Andreas S. Bommarius Professor Office: IBB 3310 Phone: 404-385-1334 Fax: 404-894-2866 E-mail Andreas S. Bommarius

B.S., 1982, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Diploma, Chemistry, 1984, Technical University, Munich, Germany; Ph.D., 1989, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests

Dr. Bommarius' area of expertise is in biomolecular engineering, especially biocatalysis, biotransformations, and biocatalyst stability. His group is mainly interested in three areas:

• Imparting novel or improved function on protein catalyst templates through combinatorial design including modeling of such processes
• Finding novel and improved redox biocatalysts for efficient processes to enantiomerically pure compounds important in the life science industries
• Investigating biocatalyst operating stability in aqueous salt solutions and partially organic media, using a variety of tools combined with suitable kinetic models of deactivation.

Background:
Dr. Bommarius joined the Georgia Tech faculty in the fall of 2000 after an industrial career of more than ten years with the Degussa company in specialty chemicals where he headed the Biocatalysis Laboratory and pilot plant. During nine of those years, he lectured at the graduate level in biochemical engineering and biocatalysis. His two dozen patents and as many applications cover chemoenzymatic processes, amino acid chemistry, membrane reactors, and novel biocatalysts as well as chemocatalysts. At Georgia Tech, he is a faculty member of both the School of Chemical Engineering and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Rationale:
Biotechnology and biocatalysis have been essential for the enormous progress in the synthesis and processing of complex molecules towards novel drugs, crop protection agents, and nutraceuticals. Currently, understanding of design rules for Nature's catalysts makes great progress. Biocatalysts, however, often are stable only over limited ranges of temperature, pH value, and solvent. Furthermore, many fewer catalysts exist than interesting targets and the development of new biocatalysts still too long. Thus, two of the most important challenges in biological catalysis are the necessity for improving stability of protein-based catalysts as well as the creation and optimization of new catalysts and reaction media.

Publications

Refereed Papers

B. R. Riebel, P. R. Gibbs, W. B. Wellborn, and A. S. Bommarius, "Cofactor regeneration of NAD+ from NADH: novel water-forming NADH oxidases," Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis 2002, 344, 1156-1169.

O. May, S. Verseck, A. S. Bommarius, and K. Drauz, "Development of Dynamic Kinetic Resolution Processes for Biocatalytic Production of Natural and Nonnatural L-Amino Acids," Organic Process Research & Development 2002, 6, 452-457.

J. Woltinger, K. Drauz and A. S. Bommarius, "The Membrane Reactor in the Fine Chemicals Industry." Appl. Catalysis A: General 2001, 221, 171-185.

S. Verseck, A. S. Bommarius and M.-R. Kula, "Screening, Overexpression and Characterization of an N-Acylamino Acid Racemase from Amycolatopsis orientalis subsp. lurida," Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2001, 55, 354-361.

A. S. Bommarius, M. Schwarm and K. Drauz, "Comparison of Different Chemoenzymatic Process Routes to Enantiomerically Pure Amino Acids," Chimia 2001, 55, 50-59.

J. Woltinger, H. Henniges, A. S. Bommarius, H.-P. Krimmer and K. Drauz, "Application of the continuous Sharpless-dihydroxylation," Tetrahedron Asymmetry 2001, 12, 2095-2098.

J. Woltinger, A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz and C. Wandrey, "The Chemzyme Membrane Reactor in the Fine Chemicals Industry," Organic Process Research & Development 2001 5, 241-248.

A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz, S. Eils, J. Kirchhoff and M. Schwarm, "Reduction Technologies in the Industrial Synthesis of Fine Chemicals," Chimica Oggi 2000, 18, 12-17.

A. S. Bommarius, M. Schwarm and K. Drauz, "Biocatalysis to Amino Acid-based Chiral Pharmaceuticals - Examples and Perspectives," J. Mol. Cat B: Enzymatic 1998, 5, 1-11.

U. Eichhorn, A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz and H.-D. Jakubke, "Synthesis of dipeptides by suspension-to-suspension conversion via thermolysin catalysis - from analytical to preparative scale," J. Peptide Science 1997, 3, 245-251.

G. Krix, A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz, M. Kottenhahn, M. Schwarm and M.-R. Kula, "Enzymatic reduction of a-keto acids leading to L-amino acids or D-hydroxy Acids," J. Biotechnology 1997, 53, 29-39.

