Katz, Sir Bernard (1911-2003), a German-born British physiologist, discovered the role played by certain chemicals called neurotransmitters in the transmission of nerve impulses. In particular, Katz investigated the mechanism for the release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine from the nerve terminals at the nerve-muscle junction. In 1970, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, sharing the prize with Swedish physiologist Ulf Svante von Euler and American physiologist Julius Axelrod. See also Euler, Ulf Svante von ; Axelrod, Julius .
Katz was born on March 26, 1911, in Leipzig, Germany. From 1929 to 1934, he studied medicine at the University of Leipzig. In 1935, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he began Ph.D. research at University College, London. After completing his Ph.D. in 1938, he joined the staff at John C. Eccles’s laboratory at the University of Sydney in Australia, where he worked in the field of neuromuscular research. During World War II (1939-1945), Katz served in the Royal Australian Air Force. From 1952 to 1978, he served as professor of biophysics at University College, London. He was knighted in 1969. Katz died on April 20, 2003.
