Nobel Prize in Medicine Goes to the Inventors of Optogenetics

The 2026 medicine prize

Stockholm, 5 October 2026. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on optogenetics, Reuters reported.

Optogenetics uses light to switch specific cells on or off. The technique became a basic tool in brain research after the three scientists showed how light-sensitive proteins could be placed in living cells.

Why the award is being read this way

The prize recognizes a method, not a single drug. Labs use it to map circuits that older tools could not isolate.

The Nobel announcements continue through the week. Medicine is the first of the science prizes.