IgA Nephropathy recruitment, built on real glomerular and kidney trial experience.

We have not run an IgAN trial yet. We have recruited the same proteinuria-and-eGFR glomerular population, on a Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial and a Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue, then pre-screen every referral so your sites enroll the at-risk patients faster.

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5,469
Patients referred through strict eGFR and UACR eligibility
on our Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial
22x
Out-referred a larger-budget vendor (44 referrals vs 2)
on a Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue
96%
Below industry cost per enrolled patient
on a Phase III kidney-disease rescue
30+
Active, named kidney advocacy partnerships
trusted communities, not list buys

Understanding IgA Nephropathy as a Clinical Trial Indication

IgA nephropathy is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. It is driven by immune-complex deposition of galactose-deficient IgA1 in the glomeruli, which sets off inflammation that shows up as hematuria, proteinuria, and a gradual loss of kidney function. Many patients are at real risk of progressing to kidney failure over time, which is why eligibility in IgAN protocols screens carefully: biopsy confirmation, proteinuria measured by UPCR or UACR, eGFR thresholds, and a documented judgment that the patient is at risk of progression. Those filters protect the science, but they also make qualified patients harder to find and easier to lose at screening.

The competitive picture makes that harder still. As of June 2026, public ClinicalTrials.gov data shows 46 Phase 2 and Phase 3 interventional IgAN trials recruiting or about to open, including programs from major sponsors such as Biogen (felzartamab), Roche (sefaxersen), Takeda (mezagitamab), plus Novartis, Alexion, Vera, Otsuka, and Biohaven. A wave of newly approved options has also arrived, including Tarpeyo, Filspari, Fabhalta, Vanrafia, and sibeprenlimab. The practical effect for any sponsor is a crowded field: multiple programs are now competing for the same biopsy-confirmed, proteinuria-defined patients, in many of the same regions and at many of the same sites.

Leapcure has not run an IgAN trial. What we have done is recruit the same proteinuria-and-eGFR glomerular population the IgAN protocols are built around, including the closest disease analog we know of: lupus nephritis, a biopsy-confirmed autoimmune proteinuric glomerulonephritis. We have also run the same strict eGFR and UACR screening discipline on a Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial. And we pre-screen every referral against the protocol before it reaches a site, so your coordinators spend their time on patients who can actually enroll.

The Challenge

IgAN enrollment is hard for reasons that stack on top of each other: a crowded field chasing the same patients, strict multi-criteria eligibility that drives screen-fails, a population reached only through trusted communities, and pressure on both speed and cost.

A crowded field competing for the same patients

Public ClinicalTrials.gov data shows 46 Phase 2 and Phase 3 IgAN trials recruiting or about to open. Many target the same biopsy-confirmed, proteinuria-defined patients in the same regions, so referrals go to whoever reaches and qualifies them first.

Adjacent proof, Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue: we entered as a rescue against a larger-budget vendor and out-referred them 44 to 2, a 22x margin, in a closely competed program.

Strict proteinuria, eGFR, and biopsy eligibility causes screen-fails

IgAN protocols screen on biopsy confirmation, proteinuria (UPCR or UACR), eGFR thresholds, and at-risk-of-progression judgment. A large share of interested patients fail screening before a site ever sees them, which wastes coordinator time and slows enrollment.

Adjacent proof, Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial: we narrowed 5,469 referrals down to 570 site-ready candidates using the same eGFR and UACR discipline, so sites worked qualified patients, not noise.

These patients are reached through trusted communities, not cold lists

Kidney and glomerular patients respond to organizations and people they already trust. Cold list buys and generic advertising rarely surface enough qualified, motivated candidates in a population this specific.

30+ active, named kidney advocacy partnerships. On the Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue, advocacy communities drove more than 50% of enrollment activity.

Sponsors need both enrollment speed and cost control

With multiple programs competing, a slow or expensive recruitment ramp can decide whether a study hits its timeline. Sponsors need referrals that convert and a cost per enrolled patient that holds up under scrutiny.

Adjacent proof, Phase III kidney-disease rescue: cost per randomized patient was $1,900 against a $46,060 industry benchmark, a 96% reduction and roughly $600,000 saved.

How We Run IgAN Recruitment

Every IgAN study has its own protocol, sites, and geographies. Leapcure builds the recruitment plan around your proteinuria and eGFR eligibility, then pre-screens and optimizes so your sites receive patients who can enroll.

1

Activate the right channels, mapped to eligibility

We activate trusted kidney advocacy communities, precision digital, and physician outreach, all mapped to your proteinuria and eGFR eligibility and your site geographies. The goal is to reach at-risk, biopsy-eligible patients where they already are, not to buy a generic list.

2

Pre-screen every referral against the protocol

Before any referral reaches a site, we pre-screen against proteinuria (UPCR or UACR), eGFR, biopsy confirmation, and at-risk-of-progression criteria. This runs on real human conversations plus in-house clinical-eligibility review, so the patients your coordinators see arrive informed and qualified.

3

Optimize weekly on quality and site contact rates

We track site contact rates and referral quality continuously and rebalance channels weekly. Spend follows what is producing qualified, enrollable patients, so the program improves week over week instead of running on a fixed plan.

