2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to three scientists studying brain activity
Three scientists have been awarded the prize for their pioneering work in the field of optogenetics, which enables the control of brain activity by combining light and genes.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Dr. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for developing tools using light to decipher how the brain works. The research conducted by these scientists gave rise to the field of optogenetics, which allows neurons in living brains to be turned on and off with light.
The Birth of the Field of Optogenetics
The foundations of a major breakthrough were laid when Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel investigated how single-celled green algae swim toward light. They discovered a special protein that generates an electrical signal when illuminated with blue light, and they made other cells light-sensitive by introducing this protein into them.
Dr. Karl Deisseroth, on the other hand, applied this method borrowed from nature to the brain cells of living mice, proving that neurons could be controlled with the help of light.
The Google Earth Era in Brain Mapping
Experts state that this scientific development has extraordinarily expanded the understanding of the brain's organization. Neurology specialists note that this technology has brought the brain atlas to a much more detailed dimension.
Thanks to these precise techniques that have been developed, the millisecond communication speed of brain cells has become directly controllable in a laboratory setting for the first time.
Hope for Treatments for Blindness and Other Diseases
Through the optogenetic method, neural pathways responsible for behavior and diseases can be identified. This opens the door to developing new methods in the treatment of conditions such as genetic blindness, depression, addiction, and dementia.
Companies are continuing efforts to place light-activated proteins into the retinas of patients to treat an inherited blindness called retinitis pigmentosa.
The Nobel Phone Call and Morning Routine
Dr. Karl Deisseroth, who was working on articles late into the night and communicating with students via email at his home in Northern California, received the phone call from the Nobel Committee just as he was going to bed.
Experiencing great surprise, Deisseroth emphasized that while receiving congratulatory messages, he still had to fulfill his responsibility of preparing school lunches when his children woke up.
The Start of Nobel Week
The Nobel week officially began with the medicine prize announced at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. This year, a cash prize of 12 million Swedish kronor is being awarded to the individuals or groups who win the prize.
The medicine prize announced on Monday will be followed by the physics prize on Tuesday, the chemistry prize on Wednesday, and the literature prize on Thursday.