Optogenetics wins the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel share the honor

5 October 2026


Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”

Today, optogenetics took the spotlight when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.” This field uses light to stimulate, inhibit, and control neuron activity in the brain, with potential clinical benefits for treating neurological disorders.

The brain serves as a computer for the body: it regulates body functions and systems, sends signals, stores memories and learned behaviors, and adapts as new behaviors and concepts are learned. One of the most complex organs in the human body, the brain does all this through a dense network of several billion neurons that constantly interact with each other.

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