Fig. 1.

Mechanisms of action of brentuximab vedotin and anti-PD-1 antibodies. Brentuximab vedotin binds to CD30 on the HRS cell surface and gets internalized into the cell via endocytosis. The cytotoxic MMAE then gets cleaved from the anti-CD30 antibody and interrupts mitosis. The anti-PD-1 antibodies nivolumab and pembrolizumab bind to PD-1 on T cells and block the PD-L1/PD-1-mediated immune checkpoint signaling, allowing reactivation of T cells that exert cytotoxic function against HRS cells. HRS, Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg; MMAE, monomethyl auristatin E; MHC I, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) type I; TCR, T cell receptor