Utilizing CD30 expression as a rational target for therapy of lymphoma

Introduction Rituximab, identified through pivotal lymphoma research, was the first monoclonal antibody approved by the US FDA in 1997. Since the success of rituximab, monoclonal antibodies have been a major focus for development of targeted agents for lymphoma treatment. A major hurdle in the development of a new antibody is finding a new target antigen. CD30 is an attractive therapeutic target antigen, because it has been identified as a marker of Reed–Sternberg cells in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) [1], it is known to be expressed on anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), some cases of mediastinal large cell lymphoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multiple myeloma. However, its expression on normal tissues is restricted to a small number of activated Band T-lymphocytes [2]. Thus, based on its expression pattern, CD30 could be an ideal therapeutic target.