Three scientists who taught researchers to switch brain cells on and off with light won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday, Oct. 5. Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University of Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg were honored "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics," according to STAT. The three will share 12 million Swedish kronor, which STAT put at about $1.2 million.
For the millions of Americans living with depression or Parkinson's disease, and the families who care for them, the headlines may sound like a new treatment has arrived. It has not. The most striking disease findings tied to this work come from mice, and no optogenetic therapy for depression, Parkinson's, or any other condition has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
