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The "ice bucket challenge" was stormed with supports two summers ago. The challenge was made to raise awareness and money to pay for the research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or A.L.S. The supporters raised a huge amount of money that helped the scientists to discover new information about the disease.
The money raised by the "ice bucket challenge" for the A.L.S. Association has reached $115 million. It has been used for the research and development of treatment drugs. It was also used as prize money to attract people to design a technology to help those who are living with the disease, according to New York Times.
The association announced that they have discovered a gene called NEK1 (pronounced as neck-one), it is among the common genes that contribute to the disease and is related to 3 percent of A.L.S. cases. The discovery is the result of Project MinE, a global gene-sequencing effort which involves 11 countries and 80 researchers.
The association invested $1 million from the money raised by the "ice bucket challenge" to Project MinE and "initiated the U.S. arm of this international effort," said Carrie Munk, a spokeswoman for the association.
The NEK1 discovery is important, however, it is not a breakthrough. This is because some 30 genes that are linked to the disease have already been recognized, according to Brian Frederick, executive vice president for communications and development for the A.L.S. Association.
Frederick said that the discovery of NEK1 could eventually mean that "treatments won't be limited to one subset of people with A.L.S., but that it might be a more broad group."
NEK1 plays important roles in neurons - the nerve cells that build up our nervous system that includes our brain and spinal cord and coordinates body movements. The newly discovered gene maintains the cytoskeleton that shapes the neuron and helps transport within the neuron. It also regulates the membranes of the mitochondrion that repairs the DNA and supplies energy to neurons. The disruption of these important cellular functions has been linked to an increased risk of ALS, as reported by NY Daily News.
