5 years, to apply for a spot on the Journal‘s 2026-2027 Early Career Editorial Board. This is a unique opportunity to gain editorial experience, mentorship, and skills that will support your growth as an author, peer reviewer, and future editor. Applications are due April 1.

Read Editor’s Page