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Case Study: LRRK-2 Parkinson's Disease

We became the highest-converting recruitment channel for a rare LRRK2 Parkinson’s Disease trial, matching a digital-advertising program’s enrollment at one-tenth the cost by turning genetic testing into a trusted community conversation.

10.5X more efficient than digital advertising

45% referral-to-appointment rate vs. 2.2% industry benchmark

3.2X more likely to randomize than digital-sourced patients

#1 highest-converting recruitment channel on the trial

What changed

Ambassadors led conversations with relevant resources before introducing the study, then stayed with patients through at-home genetic kit ordering and site scheduling.
Patients felt welcomed into a Parkinson’s community, connected with peers who understand their experience, and that belonging motivated many to share the campaign with their own networks.
Outreach prioritized underserved geographies and patients already interested in genetics, reaching communities across 40 states that broad advertising never touched.

Before vs. WeHealth

Digital advertising

Investment: $776,635
LRRK Positive: 83
Randomized: 3

WeHealth

Investment: $74,000
LRRK Positive: 20
Randomized: 3

A precision recruitment funnel

Every inquiry was qualified, genetically confirmed, and supported all the way to the clinic.

372 Patient inquiries
143 Research study candidates
38% of inquiries
20 LRRK2+ referrals to site
14% of candidates, genetically confirmed
9 Appointments scheduled
45% referral-to-appointment rate
6 Consented / in active screening
74% of appointments
3 Randomized
6 more consented and in screening

WeHealth vs. digital advertising

Same randomized output. 10.5X less spend.

WeHealth Digital ads

Total spend $74,000 $776,635

Inquiries generated 372 14,754

Referrals to site 20 83

Appointments 9 27

Patients consented 6 16

Patients randomized 3 3

Cost per randomized $24,667 $258,878

Digital advertising data sourced from the sponsor’s analytics across Google, Facebook, Reddit, and TikTok combined.

The work behind the numbers

Trust is built one conversation at a time.

2,501 call attempts

428 live patient conversations

135 hrs of coordinator call time

97.2% prescreener qualification rate

40 US states with active reach

~5,000 messages sent

Problem

We partnered with a biotech company to recruit a rare genetic subset of Parkinson’s Disease patients for a Phase 2 clinical trial. Only about 3% of Parkinson’s Disease patients carry the targeted LRRK2 genetic marker, which made broad advertising inefficient and difficult to trust.

The sponsor needed qualified referrals from patients who were open to genetic testing and located in areas underserved by existing recruitment methods. Digital advertising could generate inquiries, but very few of them carried the genetic confirmation the study required.

Our approach

We engaged the Parkinson’s community by focusing on patients interested in genetics while prioritizing geographic areas underserved by existing recruitment methods, reaching active patients across 40 US states.

Patient coordinators led the conversations. Their initial goal was to relate to incoming patients, understand their needs, and connect them with resources that matched their journey. After establishing a connection and determining baseline eligibility, they shared information about the study and the genetic testing opportunity, then supported each patient through at-home genetic kits and site scheduling.

Those conversations built trust around genetic testing as a meaningful part of treatment planning. As patients learned that understanding their underlying Parkinson’s Disease could point toward better options, genetics became a much more prominent community topic.

Results

WeHealth generated 372 patient inquiries, qualified 143 research study candidates, and delivered 20 genetically-confirmed LRRK2+ referrals to the site — at a cost of just $3,700 per confirmed referral. Those referrals converted to appointments at a 45% rate, roughly 20X the 2.2% industry benchmark.

Head to head, WeHealth produced the same number of randomized patients as the sponsor’s digital-advertising program while spending 10.5X less — $74K versus $776K. Cost per randomized patient came in at $24,667 for WeHealth against $258,878 for digital advertising. WeHealth became the study’s highest-converting channel, contributing 6.5% of all randomizations from just 3.1% of screened patients.

That advantage held across the funnel: WeHealth patients converted from screening to randomization at 60%, versus 36.5% study-wide and 18.8% for digital ads — making a WeHealth patient 3.2X more likely to randomize than a digital-sourced one.

The depth behind those numbers came from real conversations: 2,501 call attempts, 428 live patient calls, and 135 hours of coordinator call time, averaging 29 minutes per kit-ordering patient. The campaign reached a 97.2% prescreener qualification rate.

What patients said about the campaign:

"I never imagined myself joining a research study but you made everything simple and reassuring from the start. Being part of this Parkinson’s community has given me a lot of support. I’m grateful you connected me with others who truly understand what living with Parkinson’s feels like."
"Knowing there’s research focused on people like me gives me hope and purpose. I’ve seen so many ads online about clinical trials but finding this study by way of patients sharing your campaign and resources gave me the confidence to move forward when I matched with this opportunity."
"Being a part of something like this gives hope and at the least can provide more answers. Thank you so much for all that you’re doing to support patients and provide us with resources like this."
"I’ve shared your campaign with my network in hopes of connecting others with this incredibly valuable resource. Everyone with Parkinson’s deserves the type of support you’re providing."

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