Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a central nervous system(CNS)?related disorder. There is yet no successful treatment for this issue at present. Cell?based therapies have been explored for SCI restoration, including the use of pluripotent human stem cells, and a number of adult?derived stem and mature cells such as mesenchymal stem cells, olfactory ensheathing cells. However, cell transplantation is often hampered by the poor cell survival in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Alternatively, the therapeutic role of different cells has been used in tissue engineering approaches by engrafting cells with biomaterials. The latter have the advantages of physically mimicking the CNS tissue, while promoting a more permissive environment for cell survival, growth, and differentiation. The roles of both cell transplantation and biomaterial?based therapies as single therapeutic approaches for SCI repair will be discussed in this review.