THE ice bucket challenge that swept the world in 2014 has led to a scientific breakthrough.
Millions of people around the world doused themselves with a bucket of ice water to raise money and awareness for ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of motor neuron disease.
Dozens of celebrities joined in the craze including tech billionaire Bill Gates , Vogue Editor Anna Wintour and David Beckham .
There was however criticism of the campaign.
It was branded as another type of 'slacktivism', where people only clicked, liked and shared rather than make an actual contribution.
The failed attempt to bring African warlord Joseph Kony to justice in 2012 was a prime example of this.
However, thanks to the tens of millions of dollars raised thanks to the ALS challenge, researchers have been able to identify a new gene associated with the disease.
The Project MinE study, which produced the discovery, was funded by US charity the ALS Association using money from the Ice Bucket Challenge.
More than 80 scientists from 11 countries identified NEK1 after searching for ALS risk genes in more than 1,000 affected families and 13,000 individuals with the "sporadic" form of the disease. Their results were published in the journal, Nature Genetics.
Dr John Landers, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, US, who co-led the study, said: "Global collaboration among scientists, which was really made possible by ALS Ice Bucket Challenge donations, led to this important discovery.
"It is a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS. This kind of collaborative study is, more and more, where the field is headed."
Project MinE was the brainchild of entrepreneur and Dutch ALS patient Bernard Muller. He said: "The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled us to secure funding from new sources in new parts of the world. "I'm incredibly pleased with the discovery of the NEK1 gene adding another step towards our ultimate goal, eradicating this disease from the face of the earth."
See Barrow's own Hairy Biker Dave Myers take the challenge
Watch Barrow MP John Woodcock get soaked after taking part in the challenge
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