Campbell University junior Kara Evans, a pharmaceutical sciences major from Mount Holly, North Carolina, has been named one of 11 recipients of the 2025 North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU) Undergraduate Research Award.
Evans’ research project, guided by co-advisors Drs. Steve Holly and Krisztian Toth, professors of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences, explores the role of GHSR1a signaling in the G protein and β-arrestin pathways. Her work focuses on how these pathways influence the release of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines from leukocytes, using control (WT) and β-arrestin2-deficient (KO) mice to better understand immune response mechanisms. The impact of this research relates to novel ways of modulating inflammation through activation of specific signaling pathways downstream of the hormone ghrelin.
This summer, Evans participated in the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) eXperience program at NC State University, a prestigious opportunity that provides hands-on research training in biomanufacturing. She is also planning to continue her research work in Chile this fall through the Pharmaceutical Biotechnology of Natural Products Study Abroad course.
The NCICU Undergraduate Research Award recognizes juniors and seniors from NCICU’s 36 member institutions for exceptional research in STEM and psychology fields. Funded in part by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and other corporate donors, the award provides stipends to support student projects.
As an award recipient, Evans will present her findings at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium on November 15, 2025.