Oura and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health Launch Project CRADLE to Study Early Warning Signs of Premature Birth
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Oura have announced Project CRADLE (Capturing Risk And Detecting Labor signals in Elevated-risk pregnancies) at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit. This 24-month pilot study will research how biometric data from wearable technology can reveal early warning signs of spontaneous premature birth. Project CRADLE is the first live research initiative in the long-term partnership between the DoH and Oura, which was announced in May 2026. The partnership aims to study how continuous wearable data can advance preventative health within the UAE and beyond.
Why preterm birth is hard to predict
Preterm birth is defined as when a baby is born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Most preterm births happen spontaneously, but may be due to medical reasons such as infections, or other pregnancy complications that require early induction of labour or caesarean birth, according to the World Health Organization. Preterm birth affects roughly 1 in 10 births worldwide, accounting for an estimated 15 million births every year. It also remains one of the most unpredictable complications in pregnancy.
Today, clinicians largely rely on symptoms and medical history to identify risk of premature birth. Identifying risk earlier could enable care teams to intervene sooner and reduce adverse health outcomes.
About Project CRADLE
Population-level research suggests that biometrics such as heart rate and heart rate variability shift in the weeks before delivery. Project CRADLE is designed to test whether such shifts can be detected for an individual woman. The study will commence in the coming weeks and will follow an Abu Dhabi-based sample of women with elevated-risk pregnancies who choose to wear Oura Ring from early pregnancy through delivery.
During the study, Oura Ring will continuously track biometrics, such as heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep and activity, which researchers will pair with clinical outcomes to build a longitudinal, labeled dataset. The study will investigate whether a reliable physiological signal appears before spontaneous preterm labor in an individual woman. It will also assess whether that signal could define a clinically actionable threshold — early enough for care teams to give treatments that support improved baby outcomes, such as lung and brain health, or to arrange transfer to specialist neonatal care.
“In Abu Dhabi, we are building an intelligent health system of the future,” said H.E. 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 personalised intervention. Project CRADLE brings this approach to pregnancy and birth, one of the most pivotal moments in life, building the evidence to guide more timely care.”
Built on rigorous research standards
The jointly designed study will be IRB-approved and conducted within DoH’s data governance and Trusted Research Environment framework. Participants will give informed consent and receive standard clinical care throughout.
Oura’s team of more than 50 in-house M.D.s and Ph.D.s will lead the wearable data science and analysis. Oura will partner with leading health providers in Abu Dhabi, including Corniche Hospital and Mediclinic Airport Road, two of the emirate’s leading maternal care institutions. Results are expected to be published in 2028. The study aims to set a structured path from research to real-world application within Abu Dhabi’s health system, subject to evidence and regulatory approval.
From partnership to active research
Project CRADLE is the first of three pilots focused on preventative health research, with a primary focus on women’s health and cardiometabolic health. The pilots are part of Abu Dhabi’s prevention-led, data-driven health agenda. That agenda brings together the emirate’s intelligent health system, population-scale health and genomics data, integrated health infrastructure, and policy. Its goal is to accelerate population health research, where new models of care can be safely designed, validated, and scaled.
Tom Hale, CEO of Oura, shared: “For more than a decade, Oura has pioneered the science of what continuous physiological data can reveal about a person’s health. Project CRADLE shows what could be possible when a forward-thinking health system combines clinical excellence with accurate, continuous monitoring. We’re proud to work alongside a health authority setting that standard, improving outcomes for families in the Emirate, and creating pathways that can be used across the world to improve health.”
Notes
Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent medical conditions or illnesses. Please do not make any changes to your medication, nutrition, or workouts without first consulting your doctor or another medical professional.
