The scientific community has recognized the crucial importance of ion channel research by four Nobel Prizes for the discoveries concerning the structure and function of ion channels.
1963
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Sir John Eccles, Alan L. Hodgkin, Andrew F. Huxley
For their discoveries concerning the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central portions of the nerve cell membrane.
1991
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Erwin Neher, Bert Sakmann
For their discoveries concerning the function of single ion channels in cells.
2003
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Peter Agre, Roderick MacKinnon
For the discovery of water channels (P. Agre) and for structural and mechanistic studies of ion channels (R. MacKinnon).
2021
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian
For their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.
Other Nobel Prizes related to the ion channel field
1932
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Sir Charles Sherrington, Edgar Adrian
For their discoveries regarding the functions of neurons.
1936
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Sir Henry Dale, Otto Loewi
For their discoveries relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses.
1944
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Joseph Erlanger, Herbert S. Gasser
For their discoveries relating to the highly differentiated functions of single nerve fibres.
1970
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Sir Bernard Katz, Ulf von Euler, Julius Axelrod
For their discoveries concerning the humoral transmittors in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation.
2000
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Arvid Carlsson, Paul Greengard, Eric R. Kandel
For their discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system.
