From a Karolinska stage in Stockholm, the Nobel Assembly honoured the algae-inspired discovery that lets scientists control brain cells with light — and may one day restore sight to the blind.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists whose research revealed how the brain’s individual nerve cells can be switched on or off with light, the Nobel Assembly announced on Monday.
The laureates are Karl Deisseroth, 54, of Stanford University in the United States; Peter Hegemann, 71, of Humboldt University in Berlin; and Georg Nagel, 73, of the University of Würzburg in Germany. They were selected for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute said.
Optogenetics makes it possible to switch on or off the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain, said Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Assembly. He added that the method is now being used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain’s mysteries.
<h2>From algae to neuroscience</h2> The discoveries began in the early 1990s, when Hegemann investigated how the green alga Chlamydomonas reacts to light. He hypothesised that a single protein captured light and acted as an ion channel. Nagel later confirmed this by testing genes from the algae in frog eggs, identifying channelrhodopsin-2, an ion channel that opens when exposed to light.
Deisseroth then built on their work, using the gene that controls the protein to create a light-controlled switch for nerve cells in the brains of living mice. The result opened what the Nobel Assembly called a new era in neuroscience, allowing researchers to probe the pathways that lead to behaviour and disease.
<h2>Clinical promise</h2> The technique is already showing clinical potential. In clinical trials, researchers are restoring vision to people blinded by a condition called retinitis pigmentosa by inserting a light-sensitive protein into the retina. Scientists also hope optogenetics could improve cochlear implants, allowing more precise stimulation of the auditory nerve than current electrical devices.
The medicine prize traditionally opens the annual Nobel announcements. This year’s physics prize is announced on Tuesday, followed by chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The peace prize follows on Friday, and the economics prize will be announced on October 12.
The three laureates will share prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor, worth about $1.2 million. Perlmann said he was able to reach all three winners by telephone on Monday.
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