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Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 honours optogenetics
খবরে কেন?
Light switches neurons on and off: the 2026 Nobel technique GS3 Science and Tech tests
Optogenetics earns the 2026 Medicine Nobel.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 মিনিট
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 went to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for optogenetics.
The technique places light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsins in chosen neurons so that their activity can be switched on or off with light.
It lets researchers move beyond observing correlations to testing what specific brain cells cause.
সূত্র: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
মূল তথ্য
Remember these
- 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel
- Awarded for optogenetics, which controls chosen neurons with light
- Channelrhodopsins are light-sensitive ion-channel proteins originally found in algae
- Light-sensitive proteins are delivered to target neurons, often using viral vectors, so only those cells respond
- The technique tests what specific brain cells cause, not just what correlates with behaviour
প্রিলিমস · মেইনস
How the exam will ask it
প্রিলিমস
- Optogenetics uses light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin to switch the activity of genetically targeted neurons on or off.
- Channelrhodopsins are naturally found in microbial organisms such as algae.
- Optogenetics differs from electrode stimulation because it targets specific cell types rather than all tissue near an electrode.
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is announced from Stockholm.
মেইনস
GS3 Science and Technology: biotechnology. Issue: neuroscience long relied on correlations between brain activity and behaviour; optogenetics lets researchers test causation in specific neurons, with promise for studying epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and depression. Policy: India must fund neuroscience and gene-delivery research while framing ethical and biosafety norms for genetic tools. Way forward: strengthen translational research and clinical trial regulation.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 recognised work on optogenetics, a technique that controls the activity of chosen neurons using:
- Magnetic nanoparticles in the brain
- Ultrasound-sensitive ion channels
- Radio-frequency electrodes in tissue
- Light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin
উত্তর দেখুন
উত্তর: D — Correct: Light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin — Optogenetics places light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsin in chosen neurons so that light switches them on or off. • Magnetic nanoparticles in the brain — wrong: Magnetic nanoparticles are used in magnetogenetics, a different approach from optogenetics. • Ultrasound-sensitive ion channels — wrong: Ultrasound-sensitive channels belong to sonogenetics, not to optogenetics. • Radio-frequency electrodes in tissue — wrong: Implanted electrodes stimulate tissue electrically and do not target chosen cell types with light.
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