Mary Bernheim

[2] After finishing her undergraduate, Bernheim received the Bathurst Studentship to work on her PhD research in the Department of Biochemistry at the Newnham College, Cambridge.

[5] As a doctoral student, Bernheim was aware of the limited research which had been conducted on the catabolism of tyramine, a naturally occurring monoamine compound obtained from the amino acid tyrosine.

Keeping in mind the availability of newly enhanced techniques for the analysis of oxidative processes, she decided to study the manner in which the addition of tyramine affected oxygen uptake in tissues.

This observation showed that the tyramine oxidase system was an exception to Warburg's statement, which claimed that direct oxidation could not occur unless atmospheric oxygen was activated by iron.

[3] This prediction was proven correct by later research, which showed that patients treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors had toxic reactions to the consumption of food rich in tyramine.

[1] However, subsequent research indicated that the enzyme was involved in the oxidative deamination of additional monoamine neurotransmitters, including Catecholamines and histamine, as shown in the figure.

[5] Upon the discovery that the MAO inhibitor iproniazid resulted in mood elevation, and thus could be used as an effective anti-depressant, there was a marked increase in pharmacological research on drugs regulating monoamine activity.

She published a book "A Sky of My Own," in which she details her journey into the field of flying, and describes her experience as a pilot and flight instructor.

[9][10] Bernheim was recognised for her contributions to scientific research, and she was honoured at the Ciba Foundation symposium held in 1975 for her discovery of monoamine oxidase.