MIT class project turns into an FDA-cleared treatment for tremors
The gist
The FDA cleared Encora Therapeutics' wrist-worn vibration device for adults with essential tremor.
It grew from a 2017 MIT class demo that eased a patient's tremor.
How it unfolded
- 2017An MIT 2.009 student team developed a wrist-worn device that uses mechanical vibrations to influence neural systems involved in movement. At the final presentation, a patient named Michael drew a spiral before and after putting on the wristband, and his tremors decreased markedly within seconds.
- 2020The project became Encora Therapeutics, founded by members of the original student group including Daniel Carballo, Allison Davanzo and Kyle Pina.
- Feb 2026The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the device for adults with essential tremor, a neurological condition causing involuntary shaking that frequently affects the hands.