Icebucket Challenge

[#-3]

Originally Posted by polak

You have no idea what they can do with that the knowledge of that gene though. Now maybe they can use that gene to understand more about the overall disease and make more discoveries.

Stop being so cynical people.

Not trying to by cynical, and I am all for research in general. But 3% seams allot more like correlation than an association or breakthrough.

I didn't read the article yet, so I'm sure if they mentioned it yet, but did the look for the frequency of this gene within a control group of people who have not relatives with ALS?

If there really is an association, finding the difference between these 3% and the other 97% will probably at best improve the definition of ALS or the realization the it is more that one thing with the same symptoms. Which is once again a big step, but not a breakthrough.

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

Anything is good. ALS is one of the worst things to have to go through or have a family member go through. It's hard to watch someone you love deteriorate so quickly to the point where they cannot move or communicate and you know their brain is still functioning normally. I lost my grandmother to ALS and I hope this brings some hope to finding a cure.

Yeah I can definitely relate in some way to how absolutely awful ALS is. It's very similiar to the disease I have but it disables and kills you in mere months while DMD slowly does it over decades.

It really makes me appreciate my life and makes me think how much worse things could be

[Thor]

I do agree however that the word breakthrough is sensationalist click bait stuff we are so used to in science journalism these days.