PPD, the U.S.-based CRO, has launched an iPad/iPhone application as a way to promote clinical trial awareness and aid in recruitment, according to PharmaTimes.

The Clinical Trials Mobile application can be downloaded for free from the Apple iTunes store.  The aim is to help prospective participants find clinical trials across several therapeutic areas.

Advanced keyword searches allow users to scan the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s ClinicalTrials.gov database, which includes more than 100,000 clinical trials worldwide. Users can customize searches by location, gender, age and other criteria.

PPD’s application provides specific details about trials such as eligibility criteria, trial locations and contact information. Searches may be saved for future reference and detailed trial information forwarded by e-mail.

Investigators and potential U.S.-based trial participants can also register with PPD’s ClinicalTrials.com database, which will alert them when new studies that meet their personal criteria become available.

“Mobile devices have become important tools for potential patients and investigators in their search for clinical trials targeted toward a specific disease,” commented Mike Wilkinson, executive vice president and chief information officer at PPD.