By Carolina Lima | Published on March 9, 2026 | 3 min read
Acute spinal
cord injury (SCI) remains one of the most complex and devastating
conditions in medicine. Even with advances in emergency care, neurosurgery and
rehabilitation, motor recovery in patients with complete SCI (AIS A) is
extremely uncommon. Historical data consistently show that fewer than 15%
of these individuals recover any degree of voluntary muscle activation below
the injury level. Against this background, a recent Brazilian pilot study
evaluating polylaminin — a stabilized polymeric form of laminin — offers
unexpected and clinically meaningful findings.
Understanding polylaminin
Laminin is
an extracellular matrix protein essential to neural development and
regeneration. It supports neuronal survival, migration, axonal extension and
integrity of the neurovascular tissue organization. When its expression is
disrupted, neural regeneration becomes severely compromised. Polylaminin
is a laboratory‑made version, more stable and structured, that mimics
laminin. Preclinical studies in rats had already shown that polylaminin reduces
inflammation, preserves tissue structure and increases the number of regenerating
axons after SCI. Those results were consistent enough to give researchers
confidence to move into human testing.
Reinforcing
the preclinical findings
Before moving
toward a human trial, the research team conducted five additional animal
experiments using a mild compression model in rats. A total of 106
animals were evaluated, with 51 treated using polylaminin and 55 serving as
non‑injected controls. Functional outcomes were assessed using BBB locomotor
scores. Rats treated with polylaminin demonstrated significantly
better locomotor recovery than untreated controls, achieving near-complete
ambulation by the eighth week. Microscopy analysis further confirmed the
presence of regenerating axons crossing the injury site, following laminin
pathways: consistent with true structural repair.
The human pilot
trial
Encouraged by strong
preclinical evidence, the investigators conducted a first‑in‑human, single‑arm,
open‑label pilot study. Eight adults with confirmed AIS A
injuries were enrolled, based on strict AIS criteria including
voluntary anal contraction, deep anal pressure and sacral sensory testing. All
participants received a single intraparenchymal injection of polylaminin,
typically within 2.3 days after trauma.
Despite the
small sample size, the results were notable:
- All six participants who survived
to the one-month mark regained voluntary motor contraction below the
lesion. One participant recovered
full walking capacity, while another experienced improved sensory levels
and voluntary activation of muscles across multiple segments. The most
pronounced gains occurred in individuals with cervical injuries.
- Overall, 75% of the cohort (6 out of 8)
converted from AIS A to AIS C or D — far above the natural history
expectation.
- Electrophysiological evaluations revealed
reappearance of motor and sensory potentials in some patients, supporting
the neurological improvements noted in physical examinations.
Looking ahead
If these
results are confirmed in future phases of clinical testing, polylaminin may
represent a meaningful step forward in the treatment of acute spinal cord
injury.
As a Brazilian
HCP, it’s hard not to feel proud and encouraged — it’s not every day that a
therapy developed entirely within our own scientific community shows such
promising early results, especially in a disease where recovery has
traditionally been so limited.
Naturally,
enthusiasm must remain grounded. This first study was small, not randomized,
and didn’t include a control group, so larger and more rigorous trials are
essential before we can draw firm conclusions. Even so, the improvements seen
so far go well beyond what we would normally expect from natural recovery
alone, and that’s a signal worth paying attention to.
For people
living with chronic tetraplegia and their families, research like this can
offer renewed hope. Even if polylaminin ultimately works best in the acute
phase, every step forward in spinal cord repair brings us closer to treatments
that may one day help chronic patients too. Progress is rarely fast, but
studies like this remind us that meaningful change is possible.
About the Author – Carolina Lima
Dr.
Carolina Lima, a physician specialized in anesthesiology, has a deep passion for learning and sharing medical knowledge. Dedicated to advancing her field, Dr. Lima strives to bring new evidence-based perspectives to the medical community. Viewing medicine not simply as a profession but as a lifelong journey of learning, Dr. Lima is committed to making complex information clear, practical, and useful for healthcare professionals around the world.
