Nobel Prize in Medicine announced; three scientists share award

STOCKHOLM: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been announced, with American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German researchers Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel being named the recipients. They were honoured for their discoveries related to light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

Karl Deisseroth works at Stanford University in California, while Peter Hegemann is associated with Humboldt University in Berlin and Georg Nagel with the University of Würzburg in Germany. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, announced the award.

The three scientists conducted research into how emotions and memories are formed in the brain. Optogenetics is a technology that helps scientists understand how nerve cells influence memories, emotions and behaviour. The Nobel Committee said the three scientists had laid the foundation for a new era in brain research.

BREAKING NEWS The 2026 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.” https://t.co/pkDDEBWtkz

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2026