ErbB family members represent important
biomarkers and drug targets for modern precision
therapy. They have gained considerable importance as paradigms for
oncoprotein addiction and
personalized medicine. This review summarizes the current understanding of ErbB
proteins in cell signalling and
cancer and describes the molecular rationale of prominent cases of ErbB
oncoprotein addiction in different
cancer types. In addition, we have highlighted experimental technologies for the development of innovative
cancer cell models that accurately predicted clinical ErbB drug efficacies. In the future, such
cancer models might facilitate the identification and validation of physiologically relevant novel forms of
oncoprotein and non-
oncoprotein addiction or synthetic lethality. The identification of genotype-drug response relationships will further advance personalized oncology and improve drug efficacy in the clinic. Finally, we review the most important drugs targeting ErbB family members that are under investigation in clinical trials or that made their way already into clinical routine. Taken together, the functional characterization of ErbB
oncoproteins have significantly increased our knowledge on predictive
biomarkers,
oncoprotein addiction and patient stratification and treatment.