Erwin Neher

Facts

Erwin Neher

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Erwin Neher
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1991

Born: 20 March 1944, Landsberg, Germany

Affiliation at the time of the award: Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Germany

Prize motivation: “for their discoveries concerning the function of single ion channels in cells”

Prize share: 1/2

Work

One of the fundamental processes of life is the transit of charged atoms—ions—through the surface layer of cells that make up organisms. Among other things, this transit is of crucial importance for the transfer of signals in nerves and muscles so that the body functions. Around 1980 Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann developed a method for measuring the extremely weak currents involved in ion transits. These results confirmed that the transit occurs through ion channels—molecules on the surface of cells that under certain conditions allow ions to pass through.

To cite this section
MLA style: Erwin Neher – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Tue. 19 Mar 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1991/neher/facts/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Eleven laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2023, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. Their work and discoveries range from effective mRNA vaccines and attosecond physics to fighting against the oppression of women.

See them all presented here.
Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.