Surgical device for skin therapy or testing

A method for producing a permanent cultured skin device for a burn patient, the method comprising

• isolating at least one dermal cell type and at least one epidermal cell type from an uninjured area of skin from a burn patient,
• separately culturing the isolated dermal and epidermal cells,
• inoculating a biocompatible reticulated acellular matrix, the matrix prepared from a matrix-forming collagen-containing fluid that is cast, frozen, and dehydrated, the matrix inoculated with the cultured dermal and epidermal cells, the dermal cells directly attached to the matrix,
• incubating the inoculated matrix under conditions to form a cultured skin device having a dermal cellular lamination layer supporting epidermal cells directly inoculated thereon wherein a basement membrane is established between the dermal cells and epidermal cells, and
• providing the device to the patient.

A method of producing a cultured skin device, the method comprising

• inoculating a biocompatible reticulated acellular matrix, the matrix prepared from a matrix-forming collagen-containing fluid that is cast, frozen, and dehydrated, the matrix inoculated with cultured dermal cells, the dermal cells directly attached to the matrix,
• incubating the inoculated matrix under conditions to form a cellular lamination layer of dermal cells,
• inoculating cultured epidermal cells directly on the dermal cell lamination layer wherein a basement membrane is established between the epidermal cells and the dermal cells, and
• incubating under conditions sufficient to form a cultured skin device.

A method for producing a permanent cultured skin device for a patient, the method comprising

• isolating at least one dermal cell type and at least one epidermal cell type from an uninjured area of skin from the patient,
• separately culturing the isolated dermal and epidermal cells,
• inoculating a biocompatible reticulated acellular matrix, the matrix prepared from a matrix-forming collagen-containing fluid that is cast, frozen, and dehydrated, the matrix inoculated with the cultured dermal and epidermal cells, the dermal cells directly attached to the matrix and forming a cellular lamination layer,
• incubating the inoculated matrix under conditions to form a cultured skin device having the cellular lamination layer on the biocompatible reticulated acellular matrix wherein a basement membrane is established between the epidermal cells directly inoculated thereon and the dermal cells, and
• providing the device to the patient.