Nobel Prize in Medicine

Scientists Win Nobel Prize for Pioneering Research in Neuroscience and Immune Tolerance

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries in neuroscience. The scientists were awarded for their research on light-gated ion channels, a type of proteins, which led them to establish the field of optogenetics, a technique that uses tiny lights to activate discrete groups of neurons in the brain. The discovery has helped identify specific circuits in the brains and provides clues for the treatment of conditions such as blindness, depression, addiction and dementia. Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were also recognized for their contributions to the discovery of peripheral immune tolerance, which explains how our immune system prevents rogue cells from attacking our own tissues and organs.

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