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ARPA-H Smart Band-Aid to Measure Chronic Pain in Women

Northwestern University · with Tufts University, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) · NCT06994988

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Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 18+ · Women only
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Observational
Target enrollment
115
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
July 6, 2026
Record last updated
September 14, 2026

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a minimally invasive microneedle patch, called the A-Band (Smart Band-aid), worn on the arm (monitoring key biomarkers in interstitial fluid) and a commercial smartwatch can accurately correlate with self-reported pain in women with chronic pain. A secondary purpose of the study is to identify demographic and clinical variables impacting pain measurement.

The main questions that this study aims to answer are:

  • What is the correlation between AI-adjusted pain scores, based on biomarkers and validated tools, and self-reported pain scores?
  • What influence do demographic and clinical information have in the correlation of these pain scores?

Researchers will compare data from these tools with self-reported pain scores in women with chronic pain and healthy women.

Participants will

  • Be a part of the study for approximately 8 days
  • Attend 2-3 in-person visits at the applicable clinical center over approximately one week
  • Wear a Smart Band-Aid (A-Band) at least twice per day for a week, with each application lasting up to 90 minutes
  • Complete questionnaires regarding medical history, pain information, mental health, sleep, and demographic data
  • Record daily pain scores
  • Wear a smartwatch for one week which will collect biophysical data (heart rate, skin response, etc.)
  • Collect daily saliva samples
  • Have blood drawn by medical staff at 2 in-person visits

Being studied: A-Band (Smart Band-Aid); Empatica Smartwatch; Questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale, Central Sensitization Inventory, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Somatic Symptom Scale-8, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire-10, Athens Insomnia Scale

Conditions: Chronic Pain

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion Criteria

For chronic pain group

  • Female, 18 years or older.
  • Diagnosis of chronic pain condition (e.g., fibromyalgia, chronic lower back pain) as determined by the Principal Investigator.
  • Ability to provide informed consent.

For healthy controls

  • Female, 18 years or older.
  • No history of chronic pain.
  • No significant or poorly controlled medical conditions as determined by the Principal Investigator and exclusion criteria.
  • No significant active, poorly controlled psychological conditions as determined by the Principal Investigator and exclusion criteria.
  • Ability to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria (both groups):

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • Substance abuse or psychiatric disorders that interfere with study participation.
  • Major medical conditions (such as severe cardiovascular, neurological, cancer or autoimmune diseases) or psychological conditions (e.g., active, poorly-controlled depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD, substance use disorder) that interfere with study participation.
  • Possibility of secondary financial gain from participation
  • Interventional pain treatment(s) within 6 weeks of baseline (injection, epidural, etc.)
  • Current opioid usage or usage within 2 weeks of baseline

Recruiting US locations

  • Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

    Chicago, IL 60611

    Site contact: Jordan Wood, BS · 312-695-0915 · jordan.wood1@northwestern.edu

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Jordan Wood, BS · 312-695-0915 · jordan.wood1@northwestern.edu
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ARPA-H Smart Band-Aid to Measure Chronic Pain in Women (NCT06994988) | Bored Studies