Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to three scientists for optogenetics research

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 has been awarded to three scientists for discoveries involving light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

• The Nobel assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm announced the award Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
• Deisseroth, of Stanford University, Hegemann of Humboldt University Berlin, and Nagel of Würzburg share a prize of 12 million Swedish kronor.
• The committee said the research revealed neural circuits behind specific memories, feelings and behaviours relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders.
• Researchers are using the method in clinical medicine to try to restore sight in people with visual impairment.
• This year's Nobel season opened with Monday's announcement, honoring the three scientists for their discovery of a molecular switch for nerve cells.
• Researchers hope the optogenetics technique could also improve cochlear implants used to restore hearing.
• The discovery stemmed from early-1990s research on how Chlamydomonas algae respond to light, which identified light-sensitive ion channels.
• The laureates' findings offer insights into schizophrenia, Parkinson's and addiction, and are guiding experimental autism therapies.