Trio win Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels, optogenetics

Nobel Committee Secretary General Thomas Perlmann (R) speaks to the media in front of a screen displaying the names of this year's laureates (L-R) Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel during the announcement of the winners of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 5, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the prize on Monday for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute announced.

According to the institute, optogenetics is a method that shows how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviors in the living brain.

"Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered a remarkable protein, channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga. Karl Deisseroth transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The laureates have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience," the institute said in a press release.

Karl Deisseroth, born in the United States, is a professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University. Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, both born in Germany, are professors at Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Würzburg, respectively.

The laureates will share a prize of 12 million Swedish kronor (about 1.19 million U.S. dollars).