German and US Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Medicine
The award honors breakthrough techniques that use light to control nerve cells and study brain circuits.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. The panel recognized the American and German scientists for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and the development of optogenetics.
Optogenetics allows researchers to control the activity of specific neurons using light pulses. The technique uses light-sensitive proteins discovered in single-celled algae. Hegemann and Nagel characterized how these channel proteins open in response to illumination, allowing ions to flow across cellular membranes.
Deisseroth worked with collaborators to introduce the genes for those proteins into mammalian neurons. The method enabled scientists to turn individual brain cells on or off with flashes of light. The Nobel Assembly said the advance made it possible to see how nerve cells shape memories, emotions and behaviors in living organisms.
The approach has transformed laboratory neuroscience over the past two decades. Researchers worldwide use optogenetics to trace precise circuits in the brain. The work has advanced investigations into conditions such as depression, addiction and Parkinson's disease.
The three laureates will share a cash purse of 12 million Swedish kronor, equal to roughly $1.2 million. Hegemann is based at Humboldt University of Berlin, Nagel at the University of Wuerzburg, and Deisseroth at Stanford University.
The medicine award is the first of several Nobel Prizes announced this week, with the physics prize scheduled for Tuesday.
