# TRANSPLANTATION OF ALLOGENEIC SKIN EQUIVALENTS

> **NIH NIH R01** · WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY · 1990 · $68,308

## Abstract

The skin equivalent serves as a model of skin that will be used to
gain a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of graft
rejection and to amplify skin in vitro for the treatment of burn
victims.  The skin equivalent is constructed by adding a suspension
of epidermal cells to the surface of a collagen lattice formed by
combining fibroblasts with type I collagen, serum, and tissue
culture medium.  Two strains of mice, DBA/2J mice which carry
the H-2d haplotype, and CBA/J mice which carry the H-2k
haplotype, will be used to examine the role of fibroblasts and
keratinocytes in provoking an immune response.  Skin equivalents
that contain isogeneic fibroblasts and keratinocytes, allogeneic
fibroblasts and isogeneic keratinocytes, isogeneic fibroblasts and
allogeneic keratinocytes, or allogeneic fibroblasts and
keratinocytes will be grafted to CBA/2J mice.  Grafts will be
removed at time intervals ranging from five days to two months
after surgery and frozen for cryosectioning followed by staining
with antibodies to the surface antigens of B cells, T helper cells,
T suppressor cells, and T suppressor-cytotoxic cells.  The time
course and relative number of inflammatory cells per square
micrometer will be compared among the four types of grafts to
differentiate between the role of allogeneic fibroblasts and
allogeneic keratinocytes in graft rejection.  Concurrent studies
with patients at the Regional Burn Center at Miami Valley
Hospital will be carried out to determine whether skin equivalents
containing allogeneic fibroblasts and a patient's own epidermal
cells provides a viable method for expanding the surface area of
skin which can be covered from the limited skin available in an
extensively burned individual.  The main focus of the clinical
phase of this project will be the construction and application of
lattices that approach the size of conventional meshed graphs.  To
demonstrate the clinical usefulness of the skin equivalent, it will
also be necessary to document histologically the integration and
long-term fate of the grafts.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3159312
- **Project number:** 5R01AR039297-03
- **Recipient organization:** WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NPT2UNTNHJZ1
- **Principal Investigator:** Barbara E Hull
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $68,308
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-04-01 → 1991-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3159312

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3159312, TRANSPLANTATION OF ALLOGENEIC SKIN EQUIVALENTS (5R01AR039297-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3159312. Licensed CC0.

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