Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on optogenetics. We are thrilled the Nobel has been awarded for foundational works that have enriched the toolbox of brain health research.
Optogenetics, a technology that allows researchers to control nerve signals with pulses of light, takes centre stage in the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The winners are neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth at Stanford University in California, biophysicists Peter Hegemann at the Humboldt University of Berlin and Georg Nagel at the University of Würzburg in Germany. They have been awarded the prize “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics”.
The trio’s research led to the development of a light-sensitive switch that can be used to control nerve signals in the living brain, switching them on or off. The technique has transformed how neuroscientists study the brain, offering them a way to explore causal relationships and reveal neural circuits. Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered a remarkable protein, channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga. Karl Deisseroth transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The Laureates have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience.
This landmark recognition underscores the extraordinary potential of bioengineering as a tool for advancing brain science. In its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), the European Partnership for Brain Health (EP BrainHealth) also highlights that new technologies such as genetic engineering or optogenetics are central in advancing therapeutic innovations for people living with brain disorders (SRIA, 3.2.4). This Nobel Prize awarded in the field of brain research affirms the partnership’s ambition to invest in the development of neurotechnologies and to accelerate the translation of such technologies from the laboratory bench into clinical practice.