The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to the American Karl Deisseroth and the Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their research in optogenetics.

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to the American Karl Deisseroth and the Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel; In recognition of their research in the field of optogenetics, according to what the Nobel Committee announced in Stockholm yesterday, on the first day of the 2026 season of these prestigious awards.

The committee indicated, according to Agence France-Presse, that it granted the award to the three researchers “in recognition of their discoveries related to ion channels that are activated by light and optogenetics.”

This field helps researchers understand how specific cell types contribute to behaviors such as learning, fear, addiction, and movement, and may one day lead to treatments for neurological and sensory disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.