Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)

🎉 Congratulations to Karl Deisseroth on receiving the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine!

Karl Deisseroth holds a special place in HFSP history. In 2010, he became the first recipient of the HFSP Nakasone Award, recognized for his pioneering development of optogenetic methods to investigate the neuronal networks underlying behavior.

Sixteen years later, his Nobel Prize adds another milestone to a remarkable scientific career and makes him the fifth HFSP Nakasone Award winner to receive the Nobel Prize.

Our warmest congratulations to Karl Deisseroth on this outstanding recognition of his contributions to science.

🔗 Read more: https://zurl.co/b3MsF https://zurl.co/AFKnw

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 was awarded jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”

🐭 A tiny mammal with a kidney-sized immune organ?

Shrews live fast: they have exceptionally high metabolic rates, short lifespans and face heavy parasite loads. HFSP-supported researchers have revealed how an unusual, kidney-sized immune organ—the pancreas of Aselli—helps them produce long-lived antibody-secreting cells.

The discovery offers new insight into how shrews balance the high energy demands of survival, reproduction, and immune defense, and how extreme lifestyles can drive the evolution of entirely new immune strategies.

👉 Read more: https://zurl.co/gObNx

The is underway in Norway!

This week in Oslo, researchers are getting an inside look at what makes a strong HFSP application through hands-on exercises, real HFSP examples, and direct exchanges with experienced members of our Review Committees.

It’s all about helping researchers turn ambitious ideas into competitive proposals for bold, international and interdisciplinary science.

A big thank you to the Research Council of Norway for supporting this edition — and to all our participants and reviewers for the great discussions!

How does a T cell get a head start on immune signaling? 🔬

HFSP-supported researchers discovered that tiny protrusions on the T-cell surface can quickly make close contact with target cells, creating favorable conditions for immune signaling to begin.

Using CAR T cells, gene editing, and advanced microscopy, the team showed that the secret isn't having signaling proteins ready and waiting in these protrusions, it's their ability to make contact faster and more efficiently.

🔗 Read the full story: https://zurl.co/d0rqE

A year in frontier science. 🌍🧬

From bold research and international collaborations to scientific meetings, new initiatives, and a growing global community, the HFSP Annual Report 2025 looks back at a year of advancing frontier life science across borders and disciplines.

Explore the people, science and activities that shaped our year, and the stories behind the numbers.

📖 Read the HFSP Annual Report 2025: https://zurl.co/3JKJV

When it comes to egg mimicry, looks can be deceiving 🥚👀

Cuckoos and other brood parasites can lay eggs that closely resemble their hosts', helping them avoid detection. But HFSP-supported research reveals that matching the color doesn't always mean using the same pigments.

Across three independently evolved systems, HFSP researchers found different chemical routes to the same visual trick.

Because in this evolutionary game, what ultimately matters isn't the recipe, it's what the foster parent sees!

🔗 Read the full story: https://zurl.co/9pGoM

🌍 What can viruses in South African wetlands tell us about our changing climate?

For the International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South, we're highlighting how international scientific exchange brings together knowledge, expertise and perspectives from across the world.

At Stellenbosch University, HFSP Accelerator Grant awardee Thulani Makhalanyane and his team are studying the diversity of viruses in South African wetlands and how their interactions with microbes influence carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions.

The research connects scientists in South Africa with an HFSP-supported team across the UK, USA and France, combining expertise to explore questions with implications far beyond national borders.

📖 Read their story in the HFSP Annual Report 2025: https://zurl.co/97u38

How does the brain prepare for a virus before it even arrives? 🧠🦠

HFSP-supported researchers discovered an early-warning system that links viral detection in the skin to antiviral defenses in the brain.

In mouse models, detecting signs of a virus in the skin triggered type I interferon in the bloodstream. Cells at the blood-brain barrier responded by rapidly putting the brain into a protective antiviral state, reducing infection, harmful inflammation and the risk of severe encephalitis.

The findings reveal a fascinating example of different parts of the body communicating to prepare for infection.

🔗 Read the full story: https://zurl.co/OBD5Q