Campana Lab Alumni

Dr. Mahrou Sadri received her Ph.D. in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research focused on the role of bovine milk extracellular vesicles during development and postnatal growth in mice. Dr. Sadri joined Dr. Campana’s lab as a post-doctoral fellow in 2020 to study how Schwann cells (SCs) derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved in pain processing during peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and in the development and maintenance of chronic neuropathic pain. After publishing a first author paper on this topic in the journal GLIA, Dr. Sadri took a position as a Senior Scientist at Capricor Therapeutics in Los Angeles.

Jasmine started research in the Campana Lab during her undergraduate studies at UCSD as a BISP student in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. She was accepted into the Master’s Biology program at UCSD and completed her Master’s project titled “Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 on Schwann Cell-derived Exosomes Serve as an Alternative Binding Site for Tumor Necrosis Factor”. After graduating, Jasmine obtained a position as an Associate Scientist at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in San Diego where she continues to excel in her scientific endeavors.

Marghi Shah received a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC San Diego in 2022. “I am fascinated by the human body's interconnectedness and wish to further my understanding of molecular biology and human physiology, specifically pain mechanisms” As a UCSD TRELS scholar in 2022, Marghi studied the interactions between macrophages and inflammatory cytokines. Her current focus is on studying the interactions between Schwann Cell Extracellular vesicles and macrophages, influenced by inflammatory cytokines. Outside the lab, Marghi works as a project leader and student educator for Homeless HEAL and works with the UCSD student affairs team to enhance the transfer student experience. In my free time, I enjoy reading books, cooking, and exploring the outdoors.

Dr. Hirosawa is an orthopedic spine surgeon and a Visiting Scholar in the Campana Lab from 2018-2020. He discovered that TNFR1 was sequestered on Schwann cell extracellular vesicles (EVs), and that these EVs antagonized TNF-mediated outcomes, including pain like behaviors. He published a first author paper in GLIA with Dr. Campana on this topic. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Chiba University.

Dr. Yasu Shiga is a spine surgeon in the Department of Orthopedics at Chiba University and Dr. Akina Shiga is a physician scientist in Internal Medicine. They were Visiting Scholars in the Campana Lab from 2017-2018. While at UCSD, they grafted iPSC cells from the Dr. Muotri’s lab treated with an LRP1/NMDAR agonist, EI-tPA, into the site of spinal cord injury in rats. Treatment with tPA revealed significant improvements with nerve regeneration and functional motor recovery. Dr. Shiga published a first author paper in Scientific Reports on this topic while in the Campana lab. Currently, they are both Professors at Chiba University, Japan.

Alicia started graduate research in the Campana Lab in 2019 after graduating and working as a research technician at Boston University. While in the Campana lab, she investigated how the NMDAR subunit, Glun1, altered Schwann cell populations in developing and adult peripheral nerves. After receiving her Master’s she joined Dr. Gene Yeo’s lab as a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program.

Mark Carter began research in the Campana Lab as an undergraduate, and then completed a Master’s degree in Biology in March, 2020. The title of his thesis is “PACSIN1, an intracellular neuronal protein, activates LRP1 dependent cell signaling in Schwann Cells.” Mark is currently in Dental School at the University of Kentucky.

John Kim was a PhD candidate in Chemistry co-supervised by Drs. Jerry Yang in the Department of Chemistry and Wendy Campana in the Department of Anesthesiology. John discovered a novel peptide sequence in matrix-metalloprotease-9 that specifically bound to LRP1 and induced cell signaling in vitro and in vivo. John was an outstanding teacher, and served as a TA consistently with significant responsibilities during his PhD tenure. Dr. Kim is now an Assistant Professor at San Diego Miramar College.

Kate started her research in Dr. Campana’s lab as a BISP 199 student in 2017. She was then accepted to the Biology Master’s program and graduated in 2019. Her thesis was titled “Regulation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) expression during Schwann cell differentiation”. Kate is currently a Research Associate at Singular Genomics, San Diego, CA.

Dr. Flutsch was a postdoctoral scholar in the Campana Lab from 2014-2017. He identified the low-density lipoprotein receptor related protein (LRP1) and a receptor that activates elements of the SC Repair program, including c-Jun. Using a proteomics based discovery approach, he discovered and validated that PACSIN 1 is a neuron-specific LRP1 ligand in injured peripheral nerves. Dr. Flutsch is currently a Director in the Vaccines Department at Johnson and Johnson in Switzerland.

Dr. Brifault was a postdoctoral scholar in the Campana and Gonias Lab from 2016-2019. She developed a transgenic mouse model in which the NMDAR subunit, Glun1 was conditionally deleted in Schwann cells (SCs). She discovered that SC Glun1 was essential for proper Remak bundle development, and when deleted, uninjured animals experienced pain like behaviors. Her findings linked SC dysfunction and pain states. She is currently a Senior Scientist at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson.