This was based on research by Hegemann and Nagel into single-celled algae. They investigated light-sensitive proteins and demonstrated that channelrhodopsins function as light-controlled ion channels. Deisseroth applied this principle to nerve cells and developed a tool that enables the investigation of neural circuits with high spatial and temporal precision. Optogenetics has since developed into an important method in the neurosciences. Researchers can use it not only to observe which brain regions are active during specific processes, but also to experimentally investigate the influence of individual cell types on movement, behaviour, memories or emotions.
Therapeutic applications are also being investigated. These include approaches to neurological disorders as well as methods designed to utilise light-sensitive proteins in the treatment of certain forms of blindness. The Nobel Prize thus also demonstrates how basic research into comparatively simple biological systems can lead to the development of new research tools and, in the long term, potential therapeutic approaches.
Source: Press release The Nobel Prize
Illustration: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 © The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. Ill. Mattias Karlén