冰桶挑戰捐款幫助發現致病基因大綱

The Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral in 2014 has funded an important scientific gene discovery in the progressive neurodegenerative disease ALS, the ALS Association says.

美國漸凍症協會表示，2014年風行的冰桶挑戰募集了大量資金，已經幫助科學研究發現了與漸凍症相關的重要基因。漸凍症是漸進性神經退行性疾病，學名爲肌萎縮側索硬化症（ALS）。

Scientists have identified a new gene contributing to the disease, NEK1.

科學家已經發現了一種導致該病症的新基因NEK1。

The Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $115m from people pouring cold water over themselves and posting the video on social media.

冰桶挑戰共募集了1.15億美元，參與挑戰的人們將冰水潑到自己身上，並在社交媒體發佈視頻。

It was criticised as a stunt, but has funded six research projects.

該活動曾被批爲噱頭，但所獲捐款資助了六個研究項目。

More than 80 researchers in 11 countries searched for ALS risk genes in families affected by the disease.

11個國家的80多位研究員在受病症影響的家族中尋找漸凍症的風險基因。

"The sophisticated gene analysis that led to this finding was only possible because of the large number of ALS samples available," Lucie Bruijn of the ALS Association says.

美國漸凍症協會的科學家露西•布魯因說：“因爲有大量可供研究的漸凍症病例，才使複雜的基因分析得以實現，也纔有了今天的成果。”

The identification of gene NEK1 means scientists can now develop a gene therapy treating it.

NEK1基因的發現意味着科學家們從此可以開發治療該病症的基因療法。

Although only 10% of ALS patients have the inherited form, researchers believe that genetics contribute to a much larger percentage of cases.

儘管只有10%的漸凍症患者攜帶該遺傳基因，研究者們認爲有更高比例的病例與遺傳相關。

Social media was awash with videos of people pouring cold water over their heads to raise money for ALS in the summer of 2014.

2014年夏天，人們往頭上澆冰水爲漸凍症募捐的視頻席捲了社交媒體。

More than 17 million people uploaded videos to Facebook, including many celebrities who rose to the challenge, which were then watched by 440 million people worldwide.

超過1700萬人在臉書上傳了視頻，其中包括許多接受了挑戰的名人。全世界有4.4億人觀看了相關視頻。