Indian Professor's Research Aided Nobel-Winning Optogenetics Discovery

Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Suneel Kateriya, a former PhD student of 2026 Nobel laureate Peter Hegemann, contributed to the foundational discovery behind the prize-winning optogenetics research. His work identifying key genes helped enable the light-based brain cell control technology. Kateriya identified two DNA sequences in green algae during his 2000-2004 doctoral studies in Germany, leading to the discovery of channelrhodopsins. He is an author on landmark 2002 and 2003 papers, with the technology later developed by Georg Nagel and Karl Deisseroth. The Nobel Prize was awarded jointly to Deisseroth, Hegemann, and Nagel. Kateriya, who has published over 25 papers with his mentor since returning to India, says he is content with his contribution and emphasizes the importance of basic science for India.