Method of treating spinal cord injury

A method of treating a spinal cord injury comprising implantation of a pharmaceutical composition into a human or animal body at, near, adjacent to, or in connection with, a spinal cord of said human or animal body,

• wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises polyacrylonitrile (PANi), elastin (E), and collagen (C) together forming a polyacrylonitrile (PANi), elastin (E), collagen (C) polymer network (PANi-E-C), wherein the polyacrylonitrile (PANi) is crosslinked via a crosslinking agent to form a crosslinked, porous, semi-interpenetrating or interpenetrating polyacrylonitrile (PANi), elastin (E) and collagen (C) polymer network (xpi-PANi-E-C), wherein the crosslinked polyacrylonitrile (PANi) associates and/or bonds and/or connects with the elastin (E) and collagen (C) facilitating reorientation of secondary structure of proteins elastin (E) and collagen (C);
• wherein the reorientation of the secondary structure of proteins elastin (E) and collagen (C) within xpi-PANi-E-C results in the concentration dependent secondary structure of proteins elastin (E) and collagen (C) being such that the concentration of random coils>a-helix>b-sheets>b-turns;
• and wherein reorientation of both elastin (E) and collagen (C) provides for the reorientated secondary structure of proteins elastin (E) and collagen (C) to approximate, or to be in, their native or natural form as naturally found in the extra cellular matrix (ECM) of a human or animal such that the pharmaceutical composition mimics human or animal spinal cord tissue.