The Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to three scientists in the field of optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, the three scientists who pioneered the field of optogenetics. The prize recognises their discoveries regarding light-activated ion channels, which have made it possible to study and stimulate specific nerve cells using light pulses.

In the early 2000s, Hegemann and Nagel identified a light-sensitive protein, canalrodopsin, in a single-celled alga. When exposed to blue light, the protein opens a channel in the cell membrane, allowing ions to pass through and generating an electrical signal. Deisseroth then introduced the gene that produces it into neurons, demonstrating in 2005 that light could activate them. Two years later, the method was already working in the living brain of a mouse.

Since then, optogenetics has become a key tool for observing how neural circuits function and understanding which cells are involved in memory, emotions and behaviour. It is used in research into neurological and psychiatric disorders, and studies are also underway to utilise it in the restoration of certain visual functions. However, the potential clinical applications are still under investigation.

The Nobel Prize schedule continues on Tuesday 6 October with Physics, on Wednesday 7 with Chemistry and on Thursday 8 with Literature. On Friday 9, in Oslo, the Peace Prize will be announced; on Monday 12, the Prize in Economic Sciences. Among the nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize made public by the organisers is that of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. The campaign in her support cites nearly three hundred signatures from eligible individuals in thirty-three countries, but the official nominations and the Committee’s proceedings remain secret for fifty years. It is therefore impossible to say who the real favourite is.