A breakthrough in ALS research has been made thanks to funding from the Ice Bucket Challenge social media campaign.
A newly identified gene, NEK1, now ranks among the most common genes that contributes to the disease, presenting scientists with another potential target for developing therapies.
ALS, also known as motor neurone disease or MND, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord leading to paralysis and eventually, death.
The viral campaign, designed to promote awareness of the disease and raise research funds, involves a nominated person pouring a bucket of ice and water over their own head, videoing the stunt and posting it on social media.
The idea is that person then donates cash to the ALS Association within 24 hours of completing the challenge. They then nominate three more people to do the same.
While some complained that the social media stunt was driven largely by narcissism rather than a desire to donate to charity, it raised enough money to fund the groundbreaking study.
"The discovery of NEK1 highlights the value of ‘big data’ in ALS research,” said Lucie Bruijn, chief scientist at the ALS Association.
"The sophisticated gene analysis that led to this finding was only possible because of the large number of ALS samples available," said Bruijn.
There's no way of proving that every single person who carried out the Ice Bucket Challenge donated money, but a significant proportion clearly did. The cash helped to fund the largest ever study of inherited ALS, which was published in the journal Nature Genetics. The research was led by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and University Medical Centre Utrecht.
The ALS Association announced funding for Project MinE, an international effort to sequence the genomes of at least 15,000 people with ALS, in October 2014
"Global collaboration among scientists, which was really made possible by ALS Ice Bucket Challenge donations, led to this important discovery," said John Landers from the University of Massachusetts.
"It is a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS. This kind of collaborative study is, more and more, where the field is headed."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
