2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine announced: Three pioneers of optogenetics win the award.

Beijing time, October 5 The list of winners of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced. The Karolinska Institute in Sweden announced that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be awarded to three scientists Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel in recognition of their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. According to the Nobel Prize official website, the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded for optogenetics. This is a method that allows people to observe how nerve cells in the living brain shape memory, emotion, and behavior. Hegemann from Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany and Nagel from the University of Wrzburg in Germany discovered an extraordinary protein in a single-celled alga channelrhodopsin. Deisseroth from Stanford University in the United States then turned this protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The three Nobel laureates opened a new era for neuroscience and laid the foundation for this new field. The Nobel Prize selection body said that the research of the three scientists advanced the development of optogenetics. This technology can use light signals to precisely control nerve cell activity, enabling researchers to observe how nerve cells in the living brain affect memory, emotion, and behavior, and opening a new direction for neuroscience research. It is reported that the winners will share equally the prize of 12 million Swedish kronor (about 8.02 million yuan).