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RecruitingNCT06487533Updated Sep 28, 2026

Sensing Physiological Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal and Cravings in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder

An observational study in Opioid Withdrawal and Opioid Use Disorder, sponsored by Spark Biomedical, Inc.. Recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 50 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-28.

Sponsored by Spark Biomedical, Inc. · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
20
Ages
18 Years to 50 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The primary objective of this trial is to measure changes in physiologic signals to quantify the status of the autonomic nervous system during opioid withdrawal and cravings.

Read the detailed description

This is a prospective observational clinical trial in which 20 participants with a history of dependence on prescription or non-prescription opioids will be recruited for collection of physiologic data via wearable sensors during a 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment. The EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Sensor will be worn continuously throughout the 14-day treatment course to detect heart rate, heart rate variability, skin conductance, skin temperature, motion, and cortisol levels.

02

Conditions studied

  • Opioid Withdrawal
  • Opioid Use Disorder

Keywords

  • Physiological Signals
  • Opioid
  • Detoxification
  • Cravings
  • Autonomic Nervous System
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Participants between 18 and 50 years of age with a history of dependence on prescription or non-prescription opioids

Inclusion criteria

  1. Participant has a recent history of opioid dependence; prescription or non-prescription
  2. Participant is currently taking, or plans to initiate, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
  3. Participant is between 18 and 50 years of age
  4. Participant is English proficient
  5. Participant is able to provide informed consent and function at an intellectual level sufficient for study requirements
  6. Participant is willing to wear wearable sensors for 14 days

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Participant presents current evidence of an uncontrolled and/or clinically significant medical condition or psychiatric condition
  2. Participant has a history of epileptic seizures
  3. Participant has a history of neurological diseases or traumatic brain injury
  4. Participant has recent suicide attempt leading to current hospital admission or continued expressed suicidal ideation
  5. Subject has significant current suicidal ideation within 30 days prior to Screening as evidenced by answering "yes" to questions 4 or 5 on the suicidal ideation portion of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) completed at Screening, that, in the opinion of the investigator, warrants exclusion from the trial
  6. Females who are pregnant or lactating
  7. Participant has any other significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participants at risk because of participation in the trial, or may influence the result of the trial, or the participant's ability to participate in the trial
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples without dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Opioid Use Disorder

    Participants with a history of dependence on prescription or non-prescription opioids

    Device: EmbracePlus Smartwatch · Device: Corti Sensor

Interventions

  • DeviceEmbracePlus Smartwatch

    The EmbracePlus is worn on the user's wrist and continuously collects raw data via specific sensors. These data can be wirelessly transmitted to a paired mobile device. The data received are analyzed by EmpaDSP, which computes the user physiological parameters. The Care App is responsible for transmitting raw data, device information, Care App-specific information, and computed physiological parameters to the Empatica Cloud. The device supports continuous data collection for monitoring of the following physiological parameters: * Peripheral skin temperature * Electrodermal activity * Blood Oxygen Saturation under no motion conditions * Activity associated with movement during sleep. The EmbracePlus Watch has been used in previous human subject research studies for bio-physiological data collection in other medical conditions and have confirmed that there is minimal risk to participants. This device is therefore exempt from any IDE requirements.

  • DeviceCorti Sensor

    The Corti Wearable is a sweat sensor that is worn continuously measure cortisol, melatonin, tumor necrosis alpha interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the protein analytes in the sweat of participants via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Corti Wearable comprises a plastic reader and a replaceable polymer sweat-sensing strip with zinc oxide (ZnO) coated electrodes that is worn on the participant's forearm. It is manufactured through a screen-printing technique that allows for an affinity-based interaction between a capture probe antibody and the target molecule generating electrochemical activity. The Cort Wearable has been used in previous human subject research studies for bio-physiological data collection in other medical conditions and have confirmed that there is minimal risk to participants. This device is therefore exempt from any IDE requirements.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Short Opioid Withdrawal Scale Gossop (SOWS-Gossop)

    Correlation of opioid withdrawal symptoms, as measured by the SOWS-Gossop, over time with biomarkers using the EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Wearable.

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  2. Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS)

    Correlation of opioid withdrawal symptoms, as measured by the COWS, over time with biomarkers using the EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Wearable.

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  3. Opioid Craving Visual Analog Scale (OC-VAS)

    Correlation of the intensity of opioid cravings, as measured by the OC-VAS, over time with biomarkers using the EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Wearable.

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  4. Adverse Events

    The primary safety endpoint will be the proportion of participants who experience one or more adverse events.

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

Other outcomes

  1. Sleep Duration

    Correlation of sleep duration and quality with opioid withdrawal symptoms as well as cravings

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  2. Stress Monitoring and Assessment Tool (SMART)

    Correlation of stress score, as measured by the SMART, with biomarkers using the EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Wearable.

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  3. Therapy Compliance

    Correlation of compliance to recovery-related therapies (e.g. group therapy, individual counseling) with biomarkers using the EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Wearable.

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  4. Drug Screening

    Proportion of participants testing positive for Amphetamines, Buprenorphine, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, Ethyl Glucuronide, Fentanyl, Synthetic Marijuana, Ecstasy, Methamphetamines, Methadone, Opiates / Morphine, Oxycodone, Cannabinoid (Marijuana), Xylazine, and Tramadol or any combination

    Time frame: Once daily on screening/baseline day, study day 7, and study day 14 (14-day time frame)

  5. Medication Use

    Medication use and timing (medication name, dosage, and indication)

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

  6. Wearable Sensors Compliance

    Compliance to wearing wearable sensors (EmbracePlus Smartwatch and Corti Sensor)

    Time frame: Daily throughout the 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment

06

Study locations

1 of 2 sites recruiting
  • Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
    Center City, Minnesota 55012, United States
    Recruiting
  • Battelle Memorial Institute
    Columbus, Ohio 43201, United States
    Active, not recruiting
07

References and documents

Study documents

  • Informed consent form · May 2, 2024

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06487533
Lead sponsor
Spark Biomedical, Inc.
Collaborators
Battelle Memorial Institute, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), The HEAL Initiative
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 5, 2024
Start date
Feb 19, 2025
Primary completion
Mar 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
May 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 28, 2026

Study contacts

Caroline Benner
Contact
clinicaltrials@sparkbiomedical.com
(210) 624-8046
Brooke Le
Contact
Navid Khodaparast, PhD
principal investigator · Chief Science Officer
Melanie McWade, PhD
study director · Senior Director of Clinical Operations
Carlos Tirado, MD
study chair · Medical Monitor

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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