Three scientists win Nobel Prize in Physiology for optogenetics research

Scientists have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing methods to control brain cells with light, according to reports by Ars Technica, Інтент, ITMO University, The Daily Beast, and Seoul Economic Daily. Seoul Economic Daily reported that three scientists shared the prize, and The Daily Beast noted that an American was among the recipients. As FTMQ Science reported earlier, Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel won the prize for discovering and developing optogenetics. [1][2][3][4][5][6][9]

Optogenetics allows researchers to control specific populations of neurons using light. Ars Technica reported that the field traces its origins back to research on light-seeking algae. Before this method was developed, scientists studied specialized cells within the brain and spinal cord by tracking gene activity during brain development or by studying brain regions damaged by injury. [1]

Ars Technica noted that older research techniques included genetically deleting neurons to observe changes in function. However, these methods had clear limitations because the brain possesses enough flexibility to potentially adapt to the loss of certain cells, making precise functional analysis difficult. [1]

As FTMQ Science reported earlier, Hegemann and Nagel discovered the light-sensitive protein channelrhodopsin, which Deisseroth then developed into a light-driven switch for nerve cells. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute awards the annual prize in Physiology or Medicine to recognize discoveries that confer major benefits to humankind. [8][9]