Drug loading and release. Three samples of 100 µL Pluronic F127 solution were prepared (each in a 1.7 mL microcentrifuge tube) following the standard protocol described above and kept on ice, with the difference that 60 µg dexamethasone was mixed into each liquid Pluronic F127 sample (final concentration was 60 µg dexamethasone per 100 µL gel). The samples were then gelled for 1 hour by moving these tubes into a heating block kept at 37 °C. 500 µL of PBS (pre-warmed to 37 °C) was then added into each tube to start the elution study. TiTannic gel was prepared following the standard protocol described above with dexamethasone added to achieve a final concentration of 60 µg dexamethasone per 100 µL TiTannic gel. 100 µL of TiTannic gel mixture was added into each of three 1.7 mL microcentrifuge tubes, this was done immediately upon mixing the TA solution (containing dexamethasone) with the Ti IV solution, before gelation had occurred. The mixtures were then allowed to gel for 1 hour. 500 µL of PBS was then added into each tube to start the elution study. The elution study was also repeated for TiTannic gels but instead of 60 µg dexamethasone per 100 µL gel, 6 mg dexamethasone per 100 µL gel was used to increase the dexamethasone signal per time point to facilitate HPLC detection (as the observed release rate from TiTannic gels were much slower than for the Pluronic F127 gels). In this repeat study, double the amount of Ti IV solution was used as the higher concentration of dexamethasone present affected the gelation time of the TiTannic gel, as assessed with vial inversion testing.