2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel for optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. They laid the foundations of optogenetics, the discipline that combines genetics and optics to study the behavior of cells. It is used in research laboratories to try to unravel the mysteries underlying the functioning of the brain: optogenetics manages to turn off or turn on the activity of the individual cells that make up a living and functioning brain, as has been demonstrated in studies on mice. For the three winners a prize of 12 million Swedish crowns, to be divided between all three, i.e. approximately 1,065 million euros.

The discoveries that earned Hegemann, Nagel and Deisseroth the Nobel

Hegemann and Nagel, explains the official website of the Nobel Prize, discovered channelrhodopsin - channelorhodopsin - a protein with unique properties, in a unicellular alga. They noticed that no matter what type of cell they inserted the protein into, those cells became sensitive to light. The work of Deisseroth is also linked here, who introduced the channelrhodopsin gene into the nerve cells of rats. By illuminating the cells with blue light, he was able to activate a nerve signal. He later made this light-controlled switch for nerve cells work in the brains of living mice as well. This method of controlling nerve signals through light is now called optogenetics and has quickly gained global impact.

Optogenetics

The Nobel Prize winner, on his official accounts, explains that it is thanks to optogenetics that researchers "have been able to identify the neural circuits that regulate specific memories, emotions and behaviors relevant to neurological and psychiatric pathologies". On a practical level, in the clinical field, this method is used for example with the aim of restoring sight in people with visual impairments.

Who is Karl Deisseroth

Karl Deisseroth was born on November 18, 1971 in Boston, United States. At 54, he is one of the youngest Nobel Prize winners. With a Ph.D. and medical degree from Stanford University. D.H. Chen Professor, is currently professor of Bioengineering and Psychiatry at Stanford University and at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Who is Peter Hegemann

Peter Hegemann was born on December 11, 1954 in Münster, Germany. He received a Ph.D. from the Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie in Martinsried, where he carried out the studies that ultimately earned him the Nobel. He teaches Neuroscience at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Who is Georg Nagel

Georg Nagel was born on August 24, 1953 in Weingarten, Germany. For him the Ph.D. came at the University of Frankfurt. The research that led to the Nobel Prize was conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt. He teaches plant molecular physiology and biophysics - Botany I at the University of Würzburg.