Furthermore, human studies have further confirmed the clinical relevance of this mechanism: Autopsy lung tissues of patients with COVID-19-related ARDS showed that ferroptosis markers (transferrin receptor TfR1, lipid peroxide 4-HNE) were significantly elevated and positively correlated with the severity of lung injury, while no similar phenomenon was observed in non-COVID-19-related ALI cases. The gene discussed is TFRC; the disease is acute respiratory distress syndrome.