A polysaccharide sponge characterized by having: (i) an average pore size in the range between about 10 .mu.m to about 300 .mu.m; (ii) an average distance between the pores being the wall thickness of the pores in the range between about 5 .mu.m to about 270 .mu.m; and (iii) an E-modulus of elasticity being a measure of the rigidity of the sponge in the range of about 50 kPa to about 500 kPa.