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Congratulations to Professor Gero Miesenböck (Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics) who is to be awarded the 2022 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, together with Professors Karl Deisseroth and Peter Hegemann, for research that laid the foundation for the field of optogenetics.

Gero Miesenböck

Professor Gero Miesenböck, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) Waynflete Professor of Physiology and Director of the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, is one of three scientists to be awarded the 2022 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for pioneering work in the field of optogenetics.

Optogenetics uses light and genetic modification to control the activity of cells in the brain, allowing researchers to precision-target neurons in the brain and study how the activity of these cells contributes to simple and complex behaviours. The technique has revolutionised the study of the nervous system, having helped scientists to better understand how brain circuitry controls a wide range of behaviours including learning, sleep, vision, movement and addiction. It has increased the potential for treating diseases such as epilepsy, spinal injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s. 

Read the full story on the DPAG website