Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel win 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine for optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded on Monday, 5 October 2026, to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, according to Deutsche Welle, France 24, the South China Morning Post and Reuters. The award-giving body, as quoted by Reuters, cited "discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics".

The prize was announced at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, France 24 and the South China Morning Post reported. The South China Morning Post quoted the committee as saying the prize was "for discoveries leading to optogenetics, which makes it possible to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain." France 24 quoted the Nobel committee as writing on X that the method "is now being used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain’s mysteries".

The laureates are German and US scientists, according to Deutsche Welle and Reuters. Reuters reported that Deisseroth is American and that Hegemann and Nagel are German. France 24 gave their ages as 54, 71 and 73 respectively. The prize carries a cash award of 12 million Swedish kronor, about $1.2 million, Deutsche Welle and France 24 reported. It is the first Nobel announcement of the 2026 season, with further prizes due through Friday. Deutsche Welle reported that the prizes will be presented in Stockholm on 10 December.

What is not yet known: The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not say how the prize money is divided among the three laureates. They do not describe each laureate's individual contribution or when the work was carried out. They do not include any reaction from the laureates or from outside scientists, and they do not describe any medical or clinical applications of optogenetics. The reports do not include the full official announcement, whose statements appear only as quoted by news outlets. Deutsche Welle labels its report a developing story.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.