10/06/2026
Photonics continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in science. The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognizes Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for pioneering work in optogenetics—a technique that uses light to precisely activate or inhibit specific cells, opening new ways to study neural circuits and biological function.
For those of us in the laser and photonics industry, it's exciting to see how advances in light delivery and control continue enabling breakthroughs well beyond traditional optics applications.
Congratulations to this year's laureates and the Nobel Prize. Learn more from the Nobel Prize here:
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 was awarded jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”