THE PRESENT INVENTION RELATES TO A NOVEL DIVALENT ANTIBODY CAPABLE OF BINDING SPECIFICALLY TO THE HUMAN C-MET RECEPTOR AND/OR CAPABLE OF SPECIFICALLY INHIBITING THE TYROSINE KINASE ACTIVITY OF SAID RECEPTOR, PREFERABLY BOTH IN A LIGAND-DEPENDENT AND IN A LIGAND-INDEPENDENT MANNER AS WELL AS THE AMINO ACID AND NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCES CODING FOR SAID ANTIBODY. MORE PREFERABLY SAID ANTIBODY COMPRISES A MODIFIED HINGE REGION AND EXHIBITS AN IMPROVED ANTAGONISTIC ACTIVITY. MORE PARTICULARLY, THE ANTIBODY ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION IS CAPABLE OF INHIBITING THE C-MET DIMERIZATION. THE INVENTION LIKEWISE COMPRISES THE USE OF SAID ANTIBODY AS A MEDICAMENT FOR THE PROPHYLACTIC AND/OR THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OF CANCERS, PREFERABLY FOR CANCER CHARACTERIZED BY A LIGAND-INDEPENDENT ACTIVATION OF C-MET, OR ANY PATHOLOGY CONNECTED WITH THE OVER EXPRESSION OF SAID RECEPTOR AS WELL AS IN PROCESSES OR KITS FOR DIAGNOSIS OF ILLNESSES CONNECTED WITH THE OVER-EXPRESSION OF C-MET. THE INVENTION FINALLY COMPRISES PRODUCTS AND/OR COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING SUCH AN ANTIBODY IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER ANTIBODIES AND/OR CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS DIRECTED AGAINST OTHER GROWTH FACTORS INVOLVED IN TUMOR PROGRESSION OR METASTASIS AND/OR COMPOUNDS AND/OR ANTI-CANCER AGENTS OR AGENTS CONJUGATED WITH TOXINS AND THEIR USE FOR THE PREVENTION AND/OR THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCERS.
