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

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Medicine

A Rat Tibial Growth Plate Injury Model to Characterize Repair Mechanisms and Evaluate Growth Plate Regeneration Strategies

Christopher B. Erickson¹, Nichole Shaw², Nancy Hadley-Miller², Michael S. Riederer³, Melissa D. Krebs³, Karin A. Payne⁴

¹Department of Bioengineering, Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, ²Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, ³Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, ⁴Department of Orthopedics, 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.

Bioengineering

Fabrication of Size-Controlled and Emulsion-Free Chitosan-Genipin Microgels for Tissue Engineering Applications

Michael A. Stager¹, Christopher B. Erickson², Karin A. Payne², Melissa D. Krebs¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, ²Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

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.