According to CCTV news, on October 5 local time, the Karolinsch Akademi in Sweden announced that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2026 will be awarded to three scientists: Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel, in recognition of their discoveries in light-controlled ion channels and photogenetics.
It is reported that the winners will split the prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor (approximately 8.02 million RMB).
According to the Nobel Prize website, the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be awarded to photogenetics. This is a method that allows people to observe how nerve cells in living brains shape memories, emotions, and behaviors.
From Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, Hegeman and from the University of Würzburg, Germany, Nagel discovered a remarkable protein in a single-celled alga—channel rhodopsin. From Stanford University in the United States, Deseres transformed this protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. These three Nobel laureates have opened a new era in neuroscience and laid the foundation for this new field.
For a long time, how the brain controls emotions, behavior, and physical functions has been a mystery. In the 20th century, researchers began to explore which regions of the brain affect certain functions. However, due to the limitations of the methods used at that time, they were unable to prove causal relationships between these factors.
The brain images they depict are like a sketch, filled with questions and unknowns. Now, that is changing.
"Optical Genetics Provides Us With Possibilities We Only Dreamed Of in the Past For Constructing a Brain Map." Per Svenningsson, Chairman of the Nobel Prize Committee for Physiology or Medicine.
Everything began with Hegel's curiosity.
He wanted to know how single-celled algae like Chlamydomonas navigate towards light sources.
In the early 21st century, he and Nagel discovered channel rhodopsin. This is a type of algae protein with unique properties, which exists on the cell surface.
When exposed to blue light, this protein opens a channel. Charged ions then flow into the cell, thereby generating electrical impulses. They found that no matter which type of cell the protein is placed in, these cells become sensitive to light.
Daisels subsequently introduced the gene for channel visual rhodopsin into rat nerve cells.
By shining blue light on these cells, he successfully triggered neural signals. He published this groundbreaking discovery in 2005. Two years later, he further tested how this light-controlled switch, designed to control nerve cells, worked in the brains of living mice.
This method of using light to control nerve signals is now known as photogenetics, and it has had a global impact.
Using optogenetics, researchers have been able to uncover the neural circuits that control specific memories, emotions, and behaviors. These neural circuits are associated with various neurological and mental disorders.
In the field of clinical medicine, researchers are also attempting to use this method to help people with impaired vision regain their vision.
Optogenetics has fundamentally changed our understanding of the brain. New discoveries are emerging every day, helping us to unravel a significant mystery that humanity faces: how our incredible brains actually function.
