Dr. Yvette Wooff

What is your current research interest?

The role that small cell-to-cell delivery vehicles called extracellular vesicles play in mediating retinal health and how dysregulation of extracellular vesicle communication leads to the progression of retinal degeneration

When did you start in the vision lab?


What is your favourite experiment?


What are your favourite hobbies outside of the lab?

Spending time with my children

What is your favourite cuisine?



I have recently completed my PhD in the Clear Vision Research group and have started work as a postdoctoral researcher in this lab. My PhD focused on investigating the role and therapeutic targeting of innate immune pathways in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. This work led to the discovery that extracellular vesicles (small cell-to-cell communicators) play a huge role in maintaining retinal health, with loss of extracellular vesicle communication being strongly associated with key pathological features of retinal degeneration. This work is now the main focus of my research. Future plans for this work include characterising the molecular cargo carried within these vesicles, and to harness the natural extracellular vesicle communication pathways in the retina to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.