Successfully engaged eligible Lupus patients across 5 countries, outperforming competing vendors through deep advocacy partnerships and community-led recruitment.

Lupus trial enrollment built on trusted relationships, not generic digital. Advocacy-warmed patients arrive informed and ready.

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22x
Outperformed the competing recruitment vendor
With a larger budget
40+
Lupus advocacy partnerships in our network
National, regional, and community organizations
5
Countries enrolled
US, Germany, Italy, Poland, France
50%+
Of enrollment driven by advocacy communities
The advocacy network was the primary enrollment engine

Understanding Lupus as a Clinical Trial Indication

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Lupus Nephritis trials structurally fail to enroll. Eligibility criteria are complex, populations are hard to reach, and the populations Lupus disproportionately affects (Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Indigenous communities) have historically been under-represented in research. That under-representation has, in turn, threatened the label breadth of approved Lupus therapies.

Generic third-party recruitment campaigns do not solve this. Site investigators across the Lupus research network have identified community partnership as the leading fix: not more digital spend, not more cold outreach. Patients arrive at Lupus trials through people and organizations they already trust, or they do not arrive at all.

Leapcure recruits Lupus patients through the communities those patients actually trust. We activate advocacy partnerships, run precision digital aligned to site capacity, and support patients through pre-screening across regions. In a completed Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis program, Leapcure's advocacy-led channel mix delivered 44 patient referrals across 5 countries, outperforming a competing recruitment vendor with a larger budget 22 to 1.

The Challenge

Lupus trial recruitment demands more than reach: it demands the right relationships.

Hard-to-reach diverse populations require trusted messengers, not more ads

Lupus disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Indigenous communities: the same populations historically under-represented in clinical trials. That gap has direct consequences. Approved Lupus therapies have faced label restrictions because trials failed to enroll representative patients. Generic digital campaigns and list-purchase outreach do not close this gap. Advocacy partnerships embedded in the communities patients trust do.

In our last Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis program, Leapcure's advocacy-led approach delivered 44 patient referrals across the US, Germany, Italy, Poland, and France, reaching populations a competing vendor with a larger budget could not.

Complex Lupus protocols create screening failure before enrollment begins

Lupus and Lupus Nephritis eligibility is shaped by disease activity scoring, biopsy timing (for LN), kidney function thresholds, treatment history, and current immunosuppression. These criteria are specific enough that most patients who express interest will fail screening, unless recruitment surfaces candidates who are matched to the protocol before site referral. Passing unqualified patients to sites wastes coordinator time and inflates screen-fail rates that slow the entire study.

Leapcure assesses protocol eligibility criteria before any patient is referred to a site. Sites receive candidates who have been pre-assessed and educated on what participation involves.

Multi-country Lupus trials stall when site engagement is inconsistent

Most recruitment vendors cannot maintain site engagement consistency across geographies. Lupus and LN trials are typically multi-national, with site capacity, advocacy access, and patient referral patterns varying substantially between regions. When one country falls behind, the program slows. When several do, the program is at risk.

In our last Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis program, Leapcure maintained active enrollment across the US, Germany, Italy, Poland, and France simultaneously. Channel mix, advocacy activation, and patient support were re-balanced weekly per region.

Advocacy is the right strategy for Lupus. But execution requires real relationships.

Sponsors running Lupus studies already know that advocacy-led outreach outperforms generic digital campaigns. The challenge is finding a recruitment partner with established, trusted relationships in the Lupus community: not vendors who purchase list access or run one-off email blasts to advocacy org members. Site investigators across the Lupus research network identify community partnership as the leading fix for enrollment.

Leapcure's Lupus advocacy network spans 40+ partnerships, including Lupus Research Alliance, NORD, LupusChick, Lupus Corner / Karate Health, and the Autoimmune Association, plus community networks competitors do not have on their radar.

Three Channels. One Advocacy-Led Strategy for Your Lupus Trial.

Every Lupus study is different. Leapcure deploys the right mix of advocacy, precision digital, and patient support, mapped to your protocol, your sites, your geographies, and your timeline.

1

Activate the right advocacy and digital channels for your Lupus protocol

Leapcure activates three recruitment channels: Lupus advocacy community outreach (40+ partnerships across national, regional, and community organizations), precision digital campaigns (Reddit, Lupus-community Facebook groups, search, and platform-native advocacy content, mapped to geography and site proximity), and a patient support model that keeps referred patients engaged through enrollment. Channel mix is adapted to the protocol, site locations, and patient eligibility criteria of each program.

2

Support patients through pre-screening across regions

Every patient is engaged by Leapcure's team before being assigned to a site. We assess protocol eligibility, account for complex Lupus and Lupus Nephritis criteria (including biopsy timing and disease activity scoring where applicable), and confirm patients understand what participation involves. Caregivers and family members are included where relevant. Sites conduct official screening. Leapcure ensures the patients who arrive are informed and prepared, not referrals that create coordinator work.

3

Optimize in real time based on site engagement

Channel performance and site contact rates are tracked continuously across regions. Advocacy, digital, and patient support contributions are rebalanced based on referral quality, site intake capacity, and protocol progress. In the completed Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis program, this approach delivered 44 patient referrals while a competing vendor with a larger budget delivered just 2.

Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis Recruitment, Completed as Rescue. 44 Patient Referrals Across 5 Countries.

