Use of Cbl as biomarker for identifying subject suitable for treatment with anti-c-Met antibody

1. A method of identifying a subject suitable for treatment with an anti-c-Met antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof that specifically binds to an epitope within a SEMA domain of a c-Met protein, the method comprising:

(1) determining a Cbl concentration, a Cbl mutation, and/or a mutation of a site of c-Met for interaction with Cbl in a cell sample from a subject;

(2) determining that the subject is suitable for treatment with the anti-c-Met antibody when Cbl is present at a low level or absent in the cell sample or when Cbl or c-Met contains a mutation that inhibits interaction between Cbl and c-Met; and

(3) administering the anti-c-Met antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof to the subject determined to be suitable for treatment, wherein the anti-c-Met antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises SEQ ID NOs: 1-3, 10, 11, and 13, specifically binds to an epitope having 5 to 19 consecutive amino acids of SEQ ID NO: 71 that includes the amino sequence of SEQ ID NO: 73 (EEPSQ), and promotes LRIG1-mediated c-Met degradation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein Cbl concentration is determined by immunohistochemical analysis, and a stain intensity of ‘−’ or ‘+1’ indicates that Cbl is present at a low level or absent, respectively, in the cell sample.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Cbl mutation is a deletion or substitution of 51 or more consecutive nucleotides within nucleotides 1169-1414 of the nucleotide sequence of GenBank Accession Number NM — 005188 (SEQ ID NO: 112), or a deletion or substitution of 17 or more consecutive amino acids within amino acids 343-424 of the amino acid sequence of GenBank Accession Number NP — 005179 (SEQ ID NO: 113).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mutation of a site of c-Met (SEQ ID NO: 114) for interaction with Cbl is a deletion or a substitution of tyrosine at position 1003 (Y1003) with an amino acid other than tyrosine, or a deletion or a substitution of 141 or more consecutive nucleotides within exon 14 of the c-Met gene with other nucleotides, or a deletion or a substitution of 46 or more consecutive amino acids within a polypeptide encoded by exon 14 of the c-Met gene with other amino acids.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the presence of LRIG1 in the cell sample.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising determining the cell sample or the subject to be suitable for treatment with the anti-c-Met antibody when LRIG1 is present.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein LRIG1 concentration is determined by immunohistochemical analysis, and a stain intensity of ‘+2’ or ‘+3’ indicates that LRIG1 is present in the cell sample.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-c-Met antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17 and a light chain variable region comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-c-Met antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain comprising the amino acid residues from the 18th to 460th positions of SEQ ID NO: 66 and a light chain comprising the amino acid residues from the 21st to 240th positions of SEQ ID NO: 68.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-c-Met antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof is an antibody of mouse origin, a mouse-human chimeric antibody, a humanized antibody, or a human antibody.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-c-Met antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof is an antibody of mouse origin, a mouse-human chimeric antibody, a humanized antibody, or a human antibody.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell sample is a sample of cancer cells.