American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German researchers Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that led to optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control individual nerve cells.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced the award Monday, recognizing the scientists for their “discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics,” Reuters reported.
The three researchers will share a prize of 12 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.2 million.
Technique Opened New Era in Neuroscience
Optogenetics allows researchers to activate or silence specific nerve cells by using light-sensitive proteins and precisely delivered pulses of light.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Assembly, said the technique makes it possible to control the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain.
The technology has become an important tool for studying how neural circuits work and how specific groups of neurons influence behavior.
Anna Wedell, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, said the research has helped scientists move beyond simply mapping the brain’s anatomy toward understanding how individual neurons communicate and process information.
Breakthrough Began With Algae
The work that ultimately led to optogenetics began in the 1990s with Hegemann’s research into how the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas responds to light.
Hegemann proposed that a protein in the organism could both detect light and function as an ion channel, allowing electrically charged particles to pass through a cell membrane.
Nagel subsequently tested the theory by introducing genes from the algae into frog eggs. His work led to the identification of channelrhodopsin-2, a light-sensitive ion channel.
Hegemann and Nagel later demonstrated that the protein could be introduced into mammalian cells and used to generate electrical signals in response to light.
Deisseroth and his colleagues at Stanford University extended the technique to nerve cells in rats in 2005. The approach became known as optogenetics the following year.
Research Could Lead to New Treatments
Although optogenetics remains primarily a research tool, scientists are investigating potential medical applications.
Researchers have used the technique in animal models to study neurological and psychiatric conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and addiction.
Deisseroth’s experiments have also demonstrated how activating specific groups of neurons can influence behaviors such as movement and wakefulness.
Scientists are investigating whether optogenetic approaches could help restore vision in people with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disorder that causes progressive loss of photoreceptors in the retina.
The approach involves using light-sensitive proteins to stimulate surviving retinal cells, potentially allowing signals to travel through the optic nerve to the brain.
Researchers are also studying whether similar technology could improve cochlear implants by enabling more precise stimulation of auditory nerves.
Some potential therapies have reached clinical development, but researchers say significant work remains before such treatments become broadly available.
Scientists Reflect on Award
Deisseroth, 54, a professor of bioengineering and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, said he was surprised to receive the award alongside Hegemann and Nagel, per Reuters.
The three scientists have collaborated and maintained professional relationships throughout the development of optogenetics.
Deisseroth said his work was partly motivated by his experiences treating psychiatric patients and wanting to better understand the biological mechanisms behind conditions such as depression and autism.
Hegemann, 71, is a professor of experimental biophysics at Humboldt University in Berlin, while Nagel, 73, is a professor of plant physiology at the University of Würzburg in Germany, reported Reuters.
The Nobel Committee said their discoveries have provided researchers with a way to investigate the brain at a level of precision that was previously unavailable.
The 2026 medicine award is the first of this year’s Nobel Prize announcements. Awards in physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economic sciences are scheduled to be announced October 5-12.
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