Three scientists awarded Nobel Prize for developing optogenetics technique

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were jointly awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on October 5, 2026. Physics World, The Japan Times and NobelPrize.org reported that the researchers received the award for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. [1][3][4][11]

Optogenetics is a biological method that uses light to characterize and manipulate the activity of target neurons in a living brain. The technique relies on expressing light-sensitive ion channels, pumps, or enzymes within target cells. Physics World reported that Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered the light-sensitive protein channelrhodopsin. Physics World added that Karl Deisseroth then transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells, as FTMQ Science reported earlier. [1][15][17][18]

The Nobel Prizes were established in accordance with the will of Alfred Nobel and were first awarded in 1901. According to Physics World, Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel Committee, stated that optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that was previously only imagined. [1][14]