Ice Bucket Challenge Helps Fund Breakthrough in ALS Research!

Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that made waves two years ago? Well, money donated through raising awareness has contributed to a major scientific breakthrough!

University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Project MinE was able to discover a new gene after the ALS Association donated $1 million dollars from the Ice Bucket Challenge.

The gene has been identified as NEK1. Scientists are hoping the gene could provide clues and answers for potential treatment and understanding of the horrible disease.

“The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled us to secure funding from new sources in new parts of the world,” Bernard Muller, founder of Project MinE and ALS patient, said in a statement (via NYDN). “This transatlantic collaboration supports our global gene hunt to identify the genetic drivers of ALS.”

Watch the celebrity ice bucket challenges from two years ago!