SPEAK UP: ‘Optogenetics’ wins Nobel for illuminating eyes for the blind (1/2) 諾貝爾生醫獎「光遺傳」 點亮盲人希望（上）

A: The 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to US doctor Karl Deisseroth, German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their breakthrough in the field of “optogenetics.”

B: Wow, what kind of research is so impressive?

A: They discovered a protein “channelrhodopsin” in a green alga, and introduced the protein gene into nerve cells, where the light switched on and off a nerve signal.

2026 Nobel Prize laureates Karl Deisseroth, from left, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. 2026 諾貝爾獎得主戴瑟羅斯（左起）、赫吉曼、內格爾。

Photo: AFP 照片：法新社

B: Can vision-impaired individuals regain sight through “optogenetics?”

A: Well, some researchers have injected similar light-responsive protein into patients’ eyes, trying to enable cells to react to light. This offers hope to those suffering eye diseases like “retinitis pigmentosa” (RP).

A: 2026年諾貝爾生醫獎頒給美國醫生戴瑟羅斯、德國科學家赫吉曼和內格爾，以表彰他們在「光遺傳學」領域的突破。

B: 是什麼研究這麼厲害？

A: 他們在某一種綠藻中，發現「光敏感通道蛋白」（通道視紫紅質），將其轉化為能以光線控制神經細胞的開關。

B: 透過「光遺傳學」，視力受損者也能恢復視力嗎？

A: 有研究將類似感光蛋白注射進病患眼中，讓原本不感光的細胞可以感光，為「色素性視網膜炎」（RP）等患者帶來希望！

（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）

For your information

Language Tip 語文小提示

retinitis pigmentosa (RP) 色素性視網膜炎（視網膜色素病變） retinitis 視網膜炎（retina 視網膜） pigmentosa 色素的（pigment 色素、顏料）