Researchers win major prize for manipulating brain cells using light

Four scientists have been awarded this year’s Warren Alpert prize for their work in the field of optogenetics, which uses light to manipulate living cells. The $500,000 prize, which is given out in conjunction with Harvard Medical School and will be split between the four winners, recognizes research that aims to cure or treat human diseases. This year’s winners are Edward Boyden from MIT; Karl Deisseroth from Stanford; Peter Hegemann from Humboldt University in Berlin; and Gero Meissenböck from the University of Oxford, U.K. All four researchers use light and genetic modifications to manipulate neurons in order to better understand brain behavior and function. The winners will be recognized at an October symposium at HMS.