Multilayered submucosal graft constructs and method for making the same

A unitary pseudoisotropic multi-laminate tissue graft construct, comprising at least three strips of intestinal submucosal tissue delaminated from both the tunica muscularis and at least the luminal portion of the tunica mucosa of a warm blooded vertebrate, wherein the strips are fused to one another by compressing the strips under dehydrating conditions, each strip having a longitudinal axis corresponding to the predominant orientation of the collagen fibers in the strips, wherein the longitudinal axis of each strip forms an angle of about 180.degree./N with the longitudinal axes of two other strips forming said construct, wherein N=the total number of strips of submucosal tissue.

A method of preparing a multi-laminate tissue graft construct from multiple strips of intestinal submucosal tissue delaminated from both the tunica muscularis and at least the luminal portion of the tunica mucosa of a warm blooded vertebrate, said strips having an abluminal surface and a luminal surface, said method comprising the steps of

• placing a first strip of submucosal tissue on a support, so the luminal surface of the strip of submucosal tissue is in contact with the support;
• overlaying said first strip with additional strips of submucosal tissue wherein the last strip of submucosal tissue layered onto the tissue graft construct is orientated so the abluminal surface is in contact with the other layers of submucosal tissue forming the tissue graft construct;
• compressing the overlapped portions of the strips of submucosal tissue between two surfaces under conditions allowing at least partial dehydration of the compressed submucosal tissue.