One of the hottest trends in clinical trial development these days is the use of social media to recruit suitable subjects, and that hasn't gone unnoticed in HIV vaccine research circles.
The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, which is headquartered at the renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, has turned to ads on Facebook to find 1,350 HIV-negative gay men for a new study. They're taking a distinctly more provocative approach on online gay ‘hook-up sites.' And some recruiters are scouring the personal ads online to find subjects.
In some cases, champions of the vaccine trials are starting their own Facebook groups. Edward Todd, for example, helped engage the attention of 1,200 gay men online, and at least six are already enrolled.
- here's the press release for more info