摘要Background:Traumatic injury to the adult mammalian spinal cord results in minimal axonal regrowth,cystic cavity formation at the injury site,poor functional recovery and there is no cure available.Due to the complex nature of spinal cord injury (SCI),a combination of therapeutic strategies may offer the most promise for successful regeneration (Ahuja et al.,2017).A key element considered for a combination strategy is a biomaterial scaffold to fill the cavity and to deliver growth promoting factors and transplanted cells.In the last few decades many synthetic and natural biomaterials have been explored for their suitability to repair damaged spinal cord,including hydrogels,guidance conduits and nanoparticles,but none has led to successful clinical translation (Siebert et al.,2015),likely due to failure in optimization of biomaterial characteristics required.The aim of this perspective is to first briefly outline the key characteristics of a biomaterial suited to spinal cord repair and then discuss the potential of using silkworm silk biomaterials such as degummed Antheraea pernyi filaments (DAPF) in a combinatorial context.