Scientists claim Nobel Prize for approach behind light-activated gene therapy

Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg will share the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, worth SKr 12m ($1.19m), for discovering and developing optogenetics. Drugmakers are applying the light-activated approach in ophthalmology: Nanoscope Therapeutics' Mogenry (sonpiretigene isteparvovec), whose BLA in retinitis pigmentosa US regulators accepted in September, has shown late-stage promise in RP and Stargardt disease, while GenSight Biologics' GS030 and Ray Therapeutics' RTx-01 are in RP trials. Luxturna remains the only FDA-approved vision-restoring therapy for RP, with GlobalData estimating sales near $400m in 2032.