rain function, which established and deployed the tools needed for optogenetics.
Karl Deisseroth, the D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, for establishing the modern field of optogenetics, for rendering the technique an invaluable tool for biological discovery, and for discovering along with Peter Hegemann the key principles of light-sensitive channel structure and function.
Peter Hegemann, the Hertie professor of Neuroscience at Humboldt University of Berlin, for his study of light-sensitive molecular channels in single-cell organisms--the key proteins that make optogenetic manipulation possible--and discovering along with Karl Deisseroth the key principles of light-sensitive channel structure and function.
Gero Miesenböck, the Waynflete Professor of Physiology and director of the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, for the first demonstrations of optogenetic control of neural activity and animal behavior and for discoveries proving the utility of optogenetics for neurobiological research
"The discoveries made by this year's four honorees have fundamentally changed the landscape of neuroscience," said George Q. Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School. "Their work has enabled scientists to see, understand and manipulate neurons, providing the foundation for understanding the ultimate enigma--the human brain."
The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize recognizes the work of scientists throughout the world. To date, the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize has awarded nearly $5 million to 69 scientists. Since the award's inception in 1987, 10 honorees have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize.
"The 2019 Warren Alpert Prize for medical research recognizes one of the transformative technical advances of the past decade. The ability to selectively turn on neuronal signals with light exposure has made achievable a more refined analysis of neural connections underlying behavior," said Joseph Martin, director and chairman of the board of the Warren Alpert Foundation and former dean of Harvard Medical School.
Light, molecule, action!
The advent of optogenetics and the subsequent advances in the field stem from the collective work of many scientists over nearly two decades. However, the four award recipients made the essential discoveries that set the stage for using this approach and enabled researchers to manipulate neurons via genetic modification and light stimulation.
The tantalizing yet far-fetched idea of using light to modify neuronal activity became a reality in 2002 when experiments conducted by Miesenböck demonstrated that it was, indeed, possible to do so. He developed light-sensitive signaling pathways into molecular tools to probe neuronal function at the cellular and systems levels. Miesenböck tested the approach in a living organism--the fruit fly--and demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to use light to control the brain, offering a new way to illuminate its function.
Miesenböck genetically incorporated light-detecting proteins derived from the eyes of flies--light-sensing molecules called rhodopsins--into nerve cells. This achievement did not merely render neurons sensitive to light but also offered a way to control their activity remotely. The outer membrane of these modified neurons was studded with light-activated channels that could control the flow of electric and chemical signals into and out of the cell. This feature allowed scientists to turn the neurons on and off simply by exposing them to light. When a flash of light hits one of these molecular channels, the channel opens up, an electrical current is switched on and the neuron fires, activating the circuit in which it resides.
Another pivotal development in the field of optogenetics came from Hegemann, whose efforts spanning decades were initially focused on understanding how green algae sense light. In the 1980s, Hegemann began exploring how the light-activated molecules in green algae and other simple organisms sense light. Starting