It is in urgent need clinically to look for an ideal substance for the coverage of burn wounds owing to shortage of autografts or allografts. After the cadaveric skin was extracted with acetic acid, salted out with NaCl and freeze-dried to prepare a porous collagen membrane. The membrane was seeded with allo-epidermal cells and allo-fibroblasts on its two sides, respectively, and then was cultured to achieve an artificial composite allograft. The artificial composite allograft was then transplanted onto ten severly burned wounds. One-year follow-up showed satisfactory results and the histological examination confirmed that the composite allograft could improve the adherence and growth of the epidermal cells and was helpful for blood vessels and healing of non-inflammatory connective tissues in the wounds.
