Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Awarded for	Discoveries in physiology or medicine that led to benefit for humankind
Location	Stockholm, Sweden
Presented by	Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute
Reward(s)	12 million SEK (2026)
First awarded	1901 (1901)
Most recent recipients	Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel (2026)
Website	nobelprize.org/medicine

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is an award given every year by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for discoveries in physiology or medicine. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes prizes that are given "to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Medicine or Physiology, Chemistry, Literature, and Peace. A sixth prize, for Economic Sciences, was created in 1968 by Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) in memory of Alfred Nobel.

The most recent Nobel prize was announced on 5 October 2026, and has been awarded to American Karl Deisseroth, Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

Background

The Nobel Prize is presented every year on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, 10 December. As of 2026, 117 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded to 235 laureates, 221 men and 14 women. The first one was awarded in 1901 to the German physiologist, Emil von Behring, for his work on serum therapy and the development of a vaccine against diphtheria. The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Gerty Cori, received it in 1947 for her role in elucidating the metabolism of glucose, important in many aspects of medicine, including treatment of diabetes.

The prize is a medal along with a diploma and a certificate for the monetary award.

List of winners

Main article: List of Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine