UC Davis Health
School of Medicine

Wendy Campana, Ph.D.

Wendy Campana leads an interdisciplinary research team that investigates the response to nerve injury and the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain. She is a glial biologist, specializing in Schwann cells, researching how these extra­ordinary and multi-functional cells communicate in their microenvironment. The Campana Lab aims to gain a better understanding of their role in the development and maintenance of painful peripheral neuropathy (PPN). There is a substantial unmet medical need for non-opioid based treatments for PPN and SCs represent a novel target. Campana's work has established a foundation for a link between SCs and neuropathic pain. Accordingly, her research consists of both basic science and translational science.

Historical and Select Publications

  • Campana WM, Li XQ, Dragojlovic N, Janes J, Gaultier A, Gonias SL (2006) The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein is a pro-survival receptor in Schwann cells: Possible implications in peripheral nerve injury. J Neurosci 26: 11197-11207.
  • Gaultier A, Arandjelovic S, Li X, Janes J, Dragojlovic N, Zhou GP, Dolkas J, Myers RR, Gonias SL, Campana WM (2008) A shed form of LDL receptor-related protein-1 regulates peripheral nerve injury and neuropathic pain in rodents. J Clin Invest 118:161-172.
  • Mantuano E, Henry KW, Yamauchi T, Hiramatsu N, Yamauchi K, Orita S, Takahashi K, Lin JH, Gonias SL, Campana WM (2011) The unfolded protein response is a major mechanism by which LRP1 regulates Schwann cell survival after injury. J Neurosci 31(38):13376-13385.
  • Yoon C, van Niekerk E, Henry K, Ishikawa T, Orita S, Tuszynski MH, Campana WM (2013) Low density lipoprotein receptor related protein 1 (LRP1) dependent cell signaling promotes axonal regeneration. J BIOL CHEM 288:26557-26568.
  • Orita S, Henry KW, Mantuano E, Yamauchi K, Ishikawa T, DeCorato A, Pollack M, Feltri ML, Wrabetz L, Ellisman M, Takahashi K, Gonias S, Campana WM (2013) Schwann cell LRP1 regulates Remak bundle ultrastructure and axonal interactions to prevent neuropathic pain. J Neurosci 33(13):5590-5602. **Selected for F1000Prime.

Publications in the Last 5 Years

Small extracellular vesicles from neurons and glia

  • Winston CN, Romero HK, Ellisman M, Nauss S, Julovich DA, Conger T, Hall JR, Campana W, O’Bryant SE, Nievergelt CM, Baker DG, Risbrough VB, Rissman RA (2019) Assessing neuronal and astrocyte derived exosomes from individuals with mild traumatic brain injury for markers of neurodegeneration and cytotoxic activity. Front Neurosci 13: 1005.
  • Gonias SL, Banki MA, Azmoon P, Romero HK, Sigurdson CJ, Mantuano E, Campana WM (2022). Cellular prion protein in human plasma-derived extracellular vesicles promotes neurite outgrowth via the NMDA receptor LRP1 receptor system. J Biol Chem Jan 25:101642.
  • Sadri S, Hirosawa N, Le J, Romero H, Martellucci S, Kwon HJ, Pizzo D, Ohtori S, Gonias SL, Campana WM (2022) Tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 is selectively sequestered into Schwann cell extracellular vesicles where it functions as TNF-alpha decoy. Glia 70(2):256-272.
  • Mantuano E, Azmoon A, Banki MA, Sigurdson CJ, Campana WM, Gonias SL (2022) A soluble PrPc derivative and membrane anchored PrPc in extracellular vesicles attenuate innate immunity by engaging the NMDA-R/LRP1 receptor complex. J Immunol 208(1):85-96.
  • Gonias SL, Campana WM (2023) Schwann cell extracellular vesicles: judging a book by its cover. Neural Regen Research 18(2): 325-326.

LRP1 in nerve injury, repair and neuropathic pain

  • Martellucci S, Flutsch A, Carter M, Morimoto M, Pizzo S, Sadri M, Wang Z, Chillen-Fuentes D, Rosenthal SB, Azmoon P, Gonias SLG, Campana WM (2024) Axon derived PACSIN1 binds to the Schwann cell survival receptor, LRP1, and transactivates TrkC to promoted gliatrophic activities. Glia Feb 19 doi: 10.1002/glia.24510.
  • Kim JH, Shivkumar A, Norimoto M, Castro Lingl S, Seitz C, Amaro RE, Gonias SL, Yang J, Campana WM (2024) Binding and activation of LRP1-dependent cell signaling in Schwann cells using a peptide derived from the hemopexin domain of MMP-9. Biochemistry (Mar 7) doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00705.
  • Wang Z, Martellucci S, Van Enoo A, Austin D, Gelber C, Campana WM (2022) Systemically administered SP16, a low-density lipoprotein receptor related protein LRP1 agonist demonstrates efficacy for treating acute and neuropathic pain. Faseb J 36 (1):e22093.
  • Martellucci S, Heredia M, Wang Z, Whisenant T, Strickland DK, Sanchez R, Arai T, Zhang M, Wang H, Gong Z, Asam K, Aouizerat BE, Pekkurnaz G, Ye Y, Campana WM (2025) The low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1) in Schwann cells controls mitochondria homeostasis in peripheral nerves. Progress in Neurobiology (Jun 18) 251:102796 doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2025.102796.
  • Gong Z, Zhang M, Asam K, Martellucci S, Aouizerat B, Campana WM, and Ye, Y (2026) Schwann cell Lrp1 deletion drives trigeminal neuron sensitization and orofacial pain by modulating mitochondrial function and TRPV1/TRPA1 activity. Headache and Pain 26(1):290.