Nobel for optogenetics: Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel honored for controlling neurons with light

The 2026 Nobel Prize season began today in Stockholm with the announcement of the laureates in Medicine by the Karolinska Institute. The prize was awarded to the American Karl Deisseroth and the Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning ion channels activated by light and for developing optogenetics, a method that enables control of cellular activity, particularly in neurons, through light.

This technique relies on photosensitive proteins, making it possible for selected neurons to respond to light. In this way, nerve cells can be activated or deactivated with a very high level of precision. The origins of this discovery are linked to proteins present in photosensitive microorganisms.

Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel studied proteins that convert the light signal into changes in the electrical activity of cells. Karl Deisseroth later contributed to translating these findings into a new technology for scientific research on the brain.

Through genetic engineering, researchers can identify specific groups of neurons that produce light-sensitive proteins.

A light pulse then enables scientists to activate or block these neurons while observing their effect on brain function and behavior. Following the Medicine Prize, the Nobel Prize in Physics is expected to be announced on Tuesday, Chemistry on Wednesday and Literature on Thursday.

The Nobel Peace Prize is due to be announced on Friday. Meanwhile, the Swedish Bank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel will be announced on October 12. Each prize this year is worth 12 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately 1.09 million euros.

If a prize is awarded to several laureates, the amount is divided among them in proportion to the number of winners. The physical ceremony for the presentation of the Nobel Prizes will take place on December 10, marking the anniversary of the death of their founder, Alfred Nobel, the renowned Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite.