Three US, German Scientists Win 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine

By Adedapo Adesanya

Three scientists have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that enabled researchers to control nerve cells using light.

Karl Deisseroth of the United States and Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel of Germany were jointly awarded the prize “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet said their work laid the foundation for optogenetics, a technique that allows scientists to activate or silence specific nerve cells using pulses of light.

The breakthrough dates to research into how single-celled algae respond to light. Hegemann and Nagel identified light-sensitive proteins called channelrhodopsins, which open channels in cell membranes when exposed to light, allowing electrically charged ions to flow into the cell.

The discovery provided scientists with a way to make other cells respond to light. Deisseroth later recognised its potential for neuroscience and introduced the gene responsible for channelrhodopsin into nerve cells.

In 2005, he demonstrated that blue light could trigger nerve signals in modified nerve cells, and in 2007 he successfully used the technique in the brains of living mice.

The development transformed neuroscience by giving researchers unprecedented precision in studying how individual groups of nerve cells control functions such as movement, memory, emotions and behaviour.

Before optogenetics, scientists could stimulate broad areas of the brain, making it difficult to determine which specific nerve cells were responsible for particular functions. The new technique allows researchers to target selected neural circuits with light.

The Nobel Assembly said the technology has helped scientists investigate brain circuits linked to neurological and psychiatric disorders and has opened potential medical applications.

Researchers are also exploring optogenetics as a possible treatment for conditions including visual impairment, although such applications remain under development.

The three laureates will share the 2026 Nobel Prize award of 12 million Swedish kronor.

If you mean the Nobel Prize awards schedule, you could phrase it as:

The Nobel Prize awards will be announced throughout the week, with Physics to be awarded on Tuesday, Chemistry on Wednesday, Literature on Thursday, Peace on Friday, and Economic Sciences next Monday.