Nobel Prize awarded for optogenetics research

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] · 2026-10-05 09:45

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for their pioneering work in optogenetics. Their research focused on light-gated ion channels, a method that allows scientists to control neural activity with light. This technique has become a crucial tool for understanding brain functions related to behavior and may offer future therapeutic avenues for neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. AI

RANK_REASON Award of a Nobel Prize for scientific research. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.1]

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Newsworthiness bucket: Tool; Award of a Nobel Prize for scientific research. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.1]
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SCMP — Tech TIER_1 English(EN) · Agencies · 2026-10-05 09:45

Nobel Medicine Prize awarded to US-German trio for work on optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize season opened on Monday with the Medicine Prize being awarded to three scientists working on the mechanisms the brain uses to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells. Karl Deisseroth, 54, Peter Hegemann, 71, and Georg Nagel, 73, have carried…