Dive Brief:
- Diabetes tech nonprofit Tidepool will collaborate with Ōura to launch a partnership for diabetes research, the companies announced Tuesday.
- With users’ consent, Tidepool will pair biometric data from the Oura Ring with data from diabetes devices, including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps.
- The companies plan to start recruitment in early 2026 through a study approved by an institutional review board. Participants who opt into the study will share their data with Tidepool’s Big Data Donation Project. With users’ consent, the de-identified data will be shared with academics, researchers and industry to accelerate diabetes research.
Dive Insight:
Tidepool is a nonprofit founded by people with diabetes and people who have family members with diabetes. The company has a data platform that allows people to store data from a variety of devices, including insulin pumps, CGMs, automated insulin delivery systems and blood glucose meters.
The partnership with Ōura aims to create one of the most comprehensive real-world datasets for diabetes. Ōura is contributing its Oura Ring Gen 3 devices and memberships. The wearable rings can track data including sleep, activity, heart rate, temperature and menstrual cycles. By combining this with data from diabetes devices, the companies hope to support the development of new clinical guidelines and technology for diabetes.
"For too long, diabetes research has overlooked critical physiological factors that impact health, especially for women," Kelly Watson, vice president of product and user experience at Tidepool, said in a statement. "This collaboration with ŌURA is a pivotal step toward closing that gap and unlocking new avenues for innovation.”
The announcement is one of a few recent high-profile collaborations for Tidepool. The nonprofit partnered with Sequel Med Tech, which in July launched its new Twiist automated insulin delivery system. In 2023, Tidepool received Food and Drug Administration clearance for an automated insulin dosing app, with the intent of letting users choose the insulin pumps and CGMs that they want to pair. The Twiist device uses this algorithm.
Ōura has also taken more of a focus on health with its wearables. The company recently raised $900 million to develop more health features and announced it would pursue FDA clearance of a blood pressure feature for its smart rings.
