US-German trio win medicine Nobel for work on optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to a US psychiatrist and neurologist, Karl Deisseroth, along with his German colleagues Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. Their groundbreaking work in the field of optogenetics has revolutionized the way scientists understand how specific cell types contribute to behaviors such as learning, fear, addiction, and movement.

This technology may pave the way for treatments for neurological and sensory disorders like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. Optogenetics has allowed researchers to reveal neural circuits governing particular memories, feelings, and behaviors relevant to neurological and psychiatric conditions. In clinical medicine, the method is being used to potentially restore sight in people with visual impairments.

Nobel officials emphasized that optogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain, with new discoveries being made daily. The laureates will each receive a diploma, a gold medal, and a US$1.2 million cheque at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, marking the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.