2026年诺贝尔医学奖颁给光遗传学三人组：用光开关脑细胞
2026年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖周一在斯德哥尔摩揭晓，美国科学家 Karl Deisseroth 与德国科学家 Peter Hegemann、Georg Nagel 共同获奖，表彰他们关于光门控离子通道与光遗传学的发现。
光遗传学的核心，是把藻类中发现的光敏蛋白变成神经细胞的「光控开关」：研究者可以精确打开或关闭活体大脑中某一类神经元，进而观察学习、恐惧、成瘾、运动等行为背后的脑回路。它已成为全球神经科学实验室的常用工具，也被探索用于恢复视力、改善人工耳蜗等临床方向。
三位获奖者将分享1200万瑞典克朗奖金，约合120万美元。医学奖照例为今年诺贝尔奖季揭幕，物理、化学、文学、和平与经济学奖将在接下来几天陆续公布。（资料来源：路透社、诺贝尔奖委员会）
2026 Nobel Medicine Prize Honors Optogenetics Pioneers Who Switch Brain Cells With Light
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded Monday in Stockholm to American scientist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced.
Optogenetics turns a light-sensitive protein first studied in algae into a switch for nerve cells. By shining light on genetically targeted neurons, researchers can turn specific brain circuits on or off in a living brain and map how those circuits drive learning, fear, addiction, movement, and other behaviors. The method is now used in laboratories worldwide and is being explored for restoring sight and improving cochlear implants.
The three laureates will share 12 million Swedish crowns, about $1.2 million. The medicine prize traditionally opens Nobel season, with physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economics awards to follow in the coming days. (Sources: Reuters and the Nobel Assembly.)
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