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You
probably saw countless videos of it, and may have even participated yourself,
but the ice bucket challenge of 2014 likely seems
like a fad of the past now. For the scientists researching ALS treatments and
the thousands of people suffering from the illness worldwide, though, it’s
very much of the present.
The trend involved people pouring ice-cold pails of water over their
heads, and then challenging a friend on social media to follow suit, all to
raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as
Lou Gehrig’s disease.
According to Calaneet Balas, president and CEO of the ALS Association, the
funding has “dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS.”
Most recently, $2.2 million raised from the challenge helped with the
development of a new drug called AMX0035 that just got approved by the Food
and Drug Administration. The drug does not cure the fatal disease, which
affects one’s motor neurons, but slows its progression.
“We thank the millions of people who donated, participated, and enabled us to
invest in promising therapies like AMX0035 that will immediately help people
living with ALS,” Balas said in a press release. “This is a victory
for the entire ALS community.”
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