Honoring the 2026 Nobel Laureates

The Nobel Prizes recognize discoveries and contributions that deepen our understanding of the world and help shape its future. Each year, the laureates’ work shows how curiosity, creativity and sustained research can open new paths across science, culture and society. We’ll update this page as the 2026 prizes are announced, with more about the laureates’ achievements and links to their research.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to Karl Deisserothopens in new tab/window (Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, USA), Peter Hegemannopens in new tab/window (Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany), and Georg Nagelopens in new tab/window (University of Würzburg, Germany) “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”

Their discoveries gave researchers a way to control nerve-cell activity with light, opening new possibilities for studying how the brain works. The technique, called optogenetics, can help researchers investigate the neural circuits involved in memories, feelings and behaviours, including those relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders. It has also enabled research into how the nervous system interacts with other parts of the body.

In the early 2000s, Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein found in a single-celled alga. When exposed to blue light, the protein opens an ion channel, triggering an electrical signal. Deisseroth built on this work by introducing the gene for channelrhodopsin into nerve cells, showing that light could trigger their activity. He later demonstrated that the approach could work in the brains of living mice.

Optogenetics is now used in laboratories around the world to study brain function. Researchers are also investigating whether it could help restore sight in people with visual impairment.