2026 Nobel in Medicine Awarded to Trio for Optogenetics That Revolutionised Brain Research

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 the development of optogenetics, a technique that has transformed the study of the brain.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm announced the award on Monday, recognising work that has enabled scientists to control the activity of individual nerve cells using light and investigate how the brain generates memories, emotions and behaviour.

“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.

Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein with distinctive properties. Their research showed that cells containing the protein could be made responsive to light, providing the foundation for manipulating cellular activity.

Deisseroth subsequently introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into rat nerve cells and demonstrated that blue light could trigger nerve signals. He later extended the technique to the brains of living mice, establishing the basis of what is now known as optogenetics.

The technique has allowed researchers to identify and study neural circuits associated with specific memories, feelings and behaviours, providing new insights into neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Optogenetics has also opened potential applications in clinical medicine. Researchers are exploring its use to restore vision in people with visual impairment.

Deisseroth is a professor of bioengineering, psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University in the US. Hegemann, a German biophysicist, studied light-sensitive proteins in microorganisms, while German neuroscientist Nagel contributed to the discovery and characterisation of microbial opsins and demonstrated their ability to function as light-controlled ion channels.