Maud Menten

Pioneering biochemist who co-developed fundamental enzyme kinetics equations

Dr. Maud Menten (1879–1960) revolutionized biochemistry through her 1913 co-development of the Michaelis-Menten equation, which describes enzyme-substrate reactions. Despite facing gender barriers in academia, this Canadian scientist made breakthroughs across multiple disciplines:

• First Canadian woman to earn a medical doctorate (1911)
• Early developer of electrophoresis techniques
• Pioneer in histochemistry and cancer research

Her equation (V = (Vmax [S])/(KM + [S])) remains foundational in biochemistry education. Menten's later work at the University of Pittsburgh produced groundbreaking studies on:

• Hemoglobin oxygen transport
• Kidney function tests
• Radioactive isotope tracking

Though often overshadowed by male colleagues, Menten's 400+ publications demonstrated extraordinary versatility. She conducted Arctic bacteriology studies while maintaining a clinical practice, and her development of azo-dye staining techniques advanced microscopic analysis.