New study in Abu Dhabi explores if smart ring’s biometric data can predict premature birth risks

As the UAE continues to invest in preventive healthcare and the use of technology to improve patient outcomes, wearable devices are increasingly moving beyond fitness tracking into clinical research. In Abu Dhabi, health authorities are exploring how continuous biometric data can help doctors identify health risks earlier, particularly in areas where timely intervention can make a significant difference.

Against this backdrop, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health (DoH) and ŌURA, a health intelligence platform and maker of the world’s smallest smart ring, today announced Project CRADLE (Capturing Risk And Detecting Labor signals in Elevated-risk pregnancies), a 24-month pilot study to research how biometric data from wearable technology can reveal early warning signs of spontaneous premature birth.

The initiative, known as Project CRADLE, will combine continuous biometric readings from ŌURA’s smart rings with clinical and genomic data to analyze whether changes in a pregnant woman’s physiological patterns can help predict premature labor.

The pilot will follow women from early pregnancy through delivery, using ŌURA rings to monitor and track heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity. Researchers will combine these readings with clinical outcomes to build a dataset tracking physiological changes throughout pregnancy.

The data will be used to investigate whether changes in a woman’s physiological patterns can provide reliable early warning signs of premature labor. Researchers will also assess whether these signals can be detected early enough for doctors to intervene, including early preventative treatments that support a baby’s lung and brain development or arranging a transfer to specialist neonatal care.

Announced at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, the pilot will focus on women with high-risk pregnancies and involve two healthcare institutions in the emirate, Corniche Hospital and Mediclinic Airport Road.

Premature birth, defined as delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy, affects approximately one in 10 births worldwide and remains one of the most difficult pregnancy complications to predict.

Currently, doctors have relied on medical history, symptoms, and clinical assessments to identify women at risk. However, research suggests that physiological indicators, including heart rate and heart rate variability, may change in the weeks leading up to delivery.

“In Abu Dhabi, we are building an intelligent health system of the future,” said Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.

“Continuous sensing enables a shift from reactive care to healthcare that anticipates risk, detects warning signs sooner, and enables faster, more precise and personalized intervention,” he added.

The 24-month pilot marks the first research initiative under a broader partnership between the Department of Health and ŌURA, announced in May 2026, to explore how wearable technology could support preventive healthcare.

It is also the first of three planned pilot projects focused on women’s health and cardiometabolic health.

“For more than a decade, ŌURA has pioneered the science of what continuous physiological data can reveal about a person’s health,” said Tom Hale, CEO of ŌURA.

“Project CRADLE shows what could be possible when a forward-thinking health system combines clinical excellence with accurate, continuous monitoring,” Hale added.

The jointly designed research will operate as an IRB-approved study, within DoH’s data governance and Trusted Research Environment framework, and will include participants’ informed consent and standard clinical care throughout. ŌURA’s team of more than 50 in-house M.D.s and Ph.D.s will lead the wearable data science and analysis.

The next phase of the partnership will focus on pilot design, ethics approvals, and local evidence generation, creating a clear pathway toward broader integration within Abu Dhabi’s health system.

The study is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with results scheduled for publication in 2028.

If the findings demonstrate that wearable data can reliably identify premature labor risks, the technology could eventually be integrated into Abu Dhabi’s healthcare system, subject to further clinical evidence and regulatory approval.