Elongated Tissue Matrices

Abstract

Elongated and high aspect ratio tissue treatment products are provided. Methods of making and using the tissue treatment products are also provided. The tissue treatment products can be used as implants that conform to the site of implantation and resist migration away from their implantation site in vivo.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of making a tissue treatment product, comprising:
 selecting a tissue;   decellularizing the tissue fully or partially to produce an acellular tissue matrix; and   further processing the acellular tissue matrix to form a collection of loosely arranged elongated elements, each elongated element having a length dimension, a width dimension, and a height dimension, and wherein each elongated element has an aspect ratio greater than 50:1.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each elongated element is in the form of a cylinder. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each cylinder is frozen, freeze-dried, desiccated, or partially crosslinked to preserve a cylindrical shape. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein processing the acellular tissue matrix to form a collection of loosely arranged elongated elements, comprises forming a rolled cylinder and slicing the rolled cylinder across a circular face or along a long axis of the cylinder to produce the elongated elements. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of a human, a nonhuman primate, a pig, a cow, a horse, a goat, a sheep, a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a guinea a pig, a gerbil, a hamster, a rat, or a mouse tissue is used to prepare the partially or fully decellularized tissue matrix. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tissue is porcine tissue. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tissue is dermal tissue. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising removing alpha-galactose moieties from the tissue treatment product. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a tissue source for the tissue does not express alpha-galactose epitopes. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the collection of loosely arranged elongated elements are configured to be implanted into an anatomical site such that the tissue matrix is in direct contact with surrounding native tissue thereby allowing cellular ingrowth and tissue integration.