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optogenetics

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A science that combines optics and genetics, aiming at controlling cellular processes with light. The cells are made responsive to light using genetics and then activated using specific wavelengths.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

(2006) Coined from optics and genetics by Karl Deisseroth and Mark J. Schnitzer in a review paper (K. Deisseroth, G. Feng, A. K. Majewska, G. Miesenböck, A. Ting, M. J. Schnitzer, Next-Generation Optical Technologies for Illuminating Genetically Targeted Brain Circuits, Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 26, no. 41 (October 2006), pp. 10380–6).

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: optogénétique — science that combines optics and genetics