Scientists say Ice Bucket Challenge funds ’crucial’ for latest breakthrough

Last August, social media was flooded (literally) with videos of people soaking themselves with buckets of ice water in a bid to raise awareness and money of motor neurone disease (also known as ALS).

Millions of euro were raised around the world with €1.4m being donated to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association in Ireland.

Sometimes with these campaigns, while well-meaning, you never see any tangible results (Kony 2012, for example) but it seems all those chilly, damp people actually had an effect.

ALS researchers at Johns Hopkins University have reported a breakthrough that could lead to new therapy for motor neurone disease and other medical conditions. And they say that the money raised from the Ice Bucket Challenge was crucial.

Philip Wong, a professor at the university, said that while the research was already under way, funds from the Ice Bucket Challenge helped speed up the work and allowed the team to conduct "high-risk, high-reward experiments that were critical to the outcome".

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times explains the breakthrough:

"The research focused on a protein called TDP-43 that in some circumstances is linked to cell death in the brain or spinal cord of patients. The scientists found that inserting a custom-designed protein allowed cells to return to normal."

The scientists posted their own Ice Bucket Challenge last month to announce the news.

Research will now was now testing gene therapy which could have uses in the treatment of mental deterioration and dementia as well as ALS.

So if you took part in the Challenge or donated, give yourself a small pat on the back.

For more information on the research, click here

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H/T: breakingnews.ie