The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm announced the prize, seen as the most prestigious award for medical scientists, on Monday. The laureates have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience. The field of optogenetics is a method that makes it possible to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviours in the living brain. This breakthrough has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain.
Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, based in Germany, and Karl Deisseroth, based in the United States, were recognized for their discoveries concerning optogenetics. Hegemann is at the Humboldt University of Berlin, while Nagel is at the University of Würzburg. Deisseroth teaches at Stanford University and is a member of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The Nobel Foundation recently increased its award money to 12 million Swedish kronor (€1.07 million).
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognizes the leading lights of the field of optogenetics, which provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that was once only dreamed of. According to Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, the field has rapidly gained global impact, allowing researchers to reveal neural circuits governing specific memories, feelings, and behaviours relevant for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
The technology has had specific applications in clinical medicine, with researchers using the method in attempts to restore sight in people with visual impairment. The laureates discovered a remarkable protein, channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga and transformed it into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. This breakthrough has opened up new avenues for understanding the brain and developing treatments for various neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Karl Deisseroth described the news as incredibly surprising and gratifying, saying it was a tremendous honour. He and his collaborators had to overcome major challenges to make optogenetics work. Peter Hegemann also commented on the initial skepticism towards their research on green algae, saying hardly anyone took it seriously at first. Georg Nagel learned he had won while sitting on a terrace in Italy.
The Nobel season continues with the announcements of the Physics and Chemistry Prizes on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the Literature and Peace Prizes on Thursday and Friday. The announcements will conclude next Monday with the Nobel Prize in Economics, funded by the Swedish Central Bank. In keeping with tradition, the formal presentation of all the prizes takes place on December 10, the anniversary of the death of the prize’s founder, Alfred Nobel.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine follows last year’s award to US duo Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell and Japan’s Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. Since 1901, a total of 232 people have received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, including 14 women. The first prize was awarded to German bacteriologist Emil Adolf von Behring for the discovery of a treatment for diphtheria.
Key points
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to German duo Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, and US researcher Karl Deisseroth, for their discoveries in the field of optogenetics.
- The field of optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that was once only dreamed of.
- The technology has had specific applications in clinical medicine, including attempts to restore sight in people with visual impairment.
