Nobel Prize in Medicine: The Main Role Was Played by an Alga

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for their discoveries in optogenetics. The method, based on the channelrhodopsin protein from the alga Chlamydomonas, allows control of nerve cells using light. The prize is 12 million Swedish kronor.

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists — Karl Deisseroth (USA), Peter Hegemann (Germany), and Georg Nagel (Germany) — for their discoveries in light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The method allows control of nerve cells using light. The foundation was the channelrhodopsin protein, discovered in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas. When exposed to blue light, the protein opens a channel through which ions enter the cell, creating an electrical impulse. Deisseroth introduced the channelrhodopsin gene into rat nerve cells and then into the brains of living mice. Optogenetics has already identified neural circuits responsible for memories, emotions, and behavior, and is also used in clinical trials to restore vision. The prize amount is 12 million Swedish kronor.

Nobel Prize in Medicine: The Main Role Was Played by an Alga