Nobel Prize in Medicine for three developers of optogenetics

They are awarded for optogenetics research. In optogenetics, light can be used to regulate, for example, the activity of living nerve cells, i.e. neurons.

The method makes it possible to show how neurons shape memories, emotions and behavior in the brain, states the Nobel Committee in its announcement.

Group leader Teemu Aitta-aho From the University of Helsinki, he knows the method well, and he has used optogenetics in his medical research.

“Hegemann and Nagel originally studied how light affects small organisms, such as algae and bacteria. How light activates their ion channels and ion pumps, which are related to the maintenance and movement of the biological system of organisms and the communication of the senses,” says Aitta-aho.

The discovery is from thirty years ago, and it opened up the possibility of significant new discoveries.

“Twenty years ago, Deisseroth wondered if these light-controlled microbial genes could be implanted into the brains of mammals. They would be like light-activated tools in the brain,” says Aitta-aho.

“They have been tried in cell models and they work in human cells. There is not much clinical use for the method yet, but they are useful in stem cell models, for example.”

According to Aitta-aho, the biggest benefit may be that you get to see exactly what cell types are in the brain. He himself has used it, among other things, to find new nerve cell connections in the amygdala.

“Researching the brain is difficult because we don’t have access to it. That’s why even seemingly small steps in the methods are significant.”

Aitta-aho says that at the University of Cambridge, he studied the importance of brain areas and especially certain neurons in reward behavior and in behavior related to avoidance. He was a researcher there a decade ago after his dissertation.

The award the amount is 12 million kroner, i.e. just under 1.1 million euros. The Nobel Foundation increased the amount by one million kroner from the previous year.

Nobel prizes have been awarded for 125 years now, as the first announcement was in 1901. For example, the first prize in medicine was awarded to a German Emil von Behring on the development of serum treatment for strep throat.

The physics prize will be announced on Tuesday and the chemistry prize on Wednesday.

The literature prize is next on Thursday and the peace prize on Friday.

The Swedish Central Bank’s Economics Prize Alfred Nobelin as a reminder, it will be announced a week from now on Monday.