2026年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖颁发给史丹佛大学的 Karl Deisseroth、柏林洪堡大学的 Peter Hegemann 以及维尔茨堡大学的 Georg Nagel，表彰他们奠定并开创了光遗传学（optogenetics）。这项革命性技术使科学家能利用光束精确调控单一神经细胞的开关，为大脑图谱绘制与神经疾病研究提供了前所未有的工具，也是微生物学与神经科学跨领域融合的重大成果。
光遗传学的起源源于对单细胞绿藻「衣藻」感光机制的微生物学探索。Hegemann 发现衣藻眼点能在光照后以极快速度产生电讯号，并推测其表面存在兼具感光与离子通道功能的蛋白质。随后在绿藻基因定序的协助下，Nagel 将相关基因导入卵细胞，证实其为受光刺激开启的通道蛋白，并将其命名为 channelrhodopsin-1 与 channelrhodopsin-2（ChR2），更进一步在哺乳动物细胞中成功诱发电讯号。
神经科学家 Deisseroth 一直致力于精准调控活体大脑的神经细胞活动，他取得 ChR2 的 DNA 序列并将其转染至大鼠神经元中，于 2005 年成功实现利用蓝光精确触发神经元脉冲。随后三位学者持续合作拓展对不同光波长响应的光敏蛋白工具箱。自 2006 年定名以来，光遗传学已广泛应用于揭示记忆、情绪与神经精神疾病的回路机制，并推动恢复视力等临床医疗探索。
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University in Berlin, and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg for the development of optogenetics. This revolutionary technique allows scientists to turn individual nerve cells on or off using beams of light, providing unprecedented precision for brain mapping and neurological disease research while exemplifying the powerful convergence of microbiology and neuroscience.
The foundation of optogenetics began with microbiological investigations into how the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas detects and reacts rapidly to light. Hegemann discovered that the alga generates ultra-fast electrical impulses and hypothesized the existence of light-activated ion channels. Following the sequencing of the alga's genome, Nagel verified this by expressing the genes in frog eggs and discovering channelrhodopsin-1 and channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), which successfully triggered light-induced electrical signals when introduced into mammalian cells.
Seeking a precise method to toggle specific neurons in a living brain, Deisseroth collaborated with Nagel to introduce ChR2 into rat nerve cells, successfully demonstrating in 2005 that blue light could instantly fire neuronal impulses. The researchers further collaborated to identify diverse light-sensitive proteins responsive to different wavelengths. Since the term was coined in 2006, optogenetics has become an indispensable tool for mapping circuits of behavior and psychiatric disorders and advancing therapeutic attempts such as vision restoration.