The Physiological Society congratulates Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel on being awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
It was announced today (Monday 5 October) that Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have been jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. They discovered a protein, called channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga, which could be used as light-controlled switch for nerve cells in the brains of mice.
Responding to the Nobel Prize announcement, President of the Physiological Society, Professor Mike Tipton, said:
“On behalf of the Physiological Society, I am delighted to congratulate Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for being jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This type of research has helped to lay the foundation of a new era in neuroscience, making it possible to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain.”
“Physiology helps us understand how the body functions. This work is a striking example of how researchers have been able to reveal how the brain works. Uncovering how the brain can form memories, feelings, and behaviours, which has implications for human health and understanding what goes wrong in disease, such as identifying the neural circuits associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders. This work has clinical applications, with researchers using optogenetics to help restore sight in people with visual impairment.”
More information – https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2026/press-release
Notes for editors
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Contacts
The Physiological Society:
Alanna Orpen, Senior Communications Officer
pressoffice@physoc.org