02 / 10
Trio win medicine Nobel for optogenetics
Three researchers won the medicine Nobel for a technique that uses light to control nerve cells.
What happened
The Nobel Assembly awarded this year’s physiology or medicine prize to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries behind optogenetics. The method uses light-sensitive proteins to switch selected nerve cells on or off, helping researchers study circuits linked to memories, feelings and behaviour.
Numbers
- 12 million kronorPrize shared by the laureates
- 2005First lab nerve-cell demonstration
- 2007Living-mouse control followed
Questions
- What does optogenetics let scientists do?
- It makes selected cells responsive to light, allowing researchers to activate or silence nerve signals with precise timing in living brains.
- Where did the light-sensitive proteins originate?
- Hegemann and Nagel identified channelrhodopsin in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas, then showed it could make other cells light-sensitive.
- What medical use is being tested?
- Researchers are using the technique in attempts to restore sight for people with visual impairment, while other neurological applications remain research goals.
- Which Nobel awards follow medicine?
- Physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics prizes are due during Nobel week, before recipients gather for the December ceremony.
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The catch
The award recognizes a research tool; it does not mean treatments for brain disorders are available.
Clinical work remains limited.