Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 09:16am on 08 Oct 2026,Thursday Science
Professor Suneel Kateriya of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) played an important role in the scientific journey behind the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. During his PhD research in Germany in 2001, Kateriya identified 2 genes for light-sensing proteins in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas. The genes were later named channelrhodopsin-1 and channelrhodopsin-2. His work became part of the foundation for optogenetics, a technique that allows scientists to control selected nerve cells using light. The 2026 Nobel Prize was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries involving light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. (PC: India Today)
