Ice Bucket Challenge Is Back

All ages are welcome to participate and there will be plenty of buckets, ice and water on hand for all.

Round 2 of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is officially underway. Peter Frates and Pat Quinn, both of whom have ALS, started the Ice Bucket Challenge last summer, and Quinn renewed the fight again this August, vowing to renew it each August until a cure is found.

Beyond all expectations, the phenomenon ended up generating an estimated $220 million worldwide for research and support for those suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the famous baseball player.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

When they replaced the defective TDP-43 from mouse stem cells with an engineered replica, the cells returned to normal.

“This intriguing result provides a new understanding of the normal role of TDP-43”, said ALS Association Chief Scientist Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., M.B.A. “Because TDP-43 accumulates in most cases of ALS, it is critical that we learn more about its normal functions, and how they are affected in ALS”. This comparison makes it easier to find possible therapies for the disease.

Earlier this month, the ALS Association kicked off the second iteration of the campaign that overtook Facebook feeds everywhere last year and led to one of the most epic viral crazes of all time.

The community is rallying to raise money for researchers to find a cure through an event called “Sunday Funday”.