Georg Nagel

Research Statement

AI generated · Oct 5, 2026

Georg Nagel’s indexed work centers on the discovery and characterization of light-gated ion channels that underpin optogenetics. As first author, he identified channelrhodopsin-1 as a light-gated proton channel in green algae and, critically, channelrhodopsin-2 as a directly light-gated cation-selective membrane channel, a finding that has accumulated over 2,700 citations. He further demonstrated the utility of this system by showing that **light activation of channelrhodopsin-2 triggers rapid behavioral responses in *C. elegans*, and later developed tools for fast manipulation of cellular cAMP levels by light in vivo as senior author. Nagel’s broader contributions include middle-author participation in landmark studies that established millisecond-timescale optical control of neural activity and multimodal fast optical interrogation of neural circuitry, both of which have been highly cited. His earlier first-author work on the protein kinase A-regulated cardiac Cl⁻ channel resembling CFTR** and senior-author studies on genistein’s direct action on CFTR reflect a sustained interest in ion channel regulation. Across these works, Nagel’s research has consistently advanced the molecular understanding of light-sensitive and ion-transporting proteins, from foundational channelrhodopsin discovery to their application in neural control.

Most Cited Works

Millisecond-timescale, genetically targeted optical control of neural activity

Edward S Boyden, Feng Zhang, Ernst Bamberg, Georg Nagel, Karl Deisseroth

Nature Neuroscience2005

5,030Citations

Channelrhodopsin-2, a directly light-gated cation-selective membrane channel

Georg Nagel, Tanjef Szellas, Wolfram Huhn, Suneel Kateriya, Nona Adeishvili, Peter Berthold, Doris Ollig, Peter Hegemann, Ernst Bamberg

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Research Areas

Photoreceptor and optogenetics researchNeuroscience and Neural EngineeringNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ReseaCircadian rhythm and melatoninIon channel regulation and function

Affiliations & Education

Education

1984–1988
Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität(DE)
Ph.D. · Biochemistry
1973–1979
University of Konstanz(DE)
Diploma in Biology

Employment

2004–present· now
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg(DE)
University Professor · Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics

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