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Real-Time Data Ring May Predict COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers

Scientists are aiming to determine whether a smart ring that collects real-time data can detect COVID-19 symptoms.

Real-time data ring may predict COVID-19 in healthcare workers

Source: Getty Images

By Jessica Kent

- Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine are aiming to predict COVID-19 by using a smart ring that continuously tracks real-time data and physiological changes.

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The project is part of a three-pronged effort to detect COVID-19 in healthcare workers on the frontline of the pandemic.

The team recently launched a study designed to identify patterns of onset, detection, progression, and recovery from COVID-19 by observing body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and other measures, as well as illness symptoms like fever, cough, and fatigue.

FAU researchers are part of a global study called TemPredict, led by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). TemPredict includes two groups: frontline healthcare workers and the general population.

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The study uses a smart ring, the Oura ring, which tracks the body’s heart rate, temperature, movement, and sleep to determine whether the physiological data it collects, combined with responses to daily symptom surveys, can predict illness symptoms. The ring, which resembles a wedding band, is worn around-the-clock to continuously provide data in real time.

The data alerts users and researchers of physiological changes that might suggest they’re developing an infection.

“We were very interested in the Oura ring because it provides continuous information that is very instructive in helping people understand that they might be getting sick without even realizing it,” said Janet Robishaw, PhD, principal investigator, senior associate dean for research and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine.

“However, as scientists, we also recognized that we need to be able to correlate the data from this ring to determine whether these people go on to develop an infection. Otherwise, it is unclear that the change in the data is indicative of anything.” 

The FAU team has incorporated two additional phases into TemPredict: determining whether study participants go on to develop an acute COVID-19 infection and understanding the prevalence rate in that population. Researchers are in the beginning phase of the study with clinical physicians, resident physicians, and fellows from the Schmidt College of Medicine who are caring for patients on the frontline of the pandemic.

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Over the course of the 12-week study, participants will undergo weekly viral testing to detect whether they have an acute COVID-19 infection.

The team has developed a novel coronavirus viral test that uses a saliva sample instead of a sample obtained with a nasal swab. The method uses a molecular detection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and doesn’t require critical reagents in short supply. Additionally, because participants can collect their own saliva sample, the test eliminates potential viral exposure to others.

At six and 12 weeks, researchers will conduct serologic tests to identify whether the study participants have developed an immune response to COVID-19. These antibodies show up in the bloodstream around three to six weeks from when a person was exposed to the COVID-19 infection and developed an immune response.

“It is important to note that there are numerous COVID-19 virus and antibody testing kits on the market right now and a large proportion of them are not reliable or have not been validated appropriately,” said Robishaw.

“Research matters to combat this crisis and to come up with solutions for this pandemic. We are hopeful that results from our study will lead to new and improved clinical and diagnostic testing in the future.”

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The Schmidt College of Medicine team will partner with FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science to incorporate machine learning or artificial intelligence to identify patterns that predict whether someone was developing COVID-19. Researchers will be able to correlate their data to the larger TemPredict study of more than 2,000 healthcare workers who are in daily contact with patients who may have the virus.

The overarching goal of the study is to better identify patterns that could predict the emergency and recovery from novel infections, and possibly contain future pandemics.

“Dr. Robishaw and her team felt very strongly about the importance of including FAU physicians in the study because these doctors put their lives on the line every day caring for patients in our community,” said Phillip Boiselle, MD, dean of FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine.

“We are hopeful that results from this study will help to alert physicians and other healthcare workers of an impending COVID-19 infection so that they can self-isolate early and receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner.”