Oura's latest clinical trial uses smart rings to track GLP-1 outcomes
Teaming up with UCSD Health, the study will track biometrics during obesity treatments
Smart ring maker Oura is launching its first clinical trial in partnership with UC San Diego Health to study how biometric data can track and improve outcomes for patients undergoing obesity treatments, including GLP-1 therapies and bariatric surgery.
Known as SMART-BMI, the study will evaluate how continuous data from the Oura Ring can be used to monitor patients, with a focus on bariatric surgery and GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
The trial lands as smart ring makers increasingly pivot toward metabolic health and clinical integration. Oura recently expanded its consumer-facing GLP-1 Insights feature to over 30 international markets, letting users log dosage schedules and side effects alongside continuous biometrics like sleep, stress, and heart rate.
Meanwhile, rival Ultrahuman published peer-reviewed metabolic research earlier this year with Stanford University, using dual-sensor tracking from its smart ring and a CGM to show that sleep consistency directly affects blood glucose stability.
Connecting continuous ring data directly to patient care
Rather than keeping data confined to a consumer app, the SMART-BMI study evaluates how real-time biometric trends—such as sleep disruption, resting heart rate shifts, and blood pressure indicators—can be fed directly to care teams to guide treatment decisions.
Health systems are already testing this bridge; Mount Sinai Doctors–Concierge Care recently began integrating Oura Ring data into its Healthspan Membership to give physicians continuous visibility between patient visits.
To oversee the SMART-BMI trial and support its broader healthcare roadmap, Oura has also formally established its Office of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs (ORCA). The new division, which brings together more than 50 physicians, clinical scientists, and regulatory experts, is tasked with grounding Oura's hardware and algorithm development in rigorous medical evidence.
ORCA will guide Oura through regulatory submission pathways across the FDA and EU bodies, building on the company’s recent ISO 13485 certification for medical device software. The infrastructure aims to elevate Oura from an indirect wellness tracker to a validated clinical data source.
While Oura’s consumer features already give users a longitudinal view of their wellness trends, the SMART-BMI trial and ORCA's formation further show Oura's growing tilt toward clinical health over the last couple of years. As it continues to prove to healthcare providers and insurers that passive smart ring tracking can deliver measurable clinical value, we expect this won't be the last time we hear from the company in this area.
