The next breakthrough in Parkinson's research could come from an area lab with help from college students like Kelly Modi. As a student researcher, part of RPI's accelerated degree program with Albany Medical College, Modi is getting her BS in biology and her medical degree within seven years.

"I really developed my love for research throughout high school. And this program, especially with RPI and Albany Med, really gives so many opportunities to get involved in research at a really early stage. So that's what really drew me to it,” Modi said.

With associate professor Damian Shin, they are focused on finding a cure or a way to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, which data suggests could be the fastest growing disease in the next 20-30 years.

"I think it's really important,” Modi said. “And just building the work that we do here in the lab right now, that can then be translated to clinical outcomes and ultimately to help patients dealing with Parkinson's disease."

"I've had a great opportunity experience to see students transition from undergrads with maybe sparse research experience and then through the program and in my lab to being very competent scientists,” Shin said. “Researchers are enthusiastic about biomedical research."

Growing the next generation of researchers, people who could one day change the world through their Parkinson's research, is gratifying for Shin.

"Not only do they do the research themselves, but once they get proficient at doing their experiments, they begin to start training other students on their teams, high school students, undergrads,” Shin said. “They become mentors, they become leaders. And eventually that kind of training is really going to help them excel later on as physicians."

Modi hopes to be a practicing physician one day, working directly with patients in addition to continuing research.

"Even though it can be very mundane or tedious at times, just knowing that in the end it'll have a positive outcome and help advance the field, whereas compared to clinical work, that's a little more patient base and specific … the work that we do in the lab and research can be applied to a lot of different fields or it can have a much broader effect,” Modi said.