Almost two years ago, the Ice Bucket Challenge filled social media feeds with videos and ALS research with donations. The Challenge prompted athletes, celebrities, Internet personalities, and everyday people to post a video and donate to ALS research. This year, funds raised from the Challenge are being credited with allowing researchers to identify a common gene found to contribute to the disease.
ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting the function of nerves and muscles that eventually leads to a wasting paralysis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis affects 30,000 Americans with the condition at any given time, and 5600 are newly diagnosed each year. ALS kills an average of two out of every 100,000 people annually.
With the help of millions raised through the Ice Bucket Challenge a global gene sequencing project called Project MinE has taken a huge step in finding a common gene that is responsible for ALS. The project sequenced