The third Nonlinear Parameter Parley and Pub Crawl (NLPPPC 3.0) was held on May 30, 2025, at the Biomedical Research Institute of Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea. Organized by Dr. Su Jin Kim, Prof. Evan Morris and Dr. Gaelle Emvalomenos, the hybrid-format workshop brought together 18 participants from eight universities across four continents. Funding was awarded by the ISCBFM Society as a Satellite Meeting of the Brain/BrainPET Conference that took place a few days later, NLPPPC 3.0 continued the series’ tradition of extending the reach of PET kinetic modeling methodological innovations and fostering collaborations.
The main topic of the workshop was the flagship theme of time-varying kinetic modeling (Normandin et al. (2012), Morris et al. (2024), Fan et al. (2021)) that enables the quantification of transient neurotransmitter fluctuations created by different stimuli that occur during the PET scan, for instance live dopamine release in response to cigarette smoking while in the scanner (Cosgrove et al. (2014), Kim et al. (2014), Zakiniaeiz et al. (2022)). Further, the workshop included, for the first time, another kinetic modelling challenge: voxel-wise spatial drug occupancy analysis using Lassen Plot methods (de Laat et al. (2021, 2022), Ibrahimy et al. (2025)). The event featured several speakers, including some from Yale, the organizing team, Alaaddin Ibrahimy, PhD candidate, and Dr. Maeva Daynault.
The event also featured a visit, hosted by Prof. Jae Sung Lee (Co-Founder and CEO of Brightonix Imaging), of the PET PHAROS scanner, which offers the possibility of imaging subjects in a seated position, an added value for many applications, such as smoking in the scanner. This was complemented by a cultural immersion, including a tour of the historical Changyeonggung Palace and experiences at local Korean restaurants and cafés, providing additional opportunities for networking and informal discussions among participants.
The NLPPPC traces its origins to an impromptu breakfast meeting at London’s train station during the NRM conference in 2018 (UK) and has since evolved into an international community. This collaborative spirit is reflected by a review article published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine in December 2024 (Morris et al. (2024)), which chronicles the history of time-varying models. Authored by Prof. Evan Morris, Dr. Gaelle Emvalomenos, Dr. Jocelyn Hoye, and Prof. Steven Meikle, the paper reflects extensive joint efforts between Yale University and the University of Sydney, institutions that have also co-hosted previous NLPPPC workshops. The Seoul edition of the workshop further reinforced this mission by promoting open discussions and advancing methodological development, with plans underway to share analysis tools through imminent publications and preparing for the NLPPPC 4.0 close to the NRM 2026 conference in Uppsala, Sweden.