Dfb Technology Holdings, LLC

Penny Johnson

Paul Kemp

David Shering

Damian Marshall

Andrew Shering, Legal Representative

Methods of forming soft connective tissue compositions such as skin equivalents, compositions made by the methods and their uses. In particular, a method of forming a connective tissue equivalent, comprising the steps of: (i) incubating collagen-producing cells in or on a support matrix; (ii) inducing and/or enhancing collagen production by the collagen-producing cells to form a collagenous construct and degradation and replacement of the support matrix; (iii) freeze-drying the construct; and (iv) re-populating the freeze-dried construct with collagen-producing cells and/or epithelial cells and/or endothelial cells and/or mesenchymal cells, thereby forming a connective tissue equivalent, wherein: (a) the collagen-producing cells are substantially fibroblasts; for example human neonatal dermal fibroblasts; (b) the support matrix is a provisional support matrix in which the support matrix is a fibrin matrix, for example formed by thrombin-mediated polymerisation of fibrinogen; and (c) as a result of the collagen production by the collagen-producing cells the provisional fibrin support matrix is digested by the cells and is replaced by collagen, thereby essentially replacing the provisional fibrin matrix with a collagen matrix synthesised in situ by the cells.

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Manchester, United Kingdom

Penny Johnson