2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Optogenetics
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognizes discoveries that made optogenetics possible: controlling nerve cells with light. Light-gated ion channels allow selected cells to be activated or inhibited, making it possible to study neural circuits with unprecedented precision.
The laureates are Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. Their work opened new paths for research into the brain and neurological disease.
