Stockholm:
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded Monday to US
psychiatrist and neurologist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter
Hegemann and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses
light to control specific cells in living tissue. The field has helped
researchers map how particular cell types drive behaviours such as learning,
fear, addiction and movement, and could eventually lead to treatments for
neurological and sensory disorders like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
The
Nobel Assembly said optogenetics has allowed scientists to trace neural
circuits tied to specific memories and emotions relevant to psychiatric and
neurological conditions, and credited the method with transforming
understanding of the brain, calling it a daily source of new discoveries into
how the organ functions. In clinical settings, researchers are also exploring
the technique's potential to restore vision in people with visual impairment.
The
laureates will receive their prize - a diploma, a gold medal and a $1.2 million
award - from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10,
marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. Last year's medicine prize
went to Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell of the US and Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi
for their work on immune system regulation.
The Nobel season continues with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, literature on Thursday, and the closely watched peace prize on Friday, with the economics prize rounding out the announcements on October 12.
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