The ice bucket challenge actually worked!
Remember in 2014 when we all ran around like maniacs throwing icy water on our heads and filming it for charity?
Pessimists labelled it a fad and a trend and accused people of not actually donating to the charity.
Well, guess what?
The money that was raised for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Scleroses) through the ice bucket challenge has helped scientists discover a new gene in the disease which means a cure is even one step closer.
Around $100 million was raised in 30 days for ALS during the summer of 2014, as an unprecedented number of people took to social media to spread awareness for the currently incurable degenerative disease.
(here’s a photo of David Beckham taking part, for obvious reasons)
One of the projects that the money funded was called Project MinE, who announced the exciting news on Monday that could lead to new treatment possibilities.
Prior to the ice bucket challenge almost no one who had been directly affected by ALS had ever heard of it. AlS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It attacks certain cells in the brain and spinal cord needed to keep muscles moving.
Most people with ALS live 2-5 years after the first signs of the disease, harrowingly, only 10% of people diagnosed survive another 10 years.
Brian Frederick, executive vice-president of communications and development at the ALS association spoke to The Guardian
“It’s very exciting because it shows everyone who contributed to the ice bucket challenge that their donation had an impact on the research.
The work that Project MinE is doing is really important, and the discovery of this new gene will help us better understand ALS.”
Although he added that there is still a long way to go in understanding ALS,
“It’s still very early in our understanding of this particular gene, and we still have a way to go with understanding ALS generally.”
