Methods for the Serum-Free Culture of Keratinocytes and Transplantation of Collagen-GAG-Based Skin Substitutes.

Objectives for dermal-epidermal skin substitutes for treatment of acute and chronic wounds include, but are not limited to: increased availability; stimulation of wound healing by transplantation of parenchymal cells; regulation of wound healing responses; and, predictable composition and efficacy to reduce mortality and morbidity. Particularly, the importance of including a cellular component has been demonstrated in experimental grafts of cells and biopolymers (1-7). Transplanted cells may include normal, nontransformed populations isolated for primary culture, or genetically modified cells to deliver specific gene products of therapeutic interest (8-10). Nontransformed cells may include autologous, allogeneic, or chimeric populations within composite grafts. A variety of approaches are directed toward repair of skin wounds by restoration of the functional anatomy and physiology of skin.