American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Nobel Committee announced on Monday. They received the prize “for discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”
More details about the research are provided in a press release from the Nobel Committee.
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, as well as Japanese scientist Shimon Sakaguchi. They received the prize “for discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance,” which prevents the immune system from damaging the body.
The recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is selected by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, which was founded in 1810. Members of the Nobel Committee may also invite experts to provide consultations.
The medicine and physiology prize marks the beginning of “Nobel Week.” On October 6, the laureate in physics will be announced, followed by the chemistry laureate on October 7. The literature laureate will be announced on October 8. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be announced in Oslo on October 9. The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, established by Sweden’s central bank in 1969, will be awarded on October 12.
In 2026, the Nobel Prize marks its 125th anniversary. To mark the jubilee year, the Nobel Foundation increased the prize amount by SEK 1 million to SEK 12 million (about $1.2 million).
The award ceremony for the laureates will traditionally take place in Stockholm on December 10. On this day in 1896, Swedish entrepreneur and inventor Alfred Nobel, the founder of the prize, died.
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