Title: Obtaining and characterising consensus transcriptional profiles for understanding the progression and severity of spinal cord injury.

Autor: Rubén Grillo Risco
Directors: Victoria Moreno Manzano, Marta R Hidalgo García, Francisco García García

Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that leads to motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. Current therapeutic options remain limited,
emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying SCI-associated molecular mechanisms. This study characterized distinct SCI
phases and severities at the gene and functional levels, focusing on biomarker gene identification. Our approach involved a systematic review, individual
transcriptomic analysis, gene meta-analysis, and functional characterization. We compiled a total of fourteen studies with 273 samples, leading to the
identification of severity- and phase-specific biomarker genes that allow the precise classification of transcriptomic profiles. We investigated the potential
transferability of severity-specific biomarkers and identified a twelve-gene signature that predicted injury prognosis from human blood samples. We
also report the development of MetaSCI-app – an interactive web application designed for researchers – that allows the exploration and visualization of all
generated results (https://metasci-cbl.shinyapps.io/metaSCI). Overall, we present a transcriptomic reference and provide a comprehensive framework for assessing
SCI considering severity and time perspectives, all integrated into a user-friendly tool.