#IceBucketChallenge Payoff

A year after the viral ALS awareness campaign raised millions, researchers say they have something to show for the influx of funds.

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FLICKR, ANGELIN SONG

Last summer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) became the talk of the Internet, as hundreds of thousands of people filmed themselves dumping ice water over their heads and donated more than $220 million to the cause. While some were skeptical of how the funding would be used, much of it was devoted to ALS research, according to researchers in the field. A study published earlier this month (August 7) in Science is one example of ALS research made possible in part by charitable donations.

“Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to come out with the studies as quickly as we did,” study coauthor Philip Wong of Johns Hopkins University told The Washington Post. “The money came at a critical time when we needed it.”

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Meet the Author

  • Jef Akst

    Jef Akst was managing editor of The Scientist, where she started as an intern in 2009 after receiving a master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses.
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