KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The federal government shutdown is creating a hurdle for students and a professor at Kalamazoo College. 

Since 2008, Associate Professor Dwight Williams has been working to expand on research from Korea which found a molecule that’s protective against the pathway associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Glaucoma.

Government shutdown enters fifth day as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse

“We are making these small chemical modifications to these molecules and then trying to see if we can find a molecule that’s really good at preventing this pathway that causes the death of neurons in varying neurogenic diseases, which has been a lot of fun and a lot of challenge, but it’s been good,” he said.

The work came to K College in 2015. Williams’ first attempt at the grant was rejected in 2018. He credits working with mentors and others for being awarded nearly $385,000 from the National Institutes of Health.

The grant covers stipends for two students to work in the lab during the summer for the next three years. Senior Trustin Christopher is one of the students helping in the lab. He said the work is fulfilling. 

“So many people are affected by these diseases yearly, and it’s only increasing. And it’s like one of our goals, just as scientists, to be able to help people all over the world,” he said.

Christopher and some of the other students in the lab carry a personal drive to work on the project.

Trump says he’s open to health care deal but government must reopen first

“My grandmother’s sister passed away from multiple sclerosis, which is one of the diseases that has this common pathway that we’re looking into in Dr. Williams’ research. And it’s really nice to be able to see how we could combat these real-world issues,” he told News 8. 

Student involvement has been a major key in moving the project forward, making the grant that much more important.

“It’s incredibly critical for us to keep the project going, particularly so that we can provide opportunities for students, right?” Williams said. The big thing for us is making sure that we get as many undergraduate students involved in research as we possibly can. One of the big barriers for us is funding for those students.”

The grant also covers instrumentation and other materials that would allow the lab to collect more data. While the money is allocated for the project, Williams still needs to request the funds. That has been made difficult under the federal government shutdown. He said the plan is to purchase what they can and get paid back later. 

“Right now, we’re being more cautious, perhaps, maybe, than we need to. And so we’re just going to wait until the government reopens. That way, we’ll know that for sure we’ll be able to get those reimbursements and no major changes have happened,” said Williams.

Will the government shutdown affect next year’s election? History provides clues

The block also prevents hiring more students to take part in the work. But for now, Williams and junior Landrie Fridsma said students are still working to push the project forward.

“I feel very proud of myself for being able to do this and being able to hopefully be a part of something bigger,” said Frisdma.

She said the team hasn’t been able to order a reagent they use in the lab, which set them back a couple of weeks. But beyond that, the team is working around the funding block.

Currently, Williams said the team is taking molecules and testing them in new systems. The team used a small type of round worm as a model previously.

He hopes the shutdown will come to a resolution soon and open the funds again.