LIFECELL'S ALLODERM(R) PROCESSED TISSUE GRAFT FEATURED IN NEW TECHNIQUE FOR WOUND TREATMENT; STUDY SHOWS ALLODERM DERMAL TISSUE GRAFT COMBINED WITH CULTURED SKIN PRODUCT MAY EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATE NEED FOR SELF-DONATED SKIN GRAFTS.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 1995--LifeCell Corporation (Nasdaq:LIFC) today announced the publication of a new technique in wound management that features the use of AlloDerm processed tissue in a composite skin graft that could effectively eliminate the need for self-donated skin grafts to treat burn wounds. The new technique was reported in the July/August 1995 edition of Wounds, a compendium of clinical research and practice, and presented at the Seventh International Symposium on Wound Healing and Wound Management.

The Wounds article reviewed three case studies in which AlloDerm processed dermal tissue grafts were combined with a simultaneous application of cultured epithelial autografts (CEA) to produce a composite skin for treatment of deep-partial and full-thickness wounds. The studies highlighted that the new technique "eliminates the need to harvest the patient's own skin (with the exception of the biopsy for CEA)." In addition, the study noted that use of the AlloDerm tissue graft promoted faster wound healing and increased skin durability than with CEA alone.

"The positive data from these case studies highlights the progress being made in the development of an off-the-shelf skin graft product that may virtually eliminate patient donor grafts," stated Paul M. Frison, President and CEO of LifeCell. "LifeCell is currently developing techniques for culturing human kerantinocytes, the primary epidermal cell type present in human skin, onto the surface of AlloDerm processed tissue. If proven clinically effective, LifeCell's composite skin graft would be a major advancement in the treatment of burns and other wounds requiring skin grafts."

The case studies were conducted by a team of clinicians from the Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center, Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Upland, Pennsylvania, including: Jonathan D. Kraut, BS; Aric J. Eckhardt, MD; Mary Lou Patton, MD, FACS; Kristina Antoniades, MD; Linwood R. Haith, Jr., MD, FACS and Barbara S. Shotwell, MD.

LifeCell Corporation is an industry leader in the development and commercialization of universal tissue grafts and blood preservation products. AlloDerm(R) universal dermal tissue graft is the Company's first commercial product and is used in the treatment of third-degree burns, in periodontal surgery and in plastic and reconstructive surgery. In addition to the Company's universally transplantable tissue grafts, LifeCell's product development programs include ThromboSol(R), a formulation for extending the shelf-life of transfusable platelets.

CONTACT: LifeCell Corporation, The Woodlands

Jane Lea Hicks, 713/367-5368