Overview
- The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, that Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel will share the 12 million Swedish krona prize for work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.
- Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel identified and characterized channelrhodopsins, proteins in the alga Chlamydomonas that open under blue light to let ions flow and produce electrical signals.
- Karl Deisseroth adapted the algal channelrhodopsin gene for mammalian neurons, first showing light-driven nerve firing in rat cells and then controlling neural activity inside living mice to create optogenetics as a tool.
- The Nobel statement said optogenetics is now used in labs worldwide to reveal which specific neurons and circuits drive memories, feelings and behaviour while researchers are exploring experimental clinical uses such as restoring sight.
- The prize formalizes optogenetics as a foundational method for modern neuroscience and is likely to boost funding, technological refinement and clinical trials even though the technique remains primarily a research tool.