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Researchers Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control individual neurons. Their discoveries, rooted in microbiology research on algae, enable precise mapping and study of living brains, advancing understanding of neurological functions and diseases.
Researchers used two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetics in fruit flies to study how the central complex, specifically the fan-shaped body region of the brain, encodes a navigational goal. They describe a neural mechanism called a 'split attractor' design that allows flies to rapidly write and update a heading goal used for orientation behaviors. The experiments combined live brain imaging with tethered flies walking on an air-supported ball to track behavior alongside neural activity.
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for pioneering optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control neuron activity. Their work, originating from studies on algae, enables precise activation or inhibition of neurons in living brains, advancing neuroscience research significantly.
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work in optogenetics, a technique that enables precise control of neural activity. Their research has opened new avenues for studying neurological and psychiatric conditions.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries on light-gated ion channels and the development of optogenetics. Hegemann and Nagel identified channelrhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein in algae, while Deisseroth turned it into a tool to control nerve cells with light.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was granted to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for their groundbreaking work in optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control neurons. Hegemann and Nagel identified a light-sensitive protein in algae in the early 2000s, which Deisseroth and colleagues later used to activate neurons with light pulses.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics, a technique that allows researchers to control neurons using light. The foundational research behind the method dates back to the early 2000s, and the field previously received the Brain Prize in 2013, which also recognized three other scientists not included in this year's Nobel.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University of Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control neurons. Hegemann and Nagel first identified a light-sensitive protein called channelrhodopsin in algae, and Deisseroth later inserted the gene for it into rodent neurons, enabling precise activation of brain cells with light. The trio will share 12 million Swedish kronor, about $1.2 million.