Humanized anti-EphB4 antibodies for the treatment of carcinomas and vasculogenesis-related diseases.

The invention provides human, humanized or chimeric versions of anti-EphB4 mouse monoclonal antibodies that bind to the human EphB4 receptor tyrosine kinase. The described anti-EphB4 antibodies are derived from two murine mAbs #47 and #131 through framework shuffling and include those of the IgGl, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4 human isotype. The patent further relates to pharmaceutical compositions, immunotherapeutic compositions and methods using therapeutic antibodies that bind to the human EphB4 antigen and that may induce phosphorylation and degradation of EphB4 and mediate antigen-dependent cell-mediated-cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and/or apoptosis for the treatment of human malignancies and vasculogenesis-related disorders and diseases.