The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists, Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, for their work developing a technique that has transformed the study of the brain.
The German scientists, Hegemann and Nagel, discovered a protein known as channelrhodopsin, which American scientist Deisseroth later developed into a light-controlled switch capable of controlling nerve cells.
According to the Nobel Committee, the breakthrough has “laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience.”
The technique, known as optogenetics, allows researchers to use light to study and control neural circuits associated with specific memories, feelings and behaviours, including those linked to neurological and psychiatric disorders.
David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information, said the award demonstrated the “profound impact of a field that has fundamentally changed how scientists understand the brain and nervous system.”
Pendlebury added that the Nobel Committee’s recognition highlighted the extraordinary influence of the research, which has transformed neuroscience by enabling scientists to use light to precisely control and study neural activity.
