Stockholm: The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly on Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
The award has been bestowed “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”
Optogenetics makes it possible to switch on or off the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain. According to the official website of the Nobel Prize, this method is now being used in laboratories around the world to reveal the mysteries of the brain.
BREAKING NEWSThe 2026 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.” https://t.co/pkDDEBWtkz
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2026
The prize was announced at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, kicking off the Nobel week.
Monday's Nobel is followed by the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday.
After Friday's peace prize is awarded, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced on October 12.
The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million).
(With inputs from AP via PTI, Nobelprize.org)
