The use of a non-cultured autologous cell suspension and Integra® dermal regeneration template to repair full-thickness skin wounds in a porcine model: a one-step process.

Integra® is a skin substitute used for dermal reconstruction. Current clinical practice consists of two procedures, first applying Integra® to the wound and then replacing the silicone pseudo-epidermis with an epidermal autograft 3 weeks later. This two-step repair limits the clinical use of the product. An effective one-step procedure could reduce the time taken to repair and decrease the number of procedures for use of Integra®. This study examined the effects of simultaneous application of a non-cultured autologous suspension of cells, isolated using the ReCell® autologous cell harvesting device, in combination with Integra®, to achieve a one-step skin repair. In two female Yorkshire swine, 10 full-thickness wounds were created. Wounds were treated with Integra® seeded with cell suspension and compared to controls of Integra® alone and cell suspension alone. Weekly macroscopic and histological assessment demonstrated that the wounds treated simultaneously with Integra® and non-cultured autologous cells had enhanced epithelialization at an early time-point compared to controls. Wounds treated simultaneously with Integra® and cell suspension demonstrate that cells remain viable, migrate through the Integra® template and self-organize into differentiated epidermis. The results indicate that combining Integra® with autologous cells facilitates one-step skin reconstruction of a full-thickness skin wound.