Сборник материалов международной научной конференции студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов

О.В. Барановская, Я.И. Чиж, Я.С. Шишловская

Республика Беларусь, Брест, БрГУ имени А.С. Пушкина

Научный руководитель – Н.В. Иванюк

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE: TO ADVANCE ALS THERAPY CONCEPT

The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association and Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) have joined forces to fund a research project aimed at finding a potential therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Both nonprofits are focused on finding treatments and cures for ALS and providing services for those affected with the debilitating, fatal disease.

The $240,000 award to molecular biologist James Shorter, Ph.D., of Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania was made possible in part by Major League Baseball’s commitment to ALS research and “Ice Bucket Challenge”.

Shorter’s research is focused on breaking up toxic protein clumps that often occur in nerve cells in patients with ALS. His team will develop compounds to target and break up these clumps. The studies are designed both to enhance basic understanding of protein clumping in ALS and to determine whether targeting this process holds therapeutic potential.

“We’re proud to partner with the ALS Association in support of this innovative research, which could provide critical understanding and new therapeutic possibilities to help those fighting ALS”, said MDA Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Valerie Cwik, M.D. “As part of our mission to save and improve lives of those with neuromuscular diseases, we’ve maintained a major focus on funding ALS research and services since the 1950s. We’re determined to strengthen that crucial commitment as we join forces with the ALS Association, working together to accelerate research progress to arrive at definitive therapeutic solutions to benefit those with ALS, their families and caregivers”.

“We are pleased to work with MDA to fund these studies, which will provide greater insight into the disease process and also offer possible new therapies for ALS”, said Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chief Scientist, the ALS Association.

In July, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) celebrated the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famed “Luckiest Man” speech by collectively awarding $300,000 to four organizations dedicated to finding treatments and cures for ALS. Soon after, the country was taken by storm when the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral prompting millions to take part in the “ice-water-over-your-head” initiative and donate to ALS organizations.

After the generous outpouring of support from people all around the globe due to Ice Bucket Challenge, the Board of Trustees of the ALS Association has approved an initial expenditure of $21.7 million in funding to support six programmes and initiatives to expedite the search for treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Additionally, $12.5 million in matching donations bring the total commitment to $34.2 million.

Four of these projects involve global research cooperative alliances that would not have moved forward without this significant funding from the Association, made possible through the generosity of donors worldwide, along with matching gifts.

“We recognize the sense of urgency felt by people living with the disease and their families and I want to assure everyone that our number one commitment is to making decisions that get treatments to patients in the fastest way possible», said Barbara Newhouse, President and CEO of the ALS Association. “Our roadmap to treatments involves collaboration with other ALS organizations and with industry, university investigators, government agencies, pharmaceutical and biotech companies and other nonprofit organizations committed to the fight against ALS”.

During a 30-day period of the summer of 2014, the ALS Association received more than $100 million in donations. Over a few weeks, the Association actively convened key stakeholder groups, including a panel of advisors made up of people living with ALS, to provide input into a comprehensive plan that the Association released after approval from the Board of Trustees.

The bulk of the ALS Association’s initial $21.7 million commitment –$18.5 million – will advance four new cooperative alliances for the next one to three years involving research that has been identified as critical to finding new treatments for ALS: ALS Accelerated Therapeutics (ALS ACT), The New York Genome Centre, the Neuro Collaborative, and Project MinE. These projects would not have been possible without Ice Bucket Challenge donations.

There will be synergies between these four initiatives that will increase the quantity, and most importantly, the value of data openly available to the ALS research community worldwide. The ALS Association will play a pivotal role in coordinating these efforts.

Under the leadership of the ALS Association’s Chief Scientist, Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., M.B.A., the Association has been involved in the planning of each of these new collaborations, and, in each case, has sought the advice and evaluation of leading researchers to assess scientific merit, to gather additional ideas for each project, and to ensure the maximum relevance to future therapies.

The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centres, and fostering government partnerships, the Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.

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   Ассоциация ALS [Электронный ресурс] / The ALS Association. – Режим доступа: http://www.alsa.org/ – Дата доступа: 15.02.2015.
   

В начале августа 2014 года в США был запущен флешмоб под названием Ice Bucket Challenge. Актеры, музыканты и политики массово начали обливаться ведрами ледяной воды и передавать эстафету друг другу. Цель акции – рассказать о заболевании нервной системы под названием «боковой амиотрофический склероз». Боковой амиотрофический склероз – неизлечимое заболевание центральной нервной системы, при котором происходит поражение двигательных нейронов, приводящее к параличам и последующей атрофии мышц. Люди, которые хотели поддержать кампанию, должны вылить на себя ведро холодной воды и разместить запись в Сети. После этого они могли бросить вызов своим друзьям. В случае, если те не выполняли задание в течение 24 часов, они обязаны были сделать пожертвование в фонд в размере 100 долларов.