The Brain Prize 2026 was awarded to Professors David Ginty (Harvard Medical School, US) and Patrik Ernfors (Karolinska Institute, Sweden) for their pioneering work on how the nervous system detects and processes touch and pain. Their research has rewritten textbook principles of somatosensation. Ginty and Ernfors identified how nerve cells in the skin transform various stimuli (thermal, mechanical, painful) into neural signals, and then mapped how these signals are transmitted to and processed within the spinal cord before reaching the brain. By categorizing distinct types of sensory neurons and linking them to specific pathways, the scientists have created a blueprint for understanding normal sensory function and pinpointing where things go wrong in conditions like chronic pain, hypersensitivity to touch, or other somatosensory dysfunctions. This foundation opens new avenues for developing targeted treatments for these debilitating conditions.
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