Proven on the closest version of this problem: a Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue, plus the same eGFR-and-proteinuria discipline on diabetic kidney disease

Challenge Context

Why this case study

We have not run an IgAN program yet. The closest analog we have recruited is lupus nephritis, a biopsy-confirmed autoimmune proteinuric glomerulonephritis that shares IgAN's mechanism and protocol shape. Diabetic kidney disease shares the exact eGFR and UACR screening discipline. Together they show how we reach and qualify the proteinuria-and-eGFR glomerular population IgAN protocols require. None of the figures below is an IgAN result.

Indications and phases

Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue (closest disease analog), Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease (eGFR and UACR screening discipline), and a Phase III kidney-disease rescue (speed and cost).

Sites

Lupus nephritis rescue ran across the US, Germany, Italy, Poland, and France.

Results & Metrics

Lupus nephritis rescue (Phase 2), the closest analog

44 patient referrals across 5 countries against a larger-budget competitor's 2, a 22x margin. Advocacy communities drove more than 50% of enrollment activity, and we ran 20 patient-advocacy-group campaigns globally. Why it transfers: lupus nephritis is the closest mechanism and protocol analog to IgAN we have recruited, a biopsy-confirmed autoimmune proteinuric glomerulonephritis.

Diabetic kidney disease (Phase 2), strict eGFR and UACR screening

5,469 patients referred, 570 qualified referrals assigned to sites, 61 screened, and 35 enrolled, accounting for 16% of all study enrollments and 47% of in-region enrollments during our active window. Why it transfers: IgAN screens on the same UPCR proteinuria, eGFR, and at-risk-of-progression criteria.

Phase III kidney-disease rescue (US), speed and cost

Reached 3,250 kidney patients and delivered 302 referrals at a 16-to-1 referred-to-randomized ratio on a 5-month rescue. Cost per randomized patient was $1,900 against a $46,060 industry benchmark, a 96% reduction and roughly $600,000 saved.

Scale (Leapcure-wide, not IgAN-specific)

More than 20,000 patient conversations globally in a single recent month, across all indications.

Four Capabilities, Built for Kidney and Glomerular Recruitment

Leapcure reaches IgA nephropathy patients through trusted kidney communities, precision digital mapped to site capacity, pre-screening against the protocol, and honest answer-engine visibility for your trial.

Kidney-Community Advocacy

  • •We reach kidney and glomerular patients through 30+ active, named kidney advocacy partnerships, the communities and people patients already trust.
  • •This is trusted-community access, not list buys or one-off email blasts. Outreach is co-developed with partners so research arrives as a credible option.

Precision Digital

  • •High-intent kidney and glomerular search and social campaigns, targeted by geography and proximity to your sites.
  • •Digital is mapped to site capacity in real time, so sites are not overwhelmed and referral quality holds.

Pre-Screening and Patient Success

  • •Every referral is pre-screened against proteinuria, eGFR, biopsy confirmation, and at-risk-of-progression criteria, through real human conversations plus in-house clinical-eligibility review.
  • •Patients arrive documentation-ready before referral, which reduces coordinator burden and screen-fail rates at your sites.

AEO / AI-Search Visibility for Your Trial

  • •Patients increasingly ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview what IgAN trials they may qualify for.
  • •We make a trial's information genuinely retrievable through three honest levers: crawlable, server-rendered content, first-party data with sourced statistics, a named reviewer, and a last-updated date, and presence in trusted third-party sources such as kidney advocacy organizations and ClinicalTrials.gov. We do not promise visibility through schema or markup tricks.

Built on the kidney communities patients trust

Leapcure reaches kidney and glomerular patients through 30+ active, named kidney advocacy partnerships. These relationships are active and co-developed, not list buys. We work across the full kidney ecosystem, and specific IgAN-organization partnerships are confirmed per program.

National kidney organizations

Broad national reach across kidney disease education and patient support.

Rare and glomerular disease communities

Focused communities for rare and glomerular kidney conditions, where IgAN and related patients gather.

Regional kidney patient groups

Local and regional groups useful for site-level community reach near your sites.

Kidney KOLs and community leaders

Clinical and community voices who lend trust to research outreach.

Living with IgA nephropathy? A clinical trial may be an option.

If you are living with IgA nephropathy, a clinical trial may be one option to consider alongside your existing care, never instead of it. We know that managing proteinuria, biopsy results, eGFR numbers, and the day-to-day of a kidney condition can feel like a lot. Leapcure's team supports you step by step, answers your questions honestly, and includes your family or caregivers wherever that helps.

See if a trial may be right for you
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Leapcure has not run an IgAN trial, but we have recruited the same proteinuria-and-eGFR glomerular population: a Phase 2 lupus nephritis rescue where we out-referred a larger-budget vendor 44 to 2, and a Phase 2 diabetic kidney disease trial where we ran the exact eGFR and UACR screening discipline IgAN requires. We pre-screen every referral against the protocol before it reaches your sites. Let's talk about your IgAN study.

Talk to our kidney trials team