Bioinformatics analysis techniques identify the ferroptosis-related gene MYC as a potential therapeutic target for spinal cord injury: an observational study based on the GEO database

JOURNAL/atin/04.03/02274269-202506000-00001/figure1/v/2025-09-16T151948Z/r/image-tiff Spinal cord injury is a destructive disease with limited effective treatment options. Ferroptosis, a form of regulated cell death, has been suggested to be related to the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury. This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic value and therapeutic potential of ferroptosis-related genes in spinal cord injury using advanced bioinformatics techniques. We retrieved datasets related to spinal cord injury from the GEO database and identified differentially expressed genes between the spinal cord injury and control groups. These differentially expressed genes were intersected with ferroptosis-related genes to identify differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes. A hub gene was identified through the cytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape, and miRNA–mRNA–transcription factor and drug–biomarker networks were constructed to reveal potential molecular targets and therapeutic compounds. The results revealed a highly upregulated hub gene, MYC , in the spinal cord injury group. Subsequent analyses revealed 30 miRNAs, 30 transcription factors, and 30 drugs as potential targets associated with this hub gene for the treatment of spinal cord injury. These findings suggest that bioinformatics analysis techniques provide new insights into the role of ferroptosis-related genes in spinal cord injury, highlighting MYC as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for spinal cord injury. This study lays the foundation for personalized treatment of spinal cord injury, facilitating the development of therapeutic strategies tailored to the unique molecular characteristics of individual patients.