LifeCell Announces Study Finds Alloderm(R) Equivalent to "Gold Standard" in Reconstructive Burn Surgery.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BW HealthWire)--March 19, 1998--

Shriners Burn Institute Study Being Presented at Thirteenth

Annual Meeting of American Burn Association

LifeCell Corporation (Nasdaq:LIFC) today announced that a study demonstrating the benefits of AlloDerm(R) acellular dermal grafts in reconstructive burn surgery is being presented at the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the American Burn Association held in Chicago March 18-21. The study indicated that AlloDerm was equivalent to the current "gold standard" in reconstructive burn procedures, thereby providing superior clinical results through the reduction of donor site trauma.

The study by Robert L. Sheridan, M.D., Ramsey J. Choucair, M.D., M.B. Donelan, M.D., and others at the Shriners Burn Institute in Boston is titled "One Year Follow-Up of Acellular Allodermis in Burn Surgery" and describes the treatment of six burn patients ranging in age from three to ten years old. The children were burned on average over 68 percent of their bodies, resulting in limited areas of unburned skin (donor sites) to transplant to treat the burn area. Ten sites on patients were grafted with AlloDerm covered by a thin autograft, a thin layer of skin taken from a donor site on the patient. Control sites were grafted with the current "gold standard" for burn treatment, a standard thickness autograft. Nine of the sites were reconstructive procedures and one was an acute burn excision. The study determined using the Vancouver Scar Score that sites treated with AlloDerm and the control sites were substantially equivalent at twelve months post-surgery.

"The Shriners study demonstrates that the burn wound has an equivalent appearance using AlloDerm," commented Stephen Livesey, M.D., Ph.D., LifeCell's executive vice president and chief science officer. "Prior to the availability of AlloDerm, the use of standard autografts alone has been the "gold standard" for burn treatment but results in trauma and potential complications at the donor site, including infection and scarring. The Shriners study indicates that AlloDerm allows the surgeon to use thinner autografts, resulting in a superior outcome for the patient by reducing the donor site trauma and related complications."

Preliminary results of the study at three months following surgery were identical to the twelve month results and were previously published in the Nov./Dec. issue of the Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation in an article titled "Acellular Allogenic Dermis Does Not Hinder Initial Engraftment in Burn Wound Resurfacing and Reconstruction."

LifeCell Corporation is a bioengineering company engaged in the development and commercialization of tissue regeneration and cell preservation products. LifeCell's first commercial product, AlloDerm(R) acellular dermal graft, is used in reconstructive plastic, dental and burn surgery. In addition to AlloDerm grafts, the Company's current tissue graft development plans include the LifeCell(R) heart valve, vascular grafts and nerve connective tissue. LifeCell's product development programs also include ThromboSol(tm), a formulation for extending the shelf life of transfusable platelets. For additional information about the Company, visit LifeCell's web site at http://www.lifecell.com.

Certain of the statements contained in this news release are forward-looking statements. While these statements reflect the Company's current beliefs, they are subject to uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially. These factors include, but are not limited to, the uncertainty of clinical trials, the uncertainty of patent protection, the demand for the Company's products and services, economic and competitive conditions and products and other risks detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 1997.

CONTACT: LifeCell Corporation, The Woodlands, TX

J. Donald Payne, 281/367-5368

http://www.lifecell.com