Optogenetics pioneers win 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. Their work allows scientists to control nerve cells with light, mapping brain circuits behind memory, emotions and behaviour, and laying groundwork for treatments of Alzheimer's, addiction and sight restoration.