Nobel Prize Announcements Underway; Medicine Awarded to Optogenetics Pioneers

The Nobel committees have commenced the week-long unveiling of the 2026 Nobel Prizes, announcing the first award for physiology or medicine to a trio of scientists for discoveries that have "laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience."

The prestigious awards, presented annually in six fields, will see one category announced each weekday through the following week. The physics prize is scheduled for Tuesday, chemistry for Wednesday, literature for Thursday, and peace on Friday, with economic sciences to be announced the following Monday, October 12.

Winners will receive a diploma, a medal, and 12 million Swedish kroner, approximately $1.2 million USD, at award ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo in December.

This year's peace prize will be awarded from a pool of 287 nominees. Last year, the peace prize was presented to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Following the U.S. ousting of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, Machado later gave her medal to President Donald Trump, who had publicly sought the award. The Nobel Committee subsequently issued a statement clarifying that laureates cannot share or transfer prizes, emphasizing the finality of their decisions.

Trump has again been nominated for the peace prize this year but is not expected to win amidst the ongoing U.S. war with Iran.

Physiology or Medicine

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel were recognized with the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their foundational work in optogenetics. This technique uses light to investigate and control cellular processes within the brain.

Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for physiology or medicine, stated that optogenetics offers unprecedented opportunities for mapping the brain. Hegemann is a professor of biophysics at Humboldt University in Berlin, Nagel is a professor of plant physiology at the University of Wurzburg in Germany, and Deisseroth is a professor of behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

According to the committee, optogenetics enables researchers to precisely identify which nerve cells in complex neural pathways are responsible for various brain functions, including those related to pain, social behavior, thirst, hunger, and reward and attention.

Nagel expressed surprise at receiving the award, suggesting that other medical discoveries might have benefited more people. Hegemann described himself as "overwhelmed" upon learning of the honor.

Deisseroth, also expressing surprise, told Stanford Medicine that he was "quite surprised" and "couldn’t be happier," noting that the awarded trio represents the full progression of optogenetics, from early discoveries to advanced neuroscience applications. He added, "So this prize really captures the full journey of discovery."