Fungal Hydrophobin Proteins Produce Self-Assembling Protein Films with Diverse Structure and Chemical Stability.

Hydrophobins are small proteins secreted by fungi and which spontaneously assemble into amphipathic layers at hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces. We have examined the self-assembly of the Class I hydrophobins EAS and DewA, the Class II hydrophobin NC2 and an engineered chimeric hydrophobin. These Class I hydrophobins form layers composed of laterally associated fibrils with an underlying amyloid structure.

The benefits of photodynamic therapy on vertebral bone are maintained and enhanced by combination treatment with bisphosphonates and radiation therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to ablate tumors within vertebral bone and yield short-term improvements in vertebral architecture and biomechanical strength, in particular when combined with bisphosphonate (BP) treatment. Longer-term outcomes of PDT combined with current treatments for skeletal metastases are essential to understand its therapeutic potential. The objective of this study is to evaluate the response of vertebrae to PDT after a longer (6-week) time period, alone and combined with previous BP or radiation treatment (RT).

Beyond radiation therapy: photodynamic therapy maintains structural integrity of irradiated healthy and metastatically involved vertebrae in a pre-clinical in vivo model.

Spinal metastasis commonly occurs in advanced breast cancer. Treatment is often multimodal including radiation therapy (RT), bisphosphonates (BPs), and surgery, yet alternative minimally invasive local treatments are needed. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to ablate tumor cells and enhance bone formation secondary to metastatic breast cancer, demonstrating potential as a treatment for spinal metastasis.