On a Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial, 47% of in-region enrollments came during Leapcure's engagement.

We reach diabetic kidney disease patients through the kidney communities they trust, pre-screen them against strict UACR and eGFR criteria, and deliver enrollment-ready patients to your sites, not referrals that bury your coordinators.

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5,469
Patients referred
through strict UACR and eGFR eligibility
570
Qualified referrals assigned to sites
pre-screened, not raw leads
16%
Of all study enrollments
delivered by Leapcure
30+
Kidney advocacy partnerships
active and named, not list buys

Understanding Diabetic Kidney Disease as a Clinical Trial Indication

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), also called diabetic nephropathy, is kidney damage caused by diabetes and the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure in the US. About 1 in 3 adults with diabetes has chronic kidney disease, and diabetes accounts for a large share of new kidney-failure cases each year (CDC). For a clinical trial, DKD is a high-volume indication wrapped around a strict-eligibility core: protocols screen on urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) thresholds, and most of the large apparent population does not clear them.

That combination is exactly what trips up generic recruitment. Broad volume campaigns flood sites with diabetes patients who never meet the UACR and eGFR criteria, burying coordinators in unqualified referrals while the protocol stalls. The patients who do qualify are reachable, but they cluster in nephrology and primary-care pathways and in the kidney communities they already trust, not in untargeted digital audiences. Reaching the right patients, and confirming they clear eligibility before a site sees them, is the whole job.

Leapcure recruits the strict-eligibility DKD population specifically. On a completed Phase 2 DKD trial with strict UACR and eGFR criteria, we referred 5,469 patients through eligibility, assigned 570 to sites, and delivered 16 percent of all study enrollments. During our active engagement window we drove 47 percent of in-region enrollments, and 61 percent of referral volume and 80 percent of our enrollments came from the US. We did it by blending kidney-community advocacy, precision digital mapped to eligibility and geography, and physician outreach, then pre-screening every referral so sites enroll faster.

The Challenge

DKD looks like a high-volume indication, but enrollment lives or dies on strict eligibility. Generic recruitment floods sites with unqualified leads, the right patients sit inside kidney and nephrology pathways, and slow site response stalls eligible patients before they enroll.

Strict UACR and eGFR eligibility filters out most volume

DKD protocols screen on UACR and eGFR thresholds, and the large apparent diabetes population mostly fails them. Broad volume campaigns surface patients who never clear eligibility, spending nephrology and coordinator time on people the protocol cannot use.

On a completed Phase 2 DKD trial we referred 5,469 patients through strict UACR and eGFR eligibility, pre-screened before any site saw them.

Referral volume is not enrollment-ready patients

A flood of unqualified referrals buries coordinators and inflates screen fails. What sites need is the opposite: a smaller set of patients who already clear eligibility, are informed about the trial, and are prepared to enroll, not raw leads that create work.

Of 5,469 referred, 570 qualified referrals were assigned to sites, pre-screened and prepared, not raw leads.

The right patients sit inside kidney and nephrology pathways

Eligible DKD patients cluster in nephrology and primary-care practices and in the kidney communities they already trust, not in untargeted digital audiences. Reaching them takes trusted advocacy relationships and physician outreach mapped to eligibility and geography, not list buys.

We blend 30+ named kidney advocacy partnerships, precision digital, and nephrology and primary-care physician outreach to reach the right patients.

Slow site response stalls eligible patients

Even qualified, motivated patients drop off when site responsiveness lags. Referral volume alone does not fix this. Enrollment needs active management between referral and visit, with escalation when a site stalls, so eligible patients do not slip away.

When site responsiveness lagged on this trial, we escalated and re-routed rather than letting eligible patients stall.

How Leapcure recruits for your diabetic kidney disease study

We reach DKD patients through the kidney communities they trust and through physician pathways, pre-screen every referral against strict UACR and eGFR criteria, and manage enrollment actively so eligible patients do not stall at the site.

1

Activate kidney communities and physician pathways

We engage 30+ active, named kidney advocacy partnerships alongside precision digital mapped to your eligibility and geography, and physician outreach to nephrology and primary care. This reaches the patients who actually cluster in kidney and diabetes pathways, not untargeted audiences.

2

Pre-screen against strict UACR and eGFR eligibility

Every patient is engaged and pre-screened before referral, against the strict UACR and eGFR criteria DKD protocols require. Sites conduct official screening and receive qualified referrals that are informed, eligible, and prepared, not raw leads. On a completed trial that produced 5,469 referred and 570 qualified referrals assigned to sites.

3

Manage enrollment inside your window

We do not stop at referral volume. We keep patients engaged between referral and visit, and when site responsiveness lags we escalate and re-route rather than let eligible patients stall. On this trial that delivered 16 percent of all study enrollments and 47 percent of in-region enrollments during our active window.

