Controlling Brain Cells with Light: Three Pioneers of 'Optogenetics' Win Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine [Update 2]

[Financial News] Three scientists who pioneered 'optogenetics,' which turns brain cells on and off with light, will receive this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The Nobel Committee at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet announced on October 5 local time that it had selected Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel as the joint laureates of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The Nobel Committee cited "discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics" as the reason for the selection.
Optogenetics is a technique that involves introducing light-sensitive proteins into specific neurons and then using light to precisely control their activity. Because it allows researchers to selectively turn individual cells on and off, it has become a key research tool for uncovering how brain circuits are involved in behavior, emotions and memory.
This year's Nobel laureates will be announced in turn across all six categories, beginning with Physiology or Medicine on the 5th, followed by Physics on the 6th, Chemistry on the 7th, Literature on the 8th, Peace on the 9th and Economics on the 12th. 



[email protected] Jung Myung-jin, medical correspondent Reporter