The 2026 Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to one American and two German scientists – Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel – for their work developing a technique to decode the inner workings of the brain.
This method – known as optogenetics – acts as a “light-sensitive switch,” allowing scientists to potentially “map which cells are responsible for which function” in the brain, said Anna Wedell, a member of the Nobel Prize committee, which announced the prestigious honour in Sweden on Monday, October 5.
The German duo of Hegemann and Nagel discovered a protein in algae, known as channelrhodopsin, before American scientist Deisseroth “transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells,” the committee said in a statement.
That work has “laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience,” the committee added.
By using this method, researchers can illuminate neural circuits which govern “specific memories, feelings, and behaviours relevant for neurological and psychiatric disorders.”
David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information, said the award highlights the “profound impact of a field that has fundamentally changed how scientists understand the brain and nervous system.”
“The Nobel Committee’s recognition underscores the extraordinary influence of this work, which has transformed neuroscience by enabling researchers to use light to precisely control and study neural activity,” Pendlebury said.
