cultured epidermal autografts

Cultured epidermal autografts (CEA) are an autologous cell therapy involving the laboratory expansion of a patient's own keratinocytes into sheets of stratified squamous epithelium. This technology is primarily used as a permanent skin replacement for patients with deep dermal or full-thickness burns covering a large percentage of the total body surface area (typically >30%), where available donor sites for traditional split-thickness skin grafts are insufficient. The process begins with a small full-thickness skin biopsy, from which keratinocytes are harvested and expanded, often using a feeder layer of irradiated fibroblasts. Once the sheets reach sufficient maturity, they are transplanted back to the patient's wound bed. Beyond severe burns, CEA has been investigated and approved in certain regions for treating giant congenital melanocytic nevi and epidermolysis bullosa, and it is under study for conditions like stable vitiligo and various forms of ichthyosis.

Brand names

EpicelJACE

Other names

CEAautologous cultured epidermal graftscultured keratinocyte graftsautologous cultured epitheliumcultured epithelial autografts