A completed Phase 2 DKD trial: 5,469 referred through strict eligibility, 16% of all study enrollments delivered, and 47% of in-region enrollments during our window.

Challenge Context

Program

A completed Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial with strict UACR and eGFR eligibility

Sponsor

A DKD trial sponsor

Challenge

A high-volume indication where strict UACR and eGFR criteria filter out most apparent patients, and where generic recruitment buries sites in unqualified leads.

Cost note

Independent estimates put per-enrolled-patient cost for a Phase 2 DKD study at roughly 41,000 to 129,086 dollars (PhRMA / TEConomy). We reference Leapcure's efficiency against that range qualitatively; cost varies by protocol, phase, site, and channel mix, and is shown as context, not a rate card.

Results & Metrics

Full funnel through strict eligibility

5,469 patients referred through strict UACR and eGFR eligibility, 570 qualified referrals assigned to sites, 61 screened, and 35 enrolled.

Share of the study delivered

Leapcure delivered 16 percent of all study enrollments, and 47 percent of in-region enrollments during our active engagement window.

US concentration

61 percent of referral volume and 80 percent of Leapcure enrollments came from the US, mapped to eligibility and geography.

How we drove it

Digital campaigns mapped to eligibility, trusted kidney advocacy campaigns, and nephrology and primary-care physician outreach, with escalation and re-routing when site responsiveness lagged.

Four channels. Built for diabetic kidney disease. Active before your trial opens.

Leapcure reaches DKD patients through 30+ trusted kidney communities, pre-screens every referral against strict UACR and eGFR eligibility, manages enrollment actively so eligible patients do not stall, and makes your trial genuinely retrievable to the AI engines patients now use.

Channel 1: Kidney advocacy network

  • •30+ active, named kidney advocacy partnerships, not list purchases, co-developed so research reaches patients through sources they already trust.
  • •Named partners include the National Kidney Foundation, the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health, and Kidney Care Partners.
  • •These communities reach the diabetes-comorbid population that overlaps the path to kidney disease, where eligible DKD patients actually cluster.

Channel 2: Eligibility-mapped digital and physician outreach

  • •Precision digital campaigns mapped to your UACR and eGFR eligibility and to geography, so spend goes to patients who can actually qualify.
  • •Physician outreach to nephrology and primary care, the pathways where DKD patients are already managed.
  • •61 percent of referral volume and 80 percent of Leapcure enrollments on a completed trial came from the US, targeted to where the protocol needed them.

Channel 3: Pre-screening and active enrollment management

  • •Every referral is pre-screened against strict UACR and eGFR criteria before a site sees it, so coordinators are not buried in unqualified leads.
  • •We keep patients engaged between referral and visit, and when site responsiveness lags we escalate and re-route rather than let eligible patients stall.
  • •On a completed trial this delivered 16 percent of all study enrollments and 47 percent of in-region enrollments during our window.

Channel 4: Answer-engine and AI-search visibility

  • •Kidney and diabetes patients increasingly ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview which trials they may qualify for. We make your trial's information genuinely retrievable for those engines.
  • •We do this with crawlable, factually rich content, cited sources, and presence in the kidney advocacy and ClinicalTrials.gov sources AI engines actually cite, not schema tricks or content written for machines.
  • •Because AI engines cite trusted third-party sources more often than any single brand domain, our 30+ kidney advocacy partnerships are the structural advantage we bring to your trial.

Built on the kidney communities diabetic kidney patients trust

Leapcure's kidney advocacy partnerships are active, named, and co-developed, not list purchases. 30+ participating groups span national kidney organizations and the diabetes-comorbid networks where eligible DKD patients cluster.

National Kidney Foundation

Leading US kidney-health organization with broad reach across the kidney-disease community

American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)

National patient organization representing kidney patients across the stages of disease

Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health

Patient-centered alliance advancing kidney health and trial awareness internationally

Kidney Care Partners

Coalition of kidney-care organizations extending reach across the kidney-care community

Living with diabetes and kidney disease? A trial may be an option to explore.

If you have diabetes and kidney disease, a clinical trial may offer access to investigational treatments alongside your regular kidney and diabetes care, never instead of it. We will never pressure you. Leapcure's team answers your questions honestly, explains what a trial involves, and supports you at your pace, whatever you decide.

Learn about kidney trials for you
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Leapcure recruits the strict-eligibility diabetic kidney disease population your protocol actually requires. On a completed Phase 2 DKD trial we referred 5,469 patients through strict UACR and eGFR eligibility, assigned 570 qualified referrals to sites, delivered 16 percent of all study enrollments, and drove 47 percent of in-region enrollments during our active window. For your DKD study, we reach patients through trusted kidney communities, pre-screen every referral, and manage enrollment so eligible patients do not stall. We can mobilize quickly.

Talk to our kidney trials team