Challenge Context

Indication

Lupus Nephritis, Phase 2

Sites

Active sites across the US, Germany, Italy, Poland, and France

Challenge

Rescue study where a competing recruitment vendor with a larger budget had delivered just 2 patient referrals. Hard-to-reach Lupus Nephritis population with complex eligibility criteria (biopsy timing, disease activity, kidney function). Multi-country site coordination across US and EU. Advocacy access required to reach historically under-represented populations.

Channels Deployed

20 PAG (Patient Advocacy Group) campaigns activated globally; advocacy partnerships with Lupus Research Alliance, NORD, LupusChick, Lupus Corner / Karate Health, and the Autoimmune Association; precision digital mapped to site capacity per region; patient support model coordinated across 5 countries.

Results & Metrics

Patients Referred

44 patient referrals delivered by Leapcure across 5 countries (US, Germany, Italy, Poland, France).

Screened

8+ patients screened, ICF signed, and/or enrolled in a Lupus Nephritis population where typical third-party recruitment campaigns have been shown not to reach.

Outcome

Outperformed the competing recruitment vendor 22 to 1 (44 vs. 2 referrals) despite Leapcure entering with a smaller budget as a rescue.

Patient Quality

Advocacy-warmed referrals arrived informed and ready for official site screening, reducing coordinator burden and screen-fail rates relative to generic digital recruitment. LupusChick and Lupus Corner / Karate Health alone drove over 50% of enrollment activity. The advocacy network was the primary enrollment engine.

Sponsor Attribution

Leading Immunology Sponsor, Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis

Four Channels. Built for Lupus. Active Before Your Trial Opens.

Leapcure reaches Lupus patients through advocacy community outreach, precision digital campaigns, a patient support model, and a fourth channel competing vendors do not currently offer: AEO and AI-search visibility delivered to your trial.

Channel 1: Lupus Advocacy Network

  • •40+ active Lupus advocacy partnerships including Lupus Research Alliance, Lupus Support Group, NORD, LupusChick, Lupus Corner / Karate Health, and the Autoimmune Association, plus community networks sponsors haven't thought to ask for and competitors don't have on their radar.
  • •Content co-developed with advocacy partners to position research as a trusted option, not an unsolicited pitch. Patients hear about Lupus trials from sources they already trust.
  • •Outreach designed to reach broader, historically underrepresented Lupus patient populations: the same gap that has historically threatened the label breadth of approved Lupus therapies.

Channel 2: Precision Digital Campaigns

  • •Reddit, Lupus-community Facebook groups, Google, and platform-native advocacy content optimized for Lupus-specific patient populations and targeted by geography, disease type (SLE / LN), and site proximity.
  • •Digital channels are mapped to site capacity in real time across regions. Referrals are modulated so sites are not overwhelmed and patient quality is maintained.
  • •Digital is the supporting channel for Lupus, not the primary one. Advocacy drives the majority of qualified referrals. Digital fills the gaps.

Channel 3: Patient Support Model

  • •Every referred patient receives step-by-step guidance from first contact through enrollment, accounting for the burden of biopsy-heavy LN protocols, multi-region site logistics, and complex eligibility.
  • •Caregivers and family members are included in the process where relevant. Lupus participation decisions often involve a support network, not just the patient.
  • •Patient support is why we deliver enrollment-ready patients to sites, not referrals that create site coordinator work. It is the mechanism behind the 22-to-1 outperformance in the Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis program.

Channel 4: AEO and AI-Search Visibility for Your Trial

  • •Patients increasingly discover clinical trials by asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview 'what Lupus trials am I eligible for?' Most recruitment vendors do not structure for this. Leapcure does.
  • •We structure your trial's digital presence: content, schema, citations, community placements, so it appears in AI-generated answers about Lupus trials.
  • •This is a capability competing recruitment vendors do not currently offer. As AI search continues to grow as a patient discovery path, this channel compounds over the life of your study.

Built on Trusted Relationships in the Lupus Community

Leapcure's Lupus advocacy partnerships are active, named, and co-developed, not list purchases.

Lupus Research Alliance

Leading research funder in Lupus; national credibility anchor

Lupus Support Group

International patient support community; global reach across the Lupus diaspora

NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders)

Rare disease umbrella org; critical for Lupus Nephritis and severe-Lupus populations

LupusChick

Patient-founded Lupus community platform; drove a significant share of enrollment activity on our last Phase 2

Lupus Corner / Karate Health

Lupus-focused patient platform and health-data community; paired with LupusChick to drive 50%+ of enrollment activity on our last Phase 2

Autoimmune Association

Cross-autoimmune patient advocacy; broader patient discovery beyond Lupus-specific channels

Living with Lupus? A clinical trial may be an option.

If you're living with Lupus or Lupus Nephritis, a clinical trial may give you access to investigational treatments not yet widely available. We know that navigating research options can feel overwhelming, especially when you're managing flares, appointments, and the daily reality of an autoimmune condition. Leapcure's team provides step-by-step support, and we include your family or caregivers in the process wherever that's helpful.

See if a Lupus trial may be right for you
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Leapcure's Lupus recruitment team has completed a Phase 2 Lupus Nephritis program, delivering 44 patient referrals across 5 countries and outperforming a competing recruitment vendor with a larger budget 22 to 1. We deploy advocacy, precision digital, patient support, and AEO / AI-search channels adapted to your protocol. We can mobilize within 48 hours of program launch.

Talk to our Lupus team