CD30 is a receptor expressed on cells of Hodgkin's disease and certain
leukemias. The extracellular portion of CD30 is cleaved, releasing a form
known as sCD30. The invention relates in part to the discovery that a
residual, extracellular "stalk" of CD30 remains after cleavage of sCD30.
The stalk provides an advantageous and previously unrecognized target for
immunotoxins. The invention provides antibodies that bind to the CD30
stalk or to epitopes destroyed upon the cleavage of CD30 which results in
the stalk. The invention further provides new anti-CD30 antibodies that
form effective immunotoxins and are particularly suitable for making
disulfide stabilized Fv ("dsFv")-immunoconjugates. The dsFv
immunoconjugates can be used as reagents to label CD30-expressing cancer
cells or to inhibit the growth of CD30-expressing cancer cells. Moreover,
the invention provides anti-CD30 antibodies that activate
complement-dependent cytotoxicity.