Fig. 1

Procedure for transplantation of an autologous cultivated oral mucosal epithelial cell sheet to the anastomotic stenosis in postoperative congenital esophageal atresia. The patient’s oral mucosal tissue and blood were collected at the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) and transported to the CPF of Tokyo Women's Medical University (TWMU) while maintaining them at low temperature. The harvested oral mucosal epithelial cells were isolated and seeded onto temperature-responsive cell culture inserts. The cells were cultured for 14 days to produce cell sheets. In-process quality control tests were performed at each stage of the cell sheet fabrication process. In addition, a pre-shipment test (quality assessment) was performed. The products that passed the tests were transported to the NCCHD, maintaining the temperature around 37 °C. The cell sheets were then transplanted into the patient