STOCKHOLM: Three scientists whose research gave neuroscientists the ability to control nerve-cell activity using light have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German researchers Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were recognised for discoveries involving light-gated ion channels and the development of optogenetics, the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet announced on Monday.
Optogenetics allows researchers to activate or suppress selected nerve cells using light, providing scientists with a highly precise way to investigate how different neural circuits influence brain functions. The foundations of the technique emerged from research by Hegemann and Nagel into light-sensitive proteins found in algae. Their work on channelrhodopsins demonstrated how these proteins could respond to light and generate electrical activity.
Deisseroth later helped adapt the discovery for neuroscience, using light-sensitive proteins to control activity in nerve cells. The resulting technique has transformed experimental neuroscience by allowing researchers to study neural circuits linked to functions including memory, behaviour, pain, reward and attention.
Scientists are also exploring potential medical applications of optogenetics. Research includes efforts to restore some visual function in people with certain forms of blindness and to develop new approaches to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Optogenetics has also opened new avenues for studying conditions including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia by allowing researchers to investigate specific brain circuits with greater precision.
The three laureates will equally share the Nobel award of 12 million Swedish kronor, worth about $1.2 million. The medicine prize opens this year’s Nobel announcements, with awards in physics, chemistry, literature and peace also being announced, followed by the prize in economic sciences.
