The ALS Ice Bucket challenge was the fundraiser that took 2014 by storm and clogged your social feeds for months. Perhaps you took the challenge, maybe you didn’t. You might have even found the whole thing tiresome — but it was all worth it. A new report indicates that significant breakthroughs have been made into treating ALS, and it’s all thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge helped lead to a major breakthrough
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
With the influx of money thanks to the challenge the ALS Association contributed $1 million to fund the U.S. branch of “Project MinE,” a global initiative into finding and breaking down genetic markers that can help better understand ALS as a disease. This week Project MinE announced a breakthrough: The NEK1 gene, which is directly linked to ALS.
While the report notes that only 10 percent of ALS cases are believed to be genetic, this is still a major breakthrough. Bernard Muller, founder of Project MinE, released the following statement.
“The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled us to secure funding from new sources in new parts of the world. Thankfully, The ALS Association brought Project MinE to the United States. This transatlantic collaboration supports our global gene hunt to identify the genetic drivers of ALS. I’m incredibly pleased with the discovery of the NEK1 gene adding another step towards our ultimate goal, eradicating this disease from the face of the earth.”
It’s been two years since the Ice Bucket challenge. Yes, it was a fad. Indeed it got a lot more traction than anyone ever expected -- but already it’s showing to be a worthwhile endeavor. Hopefully with time we can finally eradicate this horrible disease.
(h/t NY Daily News)
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