Announcement of The Brain Prize Winners 2026

The recipients of The Brain Prize 2026 are revealed in this official announcement film, which describes their groundbreaking research and the perspective of The Brain Prize selection committee. The video also features a clinician’s perspective on how the winners’ discoveries may shape future benefits for patients. The 2026 Brain Prize honors Professors David Ginty (Harvard Medical School, US) and Patrik Ernfors (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden) for their pioneering discoveries on how the nervous system detects and processes touch and pain. Together, their work has transformed our understanding of somatosensation—the sense of our own body and its physical interactions with the world. Without it, sensations such as pain, a comforting touch, or the feeling of movement would not be possible. For decades, scientists lacked a clear understanding of how many distinct sensory neuron types exist, how they are constructed, and how their signals are organized and routed to the central nervous system. The Brain Prize winners have changed this. By identifying and classifying distinct sensory neuron types, linking them to specific end organs and neural pathways, and developing widely used genetic and molecular tools, they have established a blueprint for understanding normal touch—and for pinpointing what goes wrong in conditions such as chronic pain and hypersensitivity. Their work has rewritten textbooks and opened new avenues for the development of targeted treatments for conditions such as chronic pain and hypersensitivity to touch. Related content: Watch The impact of 2026 Brain Prize winners' science:    • The impact of 2026 Brain Prize winners' sc...   Watch The making of The Brain Prize medal:    • The making of The Brain Prize medal   Watch A message to the winners:    • A message to the winners   Learn more: Read about The Brain Prize 2026 winners and Somatosensation: https://brainprize.org/winners/touch-... Explore Professor David Ginty’s story in his autobiography: https://brainprize.org/winners/touch-... Read more about Professor Patrik Ernfors in his autobiography: https://brainprize.org/winners/touch-... Chapters: 00:00 – Understanding Touch and Pain 01:28 – What Is The Brain Prize? 01:59 – The Brain Prize 2026 Announcement 03:26 – Interview with Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg 04:15 – Gaps and Opportunities in Somatosensory Research 05:35 – Meet Professor David Ginty 06:50 – Meet Professor Patrick Ernfors 08:23 – Advancing Treatments for Somatosensory Disorders 09:00 – The Impact of the Winners’ Discoveries 09:41 – How Their Research Shaped the Field 11:04 – Future Implications for Neuroscience Research 11:56 – Closing Reflections from the Winners About The Brain Prize: The Brain Prize is the world’s largest prize for brain research that is awarded each year by the Lundbeck Foundation. It is an international award that recognises and celebrates highly original and groundbreaking advances in any area of brain research, from basic neuroscience to applied clinical research. Since it was founded in 2011, The Brain Prize has been awarded to 51 scientists from 11 countries. Recipients of The Brain Prize receive a gold medal from HM The King of Denmark, who is patron of The Brain Prize, and a share of the prize of DKK 10m (EUR 1.3m in total). Stay connected: The Brain Prize on X: https://x.com/BrainPrize The Brain Prize on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/brainprize.org Subscribe to The Brain Prize on YouTube:    / @brainprize   #Neuroscience #BrainPrize2026 #Science