The results revealed that about 3 percent of the individuals with ALS had a distorted version of the gene called NEK1, and this makes it a common gene involved with contributing to the ailment, the researchers said. People wondered if this challenge was just another fad, however in 2014, The ALS Association contributed $1 million dollars to Project MinE to help spur the United States arm of this global initiative which lead to identifying a breakthrough discovery in ALS.
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“It’s a new gene that’s been identified in both patients that have a family history and those who don’t”, said Christine Vande Velde, an ALS research at the Universite de Montreal.
It may have seemed like just another one of those insane internet challenges when it first started, but the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has totally worked.
The researchers also discovered instances of the defective NEK1 gene in a new group, in the Netherlands.
“Global collaboration among scientists, which was really made possible by ALS Ice Bucket Challenge donations, led to this important discovery”, John Landers said in the interview. “This kind of collaborative study is, more and more, where the field is headed”, Landers explained in an association news release.
In one study, the scientists studied the genes of over 1,000 people with ALS and compared the outcomes to the genes of 7,300 people who didn’t have the disorder. These tools are important for ALS drug development.
News of the gene discovery again sent the Ice Bucket Challenge viral, proving one of the top trending topics on Twitter on Wednesday.
Funding for Project MinE also came through The ALS Association Georgia Chapter, The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter and New Amsterdam City Swim.
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The ALS Association is crediting money raised through the Ice Bucket Challenge for the discovery of a gene’s connection to the progressive disease.
