Dexcom Inc. put real money behind expanding its integration efforts, with a $75 million investment in the $200 million series D for Ōura Health Oy, the maker of the Ōura smart ring. Ōura and Dexcom also provided details on a strategic partnership that integrates data from Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitors with vital sign, sleep, stress, heart health and activity data from the Ōura ring.

Electrocore Inc. Quell(ed) any concerns about its commitment to the bioelectronic health segment with an agreement to acquire Neurometrix Inc., maker of the Quell, a wearable device and cloud-enabled neuromodulation platform to treat fibromyalgia and lower extremity chronic pain. Neurometrix is expected to divest its other primary product, Dpncheck, a point-of-care screening test for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, prior to the acquisition.

U.K. researchers at Nottingham Trent University, the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton and product development company Zelemiq Ltd. developed a wearable sensor that accurately monitors and detects changes in people’s breathing without requiring direct contact with the skin.

Movano Inc., dba Movano Health, added some clinical-grade glitz to its Evie ring with a U.S. FDA clearance for the built-in pulse oximeter. Movan’s stock shot up from an all-time low within minutes of the announcement on Dec. 2, as the clearance breathes new life into Movano’s plans to position the ring as a medical device.

A new position paper from the International Society of Hypertension pinpoints the benefits and drawbacks of novel blood pressure management technology, including the latest cuff-based and cuffless and wearable devices like BP-measuring watches and rings.

Smartcardia SA received U.S. FDA clearance for mobile outpatient cardiac telemetry for its seven-lead live ECG monitoring patch and cloud platform. With the approval, the solution can now be used for remote live monitoring of a patient’s ECG and immediately notify clinicians in cases of arrhythmias.

South Korean researchers developed a novel quantum dot and parallel-stacked organic light-emitting diode (QD-PSOLED)-based wearable patch capable of being “freely tunable” in real-time, and described as a flexible and commercial-level technology with wide applications for health care wearables.

Days ahead of its contentious annual shareholders’ meeting slated for Sept. 19, Masimo Corp. established partnerships with two big players – Google LLC and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. – to significantly expand and support the ecosystem for Wear OS smartwatches by developing a next-generation smartwatch reference platform for original equipment manufacturers.

A team of researchers from the University of Northumbria filed for protection of a flexible transdermal patch taht uses surface acoustic wave  technology they believe offers distinct advantages over traditional transdermal patches.

The notion of using vacuum pressure on the anterior portion of the human eye as a treatment for open-angle glaucoma might be a clinical novelty, but Balance Ophthalmics Inc. is poised to change that. The company recently won a favorable outcome at a U.S. FDA advisory panel for its Fsyx negative pressure pump for ocular use, although the company is likely to have to drum up a large body of data in post-approval studies, assuming the FDA gives the Fsyx the nod.