Researchers in US, Germany awarded Nobel Prize in medicine

Three researchers from universities in the United States and Germany have been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Secretary-General of the Nobel Assembly Thomas Perlmann said, "The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics."

Optogenetics is a technique that allows scientists to control the activity of nerve cells using light.

The Nobel committee said the laureates had laid the foundation for a "new era" in neuroscience.

It said optogenetics has enabled researchers to identify the neural circuits governing specific memories, feelings and behaviors, and link them to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

The method is also being tested as a way to restore sight in people with visual impairment.

The prize committee said optogenetics is helping unravel one of humanity's greatest mysteries by transforming our understanding of how the brain works.