2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Deisseroth, Hegemann, Nagel

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Gero Miesenböck, along with David Julius, who was awarded in 2021, for their discoveries of mechanisms for optogenetics, a technique that allows for the precise control of brain cells. Deisseroth and Hegemann were recognized for their fundamental discoveries, while Miesenböck and Julius were awarded for their work on optogenetics in neurons, specifically on the light-gated ion channels in the retina and in the brain. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced the award on October 3, 2026.