A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz, K. Günther, G. Knaup and M. Schwarm, "L-Methionine Related L-Amino Acids by Acylase Cleavage of Their Corresponding N-Acetyl-DL-Derivatives," Tetrahedron Asymmetry 1997, 8, 3197-3200.

U. Stelkes-Ritter, G. Beckers, A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz, K. Günther, M. Kottenhahn, M. Schwarm and M.-R. Kula, "Kinetics of peptide amidase and its application for the resolution of racemates," Biocatalysis and Biotransformations 1997, 15, 205-219.

Refereed Proceedings

A. S. Bommarius, M. Estler and K. Drauz, "Reaction engineering of large-scale enzymatic reductive amination processes," Proceedings for "INBIO 98", Amsterdam/NL, Feb. 19-20, 1998

Book Chapters

A. S. Bommarius, "Hydrolysis of C-N bonds: acylases," in: Handbook of Enzyme Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, eds.: K. Drauz and H. Waldmann, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002, 741-759.

D. R. Rozzell and A. S. Bommarius, "Transaminations," in: Handbook of Enzyme Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, eds.: K. Drauz and H. Waldmann, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002, 873-893.

A. S. Bommarius, "Reduction of C=N-Bonds," in: Handbook of Enzyme Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, eds.: K. Drauz and H. Waldmann, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002, 1047-1063.

Patents (US Patents Only)

"Process for the production of organic compounds in a membrane reactor," A. Karau, J. Wöltinger, O. Burkhardt, A. S. Bommarius, K. Boldt, J.-L. Philippe, H. Henniges and K. Drauz, US 6,472,571; 2002.

"L-Aminoacid Oxidase from Rhodococcus opacus," B. Geueke, W. Hummel and A. S. Bommarius, US 6,461,841; 2002.

"Process for obtaining microorganisms containing peptide amidases, microorganisms obtained therewith, peptide amidases contained therein, and their uses," M.-R. Kula, U. Stelkes-Ritter, K. Wyzgol, A. S. Bommarius, M. Schwarm and K. Drauz, US 6,333,176; 2002.

"N-Acetyl amino acid racemase," S. Verseck, A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz and M.-R. Kula, US 6,372,459; 2002.

"Process for the oxidation of alcohols using homogeneously soluble polymer-enlarged nitrogen compounds as the catalyst," O. Burkhardt, J. Wöltinger, A. Karau, J.-L. Philippe, H. Henniges, A. S. Bommarius, H.-P. Krimmer and K. Drauz, US 6,451,943; 2002.

"Process for the catalytic, enantioselective reduction of ketones," C. Wandrey, U. Kragl, G. Giffels, M. Felder, C. Bolm, N. Derrien, A. S. Bommarius and K. Drauz, US 6,180,837; 2001.

"Process for the manufacture of MeO-PEG-protected dihydrochinone- or dihydrochinidine derivatives, new dihydrochinine- or dihydrochinidine derivatives as well as use thereof," A. Gerlach, A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz and C. Bolm, US 6,180,551; 2001.

"New process for the manufacture of peptides and N-carbamoyl-protected peptides," A. S. Bommarius, K. Drauz, U. Eichhorn, H.-D. Jakubke and M. Kottenhahn, US 6,251,625, 2001.

"Process for the racemization of N-acetyl-D(L)-alpha-aminocarbonic acids," K. Drauz, A. S. Bommarius, M. Karrenbauer and G. Knaup, US 6,080,885; 2000.

"Process for optically active L-amino acids from corresponding racemic D(L)-alpha-aminocarbonic acids," K. Drauz, A. S. Bommarius, M. Karrenbauer and G. Knaup, US 6,114,163; 2000.

"Process for the production of microorganisms containing peptide amidases, the microorganisms produced, the peptide amidases contained therein, and their uses," M.-R. Kula, U. Stelkes-Ritter, K. Wyzgol, A. S. Bommarius, M. Schwarm and K. Drauz, US 5,985,623; 1999.

"New microorganisms, their use, and process for the manufacture of L-alpha-amino acids," F. Wagner, D. Völkel, A. S. Bommarius and K. Drauz, US 5,827,717; 1998.