Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel win 2026 Nobel Medicine Prize

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet on Monday awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Karl Deisseroth of the United States and Germany's Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for "their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics," breakthrough findings that revolutionized neuroscience research.

Foundation for optogenetics

Speaking in a statement, the Nobel Assembly said the three scientists were honored for discoveries that laid the foundation for optogenetics, a method that allows nerve activity to be controlled using light. Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a protein with unique properties that makes cells sensitive to light, according to the announcement.

Channelrhodopsin discovery

They found that when the protein was introduced into different types of cells, the cells became light-sensitive, opening new possibilities for controlling cellular activity. Deisseroth later introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into nerve cells from rats, and by exposing the cells to blue light, he was able to trigger nerve signals.

Technique in living organisms

He subsequently developed the technique to control nerve cells in the brains of living mice using light. "This method for controlling nerve signals with light is now called optogenetics, and it has rapidly gained global impact," the statement said. The technique has since transformed research into brain function and neurological disorders.