A method of producing homogenous polymerised beads comprising cartilage-forming cells, said method comprising the steps of:
providing the cartilage-forming cells,
providing a strong alkaline solution of alginate,
providing an acid solution with chitosan of Mw between 22 kD to 55 kD,
mixing the solution of alginate and the solution of chitosan, wherein said mixed solution comprises between 0.5% (w/v) to 0.7% (w/v) of chitosan and between 1% (w/v) and 1.4% (w/v) alginate,
dispersing the cartilage-forming cells in the mixed solution of alginate and chitosan,
introducing droplets of said mixed solution into a solution with Ca2+ or Sr2+ cations to form homogeneous polymerised beads wherein the cartilage-forming cells are homogeneously distributed within the homogeneous polymerised beads, wherein the homogeneous gellified beads comprising interconnected chitosan trabeculae within an alginate gel, and
isolating the homogenous polymerised beads from said solution with cations.