Nobel Physiology-Medicine 2026: Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel win for brain discoveries

News Tank Academic - Brussels - News #455976 - Published on 05/10/26 at 17:31 - Updated on 06/10/26 at 17:19
©  Niklas Elmehed ©  Nobel Prize Outreach
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel - ©  Niklas Elmehed ©  Nobel Prize Outreach

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to two Germans and one US researcher for developing optogenetics, a method that makes it possible to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviours in the living brain.

The Nobel Assembly announced on 05/10/2026 that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine would be awarded to Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel and Karl Deisseroth in Stockholm on 10/12/2026, the day Alfred Nobel's birthday is celebrated. The prize is worth SEK 12 million (€1m) to be shared equally between the winners.

Hegemann and Nagel, from Germany, discovered the channelrhodopsin protein and Deisseroth, from the US, transformed this protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. Their discoveries made it possible to control nerve cell activity using light, transforming the way scientists study the brain and its functions.

"Optogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain. Every day brings discoveries, helping to solve one of humanity’s great mysteries: how our incredible…

©  Niklas Elmehed ©  Nobel Prize Outreach
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel - ©  Niklas Elmehed ©  Nobel Prize Outreach

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