Norbert Kraut

Norbert Kraut is a senior oncology drug discovery leader at Boehringer Ingelheim with deep expertise in cell cycle kinase inhibitor development, cancer pharmacology, and translational oncology. His research team has contributed to programs targeting CDK4/6 and other cell cycle kinases relevant to hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and other solid tumors, contributing mechanistic and pharmacological insights that parallel the development of palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib — the three approved CDK4/6 inhibitors that revolutionized treatment of ER+/HER2- breast cancer. Kraut's group has focused on understanding the differential pharmacology of CDK4 versus CDK6 selectivity, mechanisms of intrinsic and acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibition (RB1 loss, CDK6 amplification, cyclin D amplification), and rational combination strategies pairing CDK4/6 inhibitors with PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, CDK2 inhibitors, and immune checkpoint blockade. He has also contributed to targeted protein degradation programs for cell cycle kinases, exploring whether CDK4/6 degraders overcome resistance mechanisms that limit catalytic inhibitors. With approximately 180 peer-reviewed publications, patents, and extensive industry leadership experience, Kraut represents the integration of academic mechanistic rigor with industrial drug development expertise that characterizes leaders in the pharmaceutical oncology field. His work spans from target biology through clinical candidate nomination and pharmacology-to-first-in-human translation.