Ice bucket challenge leads to scientific breakthrough
The global craze that saw celebrities join millions in being doused in freezing water for charity has been credited with funding a scientific breakthrough.
A host of famous names, from Bill Gates to Kim Kardashian and Stephen Hawking to George W Bush, took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 to raise awareness of ALS, commonly known as motor neurone disease in the UK.
Video report by ITV News' reporter Sejal Karia
The worldwide campaign raised £75 million within the first four weeks - including £6.8m in the UK - but drew a backlash from some quarters who accused the star participants of ignoring the cause at the centre of the icy splash.
Two years on, though, their efforts are being hailed for funding research that has discovered a gene linked to the disease which could spark new treatments and therapy developments.
Project MinE, which was largely paid for through donations to the ALS Association, conducted the biggest ever study of inherited ALS.
The research led by American and Dutch scientists took in contributions from more than 80 researchers in 22 countries.
The newly discovered associated gene, NEK1, now ranks among the most common genes that contribute to the disease, according to a paper in Nature Genetics.
She directly credited the impact of 2014's high-profile fundraising efforts for expanding the test pool.
Motor Neurone Disease attacks parts of the nervous system which control muscles, effecting sufferers' ability to talk and eventually rendering them immobile.
In the US it is known as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig's Disease, after the New York Yankees baseball star whose illness and death raised awareness of the disease.