One of these was Project MinE, a large data-driven initiative funded by the ALS Association through ice bucket challenge donations, as well as donations from the organization’s Georgia and NY chapters.
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Their findings, which were published this week in Nature Genetics, detail the discovery of NEK1, a gene found to be present in 3 percent of North American and European ALS cases.
ALS, also known as motor neurone disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, where sufferers lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement and end up paralysed.
The research team at UMass Medical School in Worcester that was funded by the unprecedented donations from the challenge recently identified the gene NEK1 that causes myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The onslaught of videos helped raise more than $100 million for the ALS Association.
Back in 2014, it seemed like everyone was pouring ice water on themselves and uploading it to the internet for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Of the donations, 67 per cent were dedicated to research, helping identify a new ALS gene, NEK1, which now ranks among the most common genes that contribute to the disease.
Two summers ago, the world was swept by the Ice Bucket Challenge sensation which was on talk shows everywhere and all over social media. “The work that Project MinE is doing is really important, and the discovery of this new gene will help us better understand ALS”.
Over eight researchers across the globe looked for ALS risk genes in families that have been affected by the wasting disease.
The idea is that person then donates cash to the ALS Association within 24 hours of completing the challenge.
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With a team of more than 80 scientists in 11 countries, it was the largest study ever related to inherited ALS.
