The invention generally relates to diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring methods and assays for breast cancer and kits that may be used in such methods. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of prognosis of a patient afflicted with breast cancer, including determining the level of HER2/CB2 heteromer expression in a biological sample obtained from the patient.
Claim CLM-00001. 1. A method comprising:
providing a test sample comprising a biological sample from a subject; contacting the test sample with a HER2/CB2 heteromer binding composition comprising one or more antibodies that specifically bind to a HER2/CB2 heteromer, wherein the one or more antibodies comprise anti-HER2 antibodies, anti-CB2 antibodies, or both, or one or more antigen-binding fragments of the one or more antibodies to form a mixture; incubating the mixture for a time sufficient to permit binding; determining from the mixture a level of HER2/CB2 heteromer in the biological sample; comparing the level of HER2/CB2 heteromer in the biological sample to a standard level of HER2/CB2 heteromer obtained from normal or cancer-free tissue or from an archived pathology sample containing a known level of HER2/CB2 heteromer protein expression; classifying the level of HER2/CB2 heteromer in the biological sample as not detectable, low, or elevated based on the comparison; and treating the subject classified as having an elevated level of HER2/CB2 heteromer by administering a pharmaceutical agent capable of disrupting a HER2/CB2 heteromer, wherein the pharmaceutical agent capable of disrupting the HER2/CB2 heteromer is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
