Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded for discoveries in optogenetics

Carl Deisserot, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel will receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for 2026. It's reported by sb.by.

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded for optogenetics, a technique to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviors in the living brain. Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered a remarkable protein, channelorhodopsin, in a single-celled algae. Carl Daisserot turned the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The laureates have laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience, the committee members explained.

According to committee chairman Per Sveningsson, “optogenetics opens up possibilities for mapping the brain in ways we once could only dream of.”.

The method of controlling neural signals with light, optogenetics, quickly gained global significance and fundamentally changed the understanding of the brain. Using optogenetics, the researchers were able to identify the neural circuits that govern certain memories, feelings and behaviors associated with neurological and mental disorders. In clinical medicine, researchers are using this method in attempts to restore vision in people with visual impairment, the committee said. Every day brings new discoveries, helping to unravel one of humanity’s greatest mysteries: how our incredible brain works.