The anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody SGN-30 promotes growth arrest and DNA fragmentation in vitro and affects antitumor activity in models of Hodgkin's disease.

The leukocyte activation marker CD30 is highly expressed on the Reed Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's disease (HD). On normal tissues, CD30 has a restricted expression profile limited to activated T cells, activated B cells, and activated natural killer cells. This expression profile makes CD30 an ideal target for monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based therapies of Hodgkin's disease.