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Nobel Prize 2026 Honors Optogenetics Pioneers Karl Deisseroth

By Drooid · Oct 7, 2026, 7:55 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Nobel Assembly Awards Optogenetics

Swedish Nobel Assembly awarded the 2026 Physiology or Medicine prize to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a light-gated ion protein from Chlamydomonas algae.
Deisseroth showed channelrhodopsin can precisely switch mammalian neurons on or off with light.
Early human trials are testing optogenetic approaches for retinitis pigmentosa, cochlear implants and psychiatric disorders.
The laureates will receive 12 million Swedish kronor (?$1.2 million) at the December 10 ceremony.

Summary

Deisseroth Family Cheers

Michelle Monje-Deisseroth answered the Nobel call seconds after her husband, Karl Deisseroth, missed it.
Their children responded with shrieks and hugs, captured in a Stanford Instagram video.
Stanford President Jonathan Levin called Deisseroth a defining figure in modern neuroscience.
The Deisseroth Lab held a celebratory meeting with champagne beside the usual coffee.
Colleague Cynthia Delacruz drove four hours overnight to join the lab’s Nobel celebration.

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Nobel Assembly Awards Optogenetics

Swedish Nobel Assembly awarded the 2026 Physiology or Medicine prize to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.
Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, a light-gated ion protein from Chlamydomonas algae.
Deisseroth showed channelrhodopsin can precisely switch mammalian neurons on or off with light.
Early human trials are testing optogenetic approaches for retinitis pigmentosa, cochlear implants and psychiatric disorders.
The laureates will receive 12 million Swedish kronor (?$1.2 million) at the December 10 ceremony.

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