At approximately 17:30 Beijing Time on October 5, 2026, the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced.

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for their "discoveries concerning light-controlled ion channels and optogenetics."

It is understood that the Nobel Foundation announced in September that the prize amount for each award in 2026 would be increased from the previous 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately 7.34 million RMB) to 12 million Swedish kronor (approximately 8.01 million RMB), an increase of 1 million Swedish kronor, or about 9%.

The Foundational Contributions of Three Scientists

The Nobel Prize awarding body stated that the research of the three scientists advanced the development of optogenetics. This technology enables the precise control of nerve cell activity using light signals, allowing researchers to observe how nerve cells in the living brain influence memory, emotion, and behavior, and opening new directions for neuroscience research.

This research originally stemmed from the exploration of single-celled algae. Peter Hegemann had long been curious about how Chlamydomonas swims toward light sources. In the early 21st century, he and Georg Nagel discovered a protein with a special function called "channelrhodopsin." This protein is located on the surface of algal cells. When exposed to blue light, the protein opens ion channels, allowing charged ions to enter the cell and generating electrical signals.

Researchers further discovered that no matter which type of cell this protein is introduced into, it can make that cell sensitive to light. This discovery provided a key foundation for using light signals to control cell activity.

Subsequently, Karl Deisseroth introduced the gene for channelrhodopsin into rat nerve cells. When researchers shone blue light on these cells, they could directly trigger nerve signals. Deisseroth published this breakthrough in 2005, and two years later further demonstrated that this light-controlled nerve cell "switch" could function in the brains of living mice.

This method of using light to control nerve signals later became known as optogenetics and rapidly spread throughout the global neuroscience research community. Using optogenetics, researchers can precisely manipulate specific neural circuits to study brain mechanisms related to specific memories, emotions, and behaviors, and further explore the relationship between these mechanisms and neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Per Svenningsson, Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, stated that optogenetics has provided research tools for brain research that were previously unimaginable, enabling scientists to map neural connections and activity in the brain in new ways.

Beyond basic neuroscience research, optogenetics has also begun to enter the field of clinical medical research. For example, researchers are attempting to use this technology to help patients with visual impairment restore partial visual function.

The Nobel Prize awarding body believes that optogenetics has developed from a basic biological discovery into an important tool for studying the brain and has fundamentally changed scientists' understanding of how the brain works. As related research continues to advance, this technology is helping scientists further explore the neural mechanisms behind memory, emotion, behavior, and other complex brain functions.

From Understanding Life to Rewriting Life

Science knows no borders, and life has light. Looking back over more than a century of the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded 116 times, honoring 232 Nobel laureates. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their "pioneering discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance, particularly the revelation of regulatory T cells—the 'security guards' of the immune system."

We extend our deepest respect to these scientific predecessors who have made foundational contributions in key areas concerning human health! We also look forward to more fundamental scientific breakthroughs accelerating from the laboratory to the clinic, ultimately translating into tangible benefits for patients.

As a venture capital institution focused on biomedicine, Yifeng Capital has always believed that the ultimate value of science lies in benefiting life. Yifeng will continue to deeply cultivate the field of human life and health, linking the frontier with capital, accompanying growth with patience, using the power of investment to improve the quality of life, promoting the efficient translation of biomedical research achievements, and contributing Yifeng's strength to the global health cause.

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