Deisseroth, Hegemann, Nagel Win Nobel for Optogenetics Breakthrough

The 2026 Nobel Prize winners have been announced across six categories, with notable recognitions in medicine and physics. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their pioneering work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

This technique allows researchers to control nerve cell activity using light, transforming neuroscience by enabling the study of brain cells related to memories, emotions, and behavior. Deisseroth is the D.H.

Chen Professor of Bioengineering and Psychiatry at Stanford University, while Hegemann and Nagel are recognized for their discoveries of light-sensitive proteins in algae. In Physics, Belgian-American physicist Francis Halzen received the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which detects high-energy neutrinos and aids in understanding cosmic events.

Halzen's vision was instrumental in establishing this vast detector embedded in Antarctic ice.