#$%^&*AU2011200128B220130228.pdf#####SKIN EQUIVALENT CULTURE Abstract 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 s 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 to 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 15 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.
