Exploratory research on therapeutic agents combined with early diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal cancer

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although diagnostic and therapeutic strategies have advanced, the molecular mechanisms driving CRC pathogenesis are not fully understood, highlighting the need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic agents. Methods: Integrated bioinformatics analyses of transcriptomic datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were performed to identify survival-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC (|log2FC| > 1.5, p < 0.05). These key DEGs were then used to query the L1000FWD, DGIdb, and CMap platforms to predict candidate small-molecule drugs. The top candidate was evaluated by molecular docking, and its anti-tumor effects were validated by MTT cell viability assays in CRC cell lines. Results: We identified 15 survival-associated DEGs-MELK, NFE2L3, MCM2, MAD2L1, AUNIP, CXCL3, GLDN, GREM2, ALDH1A1, CILP, FABP4, AOC3, CNN1, ANGPTL1, and DES-as potential early diagnostic biomarkers for CRC. Drug-repositioning analyses convergently highlighted SB-225002 as a promising therapeutic agent. Molecular docking showed high binding affinity of SB-225002 to multiple key targets. MTT assays demonstrated that SB-225002 exerted dose-dependent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of CRC cell lines (SW-480, DLD-1, and MC38), with IC50 values of 2.307 μM, 0.9456 μM, and 3.449 μM, respectively. Discussion: This study systematically delineates a novel panel of early-detection biomarkers for CRC and identifies SB-225002 as a repurposed candidate therapeutic agent. The integrative strategy combining multi-cohort transcriptomic analysis, drug-repositioning platforms, molecular docking, and experimental validation offers a feasible framework for discovering clinically actionable biomarkers and small-molecule therapies for CRC.