Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The growth plate is a cartilaginous region in children's long bones where longitudinal growth occurs. When injured, bony tissue can form and impair growth. We describe a rat model of growth plate injury that leads to bony repair tissue, allowing the study of repair mechanisms and growth plate regeneration strategies.

The present protocol describes a non-emulsion-based method for the fabrication of chitosan-genipin microgels. The size of these microgels can be precisely controlled, and they can display pH-dependent swelling, degrade in vivo, and be loaded with therapeutic molecules that release over time in a sustained manner, making them highly relevant for tissue engineering applications.