Nobel Prize honors optogenetics, the light‑controlled neuron technology

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics, a method that uses light‑sensitive ion channels to activate or silence individual neurons. Hegemann’s early work on the alga Chlamydomonas identified two genes for channelrhodopsin‑1 and channelrhodopsin‑2, and Nagel showed that the proteins open when illuminated in frog embryos, while Deisseroth introduced the genes into rat neurons.

Researchers have used the technique to pinpoint brain regions involved in pain perception, social interaction and circadian timing. A 2021 optogenetic trial partially restored vision in a patient, and the Nobel Committee’s decision was preceded by a surprise phone call to Hegemann just before the public announcement.