US Patent 7919098 ErbB-3 based methods and compositions for treating neoplasms

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for treating neoplasms in mammals, particularly humans. More particularly, the present invention provides for methods for preventing, treating or delaying neoplasm in a mammal using an ErbB-3 protein, a nucleic acid encoding an ErbB-3 protein or a functional fragment thereof. The present invention also provides for isolated nucleic acids encoding an extracellular domain of the ErbB-3 protein, or a functional fragment thereof, substantially purified extracellular domain of the ErbB-3 protein, or a functional fragment thereof and antibodies that bind to an epitope in an extracellular domain of the ErbB-3 protein, or a functional fragment thereof. The present invention further provides for pharmaceutical compositions and/or vaccines comprising the extracellular domain of the ErbB-3 protein, or a functional fragment thereof, or nucleic acids encoding and antibodies binding to such extracellular domain or functional fragments thereof.