2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to optogenetics pioneers Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet on Monday awarded the 2026 medicine prize to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for optogenetics — a light-controlled ‘switch’ for nerve cells built on a light-gated ion channel discovered in algae.
The technique lets scientists switch specific brain cells on and off with pulses of light, giving researchers an unprecedented way to map — and even steer — the circuits behind memories, feelings and behaviours.
The foundation was laid when Hegemann and Nagel identified the light-gated ion channel in algae, which Deisseroth at Stanford then engineered into a tool that revolutionised neuroscience laboratories worldwide.
The prize kicks off this year's Nobel week, with the physics, chemistry and literature announcements — and the peace prize — still to come.
