Three scientists win Nobel Prize for optogenetics brain research

Three scientists have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on optogenetics. The Nobel Assembly announced the award on October 5. Karl Deisseroth, from the United States, shares the prize with two German researchers, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.

Optogenetics is a technique that lets scientists control individual nerve cells using light. Researchers can switch specific brain cells on or off, which helps them study how the brain works. Scientists around the world now use this method to investigate memory, emotions, and mental illness.

The total prize money is 12 million Swedish crowns, roughly €1 million, divided between the three winners. The award was announced by the Karolinska Institute medical university in Sweden.