The ice bucket challenge may have paid off

In the summer of 2014, a new type of video began cropping on social media feeds for charity: buckets of ice water being deliberately dumped on people’s heads.

But the “ice bucket challenge,” meant to help fund the search for a cure to the degenerative neuromuscular disease ALS, did more than raise awareness. The ALS Association announced Monday that the money raised has funded the discovery of a new gene that is tied to an increase in risk for the disease.

According to the nonprofit organization, the challenge spurred more than $100 million in donations, part of which went to a genome sequencing effort called Project MinE. Led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, the project gathered DNA samples from thousands of ALS patients to identify a possible gene responsible.

Their analysis led them to the NEK1 gene, which can compromise the structure and function of neurons in certain variations and increase the risk of ALS, the association said in a press release. The discovery of the gene, the third discovered in the last two years, gives scientists a new target for developing possible treatments for the incurable disease, according to the association.

About 17 million videos connected to the ice bucket challenge were eventually posted, including some from celebrities like Bill Gates and several sports stars participating in the challenge and donating to the ALS Association.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, eventually causes the shutdown of the respiratory system by attacking nerve cells that control the body’s muscles for moving and breathing. Its exact cause is still unknown, though a minority of cases are inherited.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 7:10 AM with the headline "The ice bucket challenge may have paid off."