Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 goes to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

The award recognises the scientists’ contributions to developing methods that give researchers greater control over individual cells and their activity, opening new avenues for studying biological processes.

Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein found in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas. The protein can open a channel when exposed to blue light, allowing charged ions to flow into the cell and generate an electrical signal.

The discovery provided the foundation for optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control the activity of specific cells.

Deisseroth later introduced the gene responsible for channelrhodopsin into nerve cells from rats. When the cells were exposed to blue light, he was able to trigger nerve signals. He published the breakthrough in 2005 and later demonstrated that the technique could be used to control nerve cells in the brains of living mice.

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Optogenetics has since become an important tool in neuroscience, allowing researchers to study how specific groups of nerve cells influence memories, emotions and behaviour.

The technique has also helped scientists investigate neural circuits linked to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Researchers are now exploring its potential in clinical applications, including efforts to restore sight in people with visual impairment.

The Nobel Committee said optogenetics has changed the way scientists study the brain by allowing them to investigate the relationship between specific nerve cells and functions in greater detail.

“Optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that we could once only dream of,” said Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine.

The three scientists will share the Nobel Prize award of 12 million Swedish kronor equally.

Deisseroth is associated with Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US. Hegemann is a professor at Humboldt University of Berlin, while Nagel is a professor at the University of Würzburg in Germany.